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The response of fish size and species diversity to environmental gradients in two Neotropical coastal streams

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Abstract

This study investigated the effects of environmental variation on fish diversity patterns in two coastal streams in northwestern Ecuador. Specifically, we examined the role of topography, instream conditions (pH, conductivity), and human influence (land-use modifications) on fish species richness, diversity and evenness as well as body size diversity and size evenness. Study region comprised 19 sites sampled bimonthly during the dry and wet seasons in 2016–2017. The results showed that the contribution of each measure of fish diversity responded differently to the local drivers. For size-based metrics, fish assemblages displayed greater size diversity (more diversity of body sizes) at lower pH and conductivity levels. Taxonomic metrics showed a negative relationship between the number of species and the downstream–upstream gradient. In both measures of diversity, human influence negatively affected size evenness and Shannon diversity, with less equitable abundance distribution and fewer species in more human-altered locations. These results improve our understanding of how assembly processes operate in shaping local fish assemblages in Neotropical coastal streams.

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Data availability

Data are available from the corresponding author P. Jiménez-Prado upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by internal research funds at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Esmeraldas from 2016 to 2018. The work is part of the thesis of P.J-P within the Doctorate studies in Agricultural Sciences and the Natural Environment at the University of Zaragoza, with the support of Banco Santander. We appreciate the collaboration of Fernando Vasquez in the field sampling and we thank Donald Taphord for English language corrections. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for the comments that helped to improve this manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Esmeraldas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Sede Esmeraldas, Esmeraldas, Ecuador

    Pedro Jiménez-Prado

  2. Ecological Restoration Research Group, Environmental Sciences Institute (IUCA), Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Technological College, University of Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain

    Pedro Jiménez-Prado

  3. Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Catalonia, Spain

    Ignasi Arranz

  4. Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

    Ignasi Arranz

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  1. Pedro Jiménez-Prado
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Correspondence to Pedro Jiménez-Prado.

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Jiménez-Prado, P., Arranz, I. The response of fish size and species diversity to environmental gradients in two Neotropical coastal streams. Hydrobiologia 848, 4419–4432 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04654-2

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