Journal article
Landscape determinants of fish reproductive guilds
Landscape ecology, v 36(3), pp 845-862
01 Mar 2021
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Context Species dependent on freshwaters are declining globally. Understanding natural and anthropogenic environmental drivers affecting community structure and species occurrence is crucial for planning management and conservation actions. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine which landscape characteristics constrain reproductive guilds in wadeable streams and to explore the influence of reproductive strategy on fish occurrence. We expected reproductive guilds to differ in their associations with landscape determinants (i.e., the landscape characteristics found to constrain our reproductive guilds). Methods This study was conducted in the Delaware River Basin in North America. We compiled existing stream survey and geospatial data from multiple government agencies and scientific organizations for 552 sites. We used ordination and regression techniques to identify important landscape determinants and their associations with reproductive guilds. Results We identified 12 variables that explained 20.6% of the total variation in reproductive guild composition. Slope, land cover and disturbance variables drove the position of reproductive guilds in ordination space. All reproductive guilds differed in the set of landscape-scale determinants that were selected during modelling. Best subsets of variables selected in regression models indicate that reproductive guild occurrence is significantly explained by catchment characteristics. These characteristics include measures of slope, land use and land cover, disturbance, and climate. Conclusions Differences in determinants and relationships with reproductive guilds found in regression models, and gradients identified, indicate the importance of different landscape-scale determinants for specific reproductive guilds. Furthermore, our findings suggest a link between the environmental requirements of reproductive guilds and landscape-scale characteristics.
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Details
- Title
- Landscape determinants of fish reproductive guilds
- Creators
- David H. Keller - Drexel UniversityGregory J. Barren - Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversityRichard J. Horwitz - Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Landscape ecology, v 36(3), pp 845-862
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 18
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000608098300004
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85100083408
- Other Identifier
- 991019350592904721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Geography, Physical
- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary