Inter‐habitat variation in the benthos of the Upper Missouri River (North Dakota,USA): implications for Great River bioassessment

We examined inter‐habitat variation in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the 180‐km Garrison Reach of the Upper Missouri River, North Dakota (USA) in 2001–2003. The Garrison Reach is unchannelized with a mostly rural setting. Flows are regulated by Garrison Dam. We sampled benthos from three habitats defined a priori: channel, shoreline, and backwater. Benthic assemblages were different in each habitat. Average Bray‐Curtis dissimilarity in assemblage composition ranged from 89% for backwater versus channel habitat to 70% for backwater versus shoreline habitat. There were distinct intra‐habitat groups within a priori habitats: channel assemblages included moving‐sand assemblages and other‐substrate channel assemblages; backwater assemblages included connected (to the river channel) and unconnected backwater assemblages; shorelines assemblages varied between natural (unprotected) and riprap (rock revetment) shorelines. Abundance and taxa richness were lowest and spatial variability highest for moving‐sand channel assemblages. Abundance was highest in backwaters. Taxa richness in backwaters and along channel shorelines were similar. Assemblages in all three habitats were dominated by Nematoda, Oligochaeta and Chironomidae. Taxa in these groups comprised at least 80% of mean abundance in all three habitats. Taxa that discriminated among habitats included the psammophilic chironomid Chernovskiia for moving‐sand channel substrates versus all other habitats; Hydroptila (Trichoptera) for riprap vs natural shorelines, Aulodrilus (Oligochaeta) for connected versus unconnected backwaters; and Nematoda for backwater versus channel and shoreline versus channel. Based on overlap patterns in benthic assemblages among habitats, we concluded that sampling main channel shorelines should also capture much of the natural and stressor‐induced variation in connected backwater and channel habitat exclusive of moving‐sand channel habitat. Published in 2006 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Peaking hydropower and fish assemblages: an example from the Tallapoosa River,AL

Dams alter many aspects of riverine environments and can have broad effects on aquatic organisms and habitats both upstream and downstream. While dams and associated reservoirs can provide many services to people (hydropower, recreation, flood control, and navigation), they can also negatively affect riverine ecosystems. In particular, hydropeaking dams affect downstream fish habitats by increasing variability in discharge and temperature. To assess the effects of Harris Dam on the Tallapoosa River, AL, operating under an adaptive management plan implemented in 2005, we sampled fish for community analyses from four sites on the river: three in the regulated reach downstream of the dam, and one unregulated site upstream. Fish were collected every other month using boat/barge electrofishing. We used Shannon's H, nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), a multiresponse permutation procedure (MRPP), and indicator species analysis to quantify patterns in fish assemblage structure and determine how assemblages varied among sites. NMDS and MRPP indicated significant fish assemblage differences among sites, with the tailrace fish assemblage being distinct from the other downstream sites and sites becoming more similar to the upstream, unregulated site (relative to fish assemblages) with distance downstream of the tailrace. The tailrace fish assemblage included higher proportions of rheophilic species that may be better suited to variable and/or high flows. Altered fish assemblages demonstrated continued effects of Harris Dam on the downstream aquatic systems, particularly close to the dam. These effects may indicate that further mitigation should be considered depending on conservation and management goals.     

Fish Assemblage Structure and Habitat Associations in a Large Western River System

Longitudinal gradients of fish assemblage and habitat structure were investigated in the Kootenai River of northern Idaho. A total of 43 500‐m river reaches was sampled repeatedly with several techniques (boat‐mounted electrofishing, hoop nets and benthic trawls) in the summers of 2012 and 2013. Differences in habitat and fish assemblage structure were apparent along the longitudinal gradient of the Kootenai River. Habitat characteristics (e.g. depth, substrate composition and water velocity) were related to fish assemblage structure in three different geomorphic river sections. Upper river sections were characterized by native salmonids (e.g. mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni), whereas native cyprinids (peamouth Mylocheilus caurinus, northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis) and non‐native fishes (pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, yellow perch Perca flavescens) were common in the downstream section. Overall, a general pattern of species addition from upstream to downstream sections was discovered and is likely related to increased habitat complexity and additions of non‐native species in downstream sections. Assemblage structure of the upper sections were similar, but were both dissimilar to the lower section of the Kootenai River. Species‐specific hurdle regressions indicated the relationships among habitat characteristics and the predicted probability of occurrence and relative abundance varied by species. Understanding fish assemblage structure in relation to habitat could improve conservation efforts of rare fishes and improve management of coldwater river systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Assessment of Fish Assemblage Structure in a Large River

