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A Spatially Explicit Resource-Based Approach for Managing Stream Fishes in Riverscapes

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Abstract

The article describes a riverscape approach based on landscape ecology concepts, which aims at studying the multiscale relationships between the spatial pattern of stream fish habitat patches and processes depending on fish movements. A review of the literature shows that few operational methods are available to study this relationship due to multiple methodological and practical challenges inherent to underwater environments. We illustrated the approach with literature data on a cyprinid species (Barbus barbus) and an actual riverscape of the Seine River, France. We represented the underwater environment of fishes for different discharges using two-dimensional geographic information system-based maps of the resource habitat patches, defined according to activities (feeding, resting, and spawning). To quantify spatial patterns at nested levels (resource habitat patch, daily activities area, subpopulation area), we calculated their composition, configuration, complementation, and connectivity with multiple spatial analysis methods: patch metrics, moving-window analysis, and least cost modeling. The proximity index allowed us to evaluate habitat patches of relatively great value, depending on their spatial context, which contributes to the setting of preservation policies. The methods presented to delimit potential daily activities areas and subpopulation areas showed the potential gaps in the biological connectivity of the reach. These methods provided some space for action in restoration schemes.

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Acknowledgments

Discussions with members of the different fish teams of the Cemagref (Antony, Lyon, Aix) and with members of IALE provided fruitful ideas to build this approach. We are grateful to Evelyne Talès, Steve Ormerod, Isabelle Poudevigne, and Pierre Joly for their interest in this study and for their comments, which improved the manuscript. We thank W. L. Fischer and two anonymous reviewers for their enthusiasm and very constructive comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. This work was supported by the Environmental Service of Ile-de-France (DIREN) to restore the biological connectivity of the Seine River for fishes and the CNRS scientific program “Piren-Seine.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Ecology, Cemagref–HBAN, 92163, Antony, France

    Céline Le Pichon, Guillaume Gorges & Philippe Boët

  2. INRA SAD–Armorique , 35042, Rennes Cedex, France

    Jacques Baudry

  3. Cemagref–LISC, 63172, Aubière, France

    François Goreaud & Thierry Faure

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  1. Céline Le Pichon
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  2. Guillaume Gorges
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Correspondence to Céline Le Pichon.

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Pichon, C.L., Gorges, G., Boët, P. et al. A Spatially Explicit Resource-Based Approach for Managing Stream Fishes in Riverscapes. Environmental Management 37, 322–335 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0027-3

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