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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Predicting New Zealand riverine fish reference assemblages
PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), Vol.6, e4890
28/05/2018
PMCID: PMC5978389
PMID: 29868285
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Abstract
Biomonitoring is a common method to monitor environmental change in river ecosystems, a key advantage of biomonitoring over snap-shot physicochemical monitoring is that it provides a more stable, long-term insight into change that is also effects-based. In New Zealand, the main biomonitoring method is a macroinvertebrate sensitivity scoring index, with little established methods available for biomonitoring of fish. This study models the contemporary distribution of common freshwater fish and then uses those models to predict freshwater fish assemblages for each river reach under reference conditions. Comparison of current fish assemblages with those predicted in reference conditions (as observed/expected (O/E) ratios) may provide a suitable option for freshwater fish biomonitoring. Most of the fish communities throughout the central North Island and lower reaches show substantial deviation from the modelled reference community. Most of this deviation is explained by nutrient enrichment, followed by downstream barriers (i.e. dams) and loss of riparian vegetation. The presence of modelled introduced species had relatively little impact on the presence of the modelled native fish. The maps of O/E fish assemblage may provide a rapid way to identify potential restoration sites.
Details
- Title
- Predicting New Zealand riverine fish reference assemblages
- Creators
- Adam D. Canning - Wellington Management Company
- Publication Details
- PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), Vol.6, e4890
- Publisher
- Peerj Inc
- Number of pages
- 17
- Identifiers
- 991013092677702368
- Copyright
- © 2018 Canning. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://doi.org/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article