Urban impacts on fish communities in the Grand River system: Use of a functional approach (ecological community analysis) to identify the cause of impacts
- Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Biology
Fish communities in two tributaries (Laurel Creek, Canagagigue Creek) to the Grand River (Ontario) were surveyed and described by (1) taxonomic composition, and (2) composition in terms of functional ecological niches (Ecological Community Analysis [ECA]). Ecological niches included descriptions of feeding strategies, preferred habitats, and tolerances to temperature, turbidity and chlorine. An interpretive framework is proposed that would provide an objective means of determining the cause of changes in a fish community in the presence of non-point source impacts. Composition of the fish communities within both the Laurel Creek and Canagagigue Creek watersheds was primarily driven by their impoundments, with little effect of other urban activities. In the Laurel Creek watershed, the functional composition of the fish communities downstream of the largest impoundment suggested an increase in suspended materials. In the Canagagigue Creek watershed, even though there were large changes in the taxonomic composition of the fish community, there were less obvious changes in the functional composition of the community suggesting that there was some compensation through the species changes. In that system, the main change in functional composition reflected increased water temperatures.
- OSTI ID:
- 212070
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9617%%386
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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