Drainage-wide effects of timber harvesting on the structure of stream fish assemblages in southeastern Oklahoma

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1992)121<0716:DEOTHO>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:7369031

Rutherford, D A; Echelle, A A; Maughan, O E ^[1]

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1. Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater (United States)

The authors examined associations between timber harvesting (clear-cutting and associated activities) and structure of assemblages of stream fishes across 89 localities in the Little River drainage, Oklahoma. Timber-harvesting activities were quantified as the percentage of the watershed (upstream from each locality) covered by clear-cuts in each of eight different age-classes. The authors found significant associations with one or more age-classes of clear-cut for three indices of species diversity, 14 of 29 common fish species, and three of five multivariate axes (principal components) of covariation among species abundances. Further analyses indicated a nonrandom association between life history strategy (r- or K-selection) and whether the abundance of individual species was related positively or negatively to clear-cuts of different ages. The results suggest that r-selected species (small, short-lived) may respond quickly to clear-cutting perturbations whereas K-selected species (large, long-lived) exhibit a delayed response. The results of this study, together with an earlier survey of faunal changes, suggest that the effects of clear-cutting in the Little River system are limited to temporary changes in local fish assemblage structure. 46 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 7369031
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; (United States), Vol. 121:6; ISSN 0002-8487
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
DEFORESTATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
FISHES
BASELINE ECOLOGY
DRAINAGE
ECOSYSTEMS
RUNOFF
SPECIES DIVERSITY
STREAMS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ECOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MASS TRANSFER
SURFACE WATERS
VERTEBRATES
553000* - Agriculture &amp; Food Technology
540210 - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)
540310 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)
560400 - Other Environmental Pollutant Effects