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Differences in stream fish assemblages subjected to different levels of anthropogenic pressure in the Taizi River catchment, China

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Abstract

This study was conducted in the Taizi River catchment, located in northeastern China. Six representative streams in three regions (upper mountains, middle hills, lower plains) with different levels of anthropogenic disturbances were surveyed to describe the structure of fish assemblages and their relationship to environmental parameters. The results showed that the fish assemblages were significantly different among the three regions in the Taizi River catchment. Indicator species analysis found ten representative fish species in the Taizi River catchment and four species in the upper, four species in the middle, and two species in the lower regions. The ecological traits of the representative fish species were generally in agreement with the physiochemical features of the streams located within different regions. Multivariate analysis indicated that altitude, water temperature, and total nitrogen were the three most significant environmental parameters influencing the fish assemblage structure in the Taizi River catchment. Based on the different environmental features and fish assemblages found in each region, fish management and conservation strategies should be tailored to the specific characteristics of each region.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2012ZX07501-001-04) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41401066). In addition, we thank Xianwei Huang and Tao Wen for their help with collecting fish samples. All experiments in this study comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yuan Zhang, Sen Ding, Catherine N. Bentsen, Shuqin Ma, Xiaobo Jia & Wei Meng

  2. Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yuan Zhang, Sen Ding, Catherine N. Bentsen, Shuqin Ma & Xiaobo Jia

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  1. Yuan Zhang
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  2. Sen Ding
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Correspondence to Sen Ding.

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Zhang, Y., Ding, S., Bentsen, C.N. et al. Differences in stream fish assemblages subjected to different levels of anthropogenic pressure in the Taizi River catchment, China. Ichthyol Res 62, 450–462 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-015-0459-6

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