Microhabitat Partitioning of an Assemblage of Darter Species Within Two Tributaries of the Tennessee River in Alabama

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• 作者：B. Thompson and B. Stallsmith
• 刊名：River Research and Applications
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：July 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：32
• 期：6
• 页码：1232-1241
• 全文大小：108K
• ISSN：1535-1467

文摘

Habitat partitioning among syntopic darter species (Percidae: Etheostomatini) was examined in the Flint River and Estill Fork of the Paint Rock River in northeast Alabama from September 2010 to September 2011. Substrate composition, depth, and water velocity were important variables by which species segregated. Niche overlap values also indicated a high degree of habitat partitioning among species at both study sites, although a substantial amount of overlap was seen between Etheostoma simoterum and Etheostoma caeruleum at the Estill Fork site. Segregation among species was present throughout the year, but the significance of differences in habitat preferences did vary seasonally, especially during the post-spawn period when habitat heterogeneity was reduced. Intra-specific variation in habitat utilization was present among some species, with males generally preferring higher flow and coarser substrates than females. Habitat segregation was a well-structured mechanism allowing the coexistence of ecologically similar species. Copyright