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Title: Post-defaunation recovery of fish assemblages in southeastern blackwater streams

Abstract

The authors analyzed fish assemblage structure at 37 sites in South Carolina streams before and nearly one year after experimental defaunation to test assemblage resiliency. Decreases in stream depth and width in the second year reflected an intervening drought, but habitat structure remained highly correlated between years. Fish assemblages recovered well over four scales of analysis. Total fishes sampled, collective assemblage properties (species richness, density, biomass, and mean mass of fish), local assemblage structure, and single-species attributes generally did not significantly differ after defaunation, as determined by species- and individual-abundance correlations, detrended correspondence analysis, and a proportional similarity index. These assemblages were not randomly structured units, but were largely deterministic systems highly predictable from local habitat structure.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
  2. Univ. of Montana, Missoula (USA)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
6279803
DOE Contract Number:  
AC09-76SR00819
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Ecology; (USA)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 71:2; Journal ID: ISSN 0012-9658
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY; DROUGHTS; ECOLOGY; FISHES; HABITAT; SAVANNAH RIVER; SPECIES DIVERSITY; STREAMS; ANIMALS; AQUATIC ORGANISMS; ECOSYSTEMS; RECOVERY; RIVERS; SURFACE WATERS; VERTEBRATES; 540310* - Environment, Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-); 550100 - Behavioral Biology

Citation Formats

Meffe, G K, and Sheldon, A L. Post-defaunation recovery of fish assemblages in southeastern blackwater streams. United States: N. p., 1990. Web. doi:10.2307/1940320.
Meffe, G K, & Sheldon, A L. Post-defaunation recovery of fish assemblages in southeastern blackwater streams. United States. https://doi.org/10.2307/1940320
Meffe, G K, and Sheldon, A L. 1990. "Post-defaunation recovery of fish assemblages in southeastern blackwater streams". United States. https://doi.org/10.2307/1940320.
@article{osti_6279803,
title = {Post-defaunation recovery of fish assemblages in southeastern blackwater streams},
author = {Meffe, G K and Sheldon, A L},
abstractNote = {The authors analyzed fish assemblage structure at 37 sites in South Carolina streams before and nearly one year after experimental defaunation to test assemblage resiliency. Decreases in stream depth and width in the second year reflected an intervening drought, but habitat structure remained highly correlated between years. Fish assemblages recovered well over four scales of analysis. Total fishes sampled, collective assemblage properties (species richness, density, biomass, and mean mass of fish), local assemblage structure, and single-species attributes generally did not significantly differ after defaunation, as determined by species- and individual-abundance correlations, detrended correspondence analysis, and a proportional similarity index. These assemblages were not randomly structured units, but were largely deterministic systems highly predictable from local habitat structure.},
doi = {10.2307/1940320},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6279803}, journal = {Ecology; (USA)},
issn = {0012-9658},
number = ,
volume = 71:2,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1990},
month = {Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1990}
}