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Urbanization effects on fishes and habitat quality in a southern Piedmont river basin (2005)
| Venue: | Eds.), Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 47, Bethesda, MD |
| Citations: | 8 - 1 self |
BibTeX
@INPROCEEDINGS{Walters05urbanizationeffects,
author = {David M. Walters and Mary C. Freeman and David S. Leigh and Byron J. Freeman and Catherine M. Pringle},
title = {Urbanization effects on fishes and habitat quality in a southern Piedmont river basin},
booktitle = {Eds.), Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 47, Bethesda, MD},
year = {2005},
pages = {69--86}
}
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Abstract
Abstract.—We quantified the relationships among urban land cover, fishes, and habitat quality to determine how fish assemblages respond to urbanization and if a habitat index can be used as an indirect measure of urban effects on stream ecosystems. We sampled 30 wadeable streams along an urban gradient (5–37 % urban land cover) in the Etowah River basin, Georgia. Fish assemblages, sampled by electrofishing standardized stream reaches, were assessed using species richness, density, and species composition metrics. Habitat quality was scored using the Rapid Habitat Assessment Protocol (RHAP) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Urban land cover (including total, high-, and low-density urban) was estimated for the drainage basin above each reach. A previous study of these sites indicated that stream slope and basin area were strongly related to local variation in assemblage structure. We used multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis to account for this variation and isolate the urban effect on fishes. The MLR models indicated that urbanization lowered species richness and density and led to predictable changes in species composition. Darters and sculpin, cyprinids, and endemics declined along the urban gradient whereas centrarchids per-sisted and became the dominant group. The RHAP was not a suitable indicator of urban effects because RHAP-urban relationships were confounded by an overriding influence of stream slope on
Keyphrases
habitat quality urban effect urbanization effect southern piedmont river basin urban land cover fish assemblage stream slope specie richness rhap-urban relationship stream ecosystem basin area indirect measure etowah river basin rapid habitat assessment protocol previous study standardized stream reach specie composition urban gradient whereas multiple linear regression urban gradient dominant group low-density urban specie composition metric predictable change u.s. environmental protection agency assemblage structure local variation mlr model suitable indicator drainage basin habitat index wadeable stream