The Penobscot River drains the largest watershed in Maine and once provided spawning and rearing habitats to 11 species of diadromous fishes. The construction of dams blocked migrations of these fishes and likely changed the structure and function of fish assemblages throughout the river. The proposed removal of two main‐stem dams, improved upstream fish passage at a third dam, and construction of a fish bypass on a dam obstructing a major tributary is anticipated to increase passage of and improve habitat connectivity for both diadromous and resident fishes. We captured 61 837 fish of 35 species in the Penobscot River and major tributaries, through 114 km of boat electrofishing. Patterns of fish assemblage structure did not change considerably during our sampling; relatively few species contributed to seasonal and annual variability within the main‐stem river, including smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, white sucker Catostomus commersonii, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus, and golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas. However, distinct fish assemblages were present among river sections bounded by dams. Many diadromous species were restricted to tidal waters downriver of the Veazie Dam; Fundulus species were also abundant within the tidal river section. Smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed were most prevalent within the Veazie Dam impoundment and the free‐flowing river section immediately upriver, suggesting the importance of both types of habitat that supports multiple life stages of these species. Further upriver, brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, yellow perch Perca flavescens, chain pickerel Esox niger, and cyprinid species were more prevalent than within any other river section. Our findings describe baseline spatial patterns of fish assemblages in the Penobscot River in relation to dams with which to compare assessments after dam removal occurs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of small and large impoundments on freshwater mussel distribution in the Hawkesbury‐Nepean River,southeastern Australia

The influence of weirs on the distribution of freshwater mussels was investigated in the Hawkesbury‐Nepean River, Australia. Distribution of species and densities of size classes were strongly correlated with catchment level factors (e.g. location around a major impoundment, stream order). At catchment scale, weir height, presence of a fish barrier, fish ladder type and position above or below small weirs did not influence the presence/absence of mussel populations. Lower mussel densities in the upper catchment may therefore reflect inhibition of host fish migration. Where present, weir height and geomorphic reach type were linked to differences in densities among species. Geomorphic reach‐based differences were reflected by the Hyridella species, but not Velesunio ambiguus. When population structure was described by size class distribution, there were significant differences between densities of small and medium mussels from weirs above, compared to weirs below, a major impoundment, but not for large mussels. Upstream populations may therefore be functionally extinct. Distribution of mussel size classes differed among geomorphic reach types with highest densities for each class found in the least human‐impacted reaches. Small mussels were almost invariably found below the major impoundment, most frequently below weirs. Distribution patterns were inconsistent across species, suggesting habitat preference. V. ambiguus and Hyridella australis were most abundant in shale reaches, where assemblages were influenced by fish ladder type. Hyridella depressa and H. australis dominated in sandstone gorges and straights with assemblage density related to weir height. In upper catchment sandstone reaches, mussel assemblages comprising predominantly V. ambiguus were influenced by fish ladder type and weir height. While multiple factors defined localized distribution, large impoundments were linked with reduced population densities. The probable mechanism is the restriction of host fish movement and resulting lack of recruitment. In the Hawkesbury‐Nepean River, smaller weirs also seriously impacted recruitment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of littoral and deep water sampling methods for assessing macroinvertebrate assemblages along the longitudinal profile of a very large river (the Danube River,Europe)

We comparatively examined the role of littoral and deep water sampling methods in assessing macroinvertebrate assemblages and in characterizing longitudinal changes in assemblage structure along >2,500‐km–long course of the Danube River, Europe. The effectiveness of detecting taxa corresponded well with an inshore–offshore gradient in sampling (i.e., distance from shore). Nevertheless, each method (i.e., littoral multihabitat sampling, kick and sweep sampling, and deep water dredging) contributed to some degree to overall taxa richness and species composition. Sampling in different depth zones characterized different assemblages, and consequently, inshore–offshore position was at least as important determinant of assemblage structure as longitudinal position of sampling sites in the river. Although we found significant congruency in the spatial variability of assemblages among the sampling methods, the relationships were only moderate. Our study on the large Danube River confirms studies from smaller rivers in other geographic regions that littoral monitoring provides higher taxa richness and more responsive changes to longitudinal gradients than deep water samples. Nevertheless, it also shows that sampling in different depth zones provides supplementary information on assemblage structure. Understanding changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages related to differences in sampling method is crucial to improve the bioassessment and environmental management of large rivers.     

