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Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream

  • Global Change and River Ecosystems
  • Chapter
Global Change and River Ecosystems—Implications for Structure, Function and Ecosystem Services

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology 215 ((DIHY,volume 215))

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Abstract

Mediterranean streams are characterised by seasonal droughts, the frequency and intensity of which vary spatially and are expected to increase with global change. We studied the potential effects of drought and climate change on the fish assemblage and its trophic ecology in a Mediterranean stream by comparing an intermittent tributary with two more permanent neighbouring reaches. Although the three sites were dominated by the same two fish species, Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) and chub (Squalius laietanus), the intermittent tributary had a lower overall fish density and fewer eel (Anguilla anguilla). The intermittent tributary had macroinvertebrates with lower density, smaller taxa and higher diversity. Fish in the intermittent tributary had significantly lower biomasses in their gut contents (adjusted for fish length) and more negative electivities than those in the permanent reaches, as well as significantly lower taxonomic diversity. These results indicate that there was reduced resource availability in the intermittent tributary, which resulted in significantly lower condition and gonadal weight (adjusted for length) of barbel and chub. The data obtained in this Mediterranean stream support the observation that reduced water flow may affect fish at both individual and assemblage levels.

Guest editors: R. J. Stevenson, S. Sabater / Global Change and River Ecosystems – Implications for Structure, Function and Ecosystem Services

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Esther Mas-Martí & Isabel Muñoz

  2. Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, 17071, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

    Emili García-Berthou, Sergi Sabater & Sylvie Tomanova

  3. Catalan Institute for Water Research, Scientific and Technologic Park of the University of Girona, 17003, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

    Sergi Sabater

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  1. Esther Mas-Martí
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  2. Emili García-Berthou
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  3. Sergi Sabater
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  4. Sylvie Tomanova
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  5. Isabel Muñoz
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Correspondence to Esther Mas-Martí .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Water Sciences, Department of Zoology, University of Michigan, East Lansing, USA

    R. Jan Stevenson

  2. Institute of Aquatic Ecology at the University of Girona, Girona, Spain

    Sergi Sabater

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Mas-Martí, E., García-Berthou, E., Sabater, S., Tomanova, S., Muñoz, I. (2010). Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream. In: Stevenson, R.J., Sabater, S. (eds) Global Change and River Ecosystems—Implications for Structure, Function and Ecosystem Services. Developments in Hydrobiology 215, vol 215. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0608-8_12

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