The Effects of Improved Water Quality on Fish Assemblages in a Heavily Modified Large River System

A long history of human alterations has affected the hydrology, physical habitat and water quality of most large river ecosystems. For more than a century, the Illinois River Waterway has been subject to channelization, damming, dredging, agricultural runoff and industrial and municipal effluents. This study evaluates how subsequent improvements in water quality have influenced long‐term changes in fish assemblages (1983–2010). We used five metrics to characterize the changes in fish assemblages. These metrics depicted shifts in the abundance and biomass of predatory and native fishes and species richness. Random forests (RF) and multiple linear regressions (MLRs) were used to relate the fish metrics to individual water quality and weather variables, with weather primarily used to account for inter‐annual variation. Model performances varied spatially and among fish metrics (0 ≤ pseudo‐R² ≤ 0.73 for RF; 0.10 ≤ adjR² ≤ 0.88 for MLR), but dissolved oxygen, un‐ionized ammonia and water clarity were often the best predictors. As the distance downstream of major pollutant sources increased, water quality became less important for explaining the changes in fish metrics and weather more important. These results indicate that water quality improvement largely accounts for fish assemblage recovery in the river system, although within some reaches we examined, weather had substantial compounding effects. The results could be used to prioritize water quality variables for long‐term monitoring and aid in predicting fish assemblage responses to future changes in water quality and climate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fish zonation and indicator species for the evaluation of the ecological status of rivers: example of the Loire basin (France)

In the context of river alteration, ecologists are asked to develop tools for the assessment of river integrity. Fish are known to be good bioindicators of the ecological condition of rivers. The Loire basin (France) is often considered as relatively little impacted compared to most other large European systems. But curiously, no study clearly addressed the question of fish assemblages patterns in this system in order to assess this status. Thus, we studied fish assemblages along the river network in the Loire basin using self‐organizing maps (SOMs) and we built a fish typology. Four basic assemblages were described and indicator species were identified. These assemblages varied in terms of individual species patterns as well as in terms of flow preference guilds and species richness. A discriminant analysis carried out on environmental variables revealed that they could be mainly determined by the slope, temperature and depth. Finally, fish assemblages were arrayed along a longitudinal gradient and roughly fitted the theoretical zonation expected in European rivers with the succession of brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), grayling (Thymallus thymallus), barbel (Barbus barbus) and bream (Abramis brama) zones in a downstream direction. Such patterns are still rarely observed in large European systems. However, the fish assemblage characteristic of the bream zone occurred more frequently than predicted on the basis of environmental variables. Such deviations between field data and theory suggest lotic‐to‐lentic shifts probably due to anthropogenic disturbances, especially in the grayling and barbel zones. In these river sectors, eurytopic and limnophilic species tend to replace rheophilic ones. Finally, the method used in this study to investigate fish patterns may be helpful to detect disturbances and may serve as a tool for the establishment of management plans. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Riverine characteristics dictate composition of fish assemblages and limit fisheries in reservoirs of the upper Paraná River basin

A qualitative comparative approach has been used to review whether fish assemblage characteristics, such as paucity of lacustrine‐adapted fish species, long food chains, and disproportionate number of piscivorous species, limit fishery yields in reservoirs of the Upper Paraná River basin. The paucity of lacustrine‐adapted species appears to limit fishery yields, but attempts to introduce lacustrine species have been generally unsuccessful. The food chains of species targeted by the fisheries are relatively long, but short food chains seem to be an adaptation of lacustrine species. Because reservoirs with many piscivorous species sustain high fishery yields elsewhere in the world, the hypothesis that an excessive number of piscivores limits yields is not supported. Instead, inadequacies of fish assemblages in reservoirs of the Upper Paraná River basin appear to be symptomatic of an unsuitable environment for lacustrine fish species. The physical characteristics of reservoirs in the Upper Paraná River basin, exacerbated by climatic patterns, may preclude the emergence of successful reservoir species from within the extant pool of riverine species. The resulting assemblages have characteristics that are neither riverine nor lacustrine, and are maladapted to support fisheries in the reservoirs. The introduction of lacustrine species is destined to failure because environmental characteristics are not lacustrine, except in reservoirs positioned high in the watershed, where increased retention times allow lacustrine conditions. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial effects of reservoirs on fish assemblages in Great Plains streams in Kansas,USA

Reservoirs are important components of modern aquatic ecosystems that have negative impacts on native aquatic biota both up‐ and downstream. We used a landscape‐scale geographic information system (GIS) approach to quantify the spatial effects of 19 large reservoirs on upstream prairie fish assemblages at 219 sites in Kansas, USA. We hypothesized that fish assemblage structure would vary with increasing distance from a reservoir and that the abundance of reservoir fishes in upstream reaches would decline with distance from a reservoir. Ordination of sample sites showed variation in fish assemblage structure occurred primarily across river basins and with stream size. Variance partitioning of a canonical ordination revealed that the pure effect of reservoir distance explained a small but significant (6%; F = 4.90, P = 0.002) amount of variability in fish assemblage structure in upstream reaches. Moreover, reservoir species catch per unit of effort (CPUE) significantly declined with distance from a reservoir, but only in fourth‐ and fifth‐ order streams (r² = 0.32, P < 0.001 and r² = 0.49, P < 0.001, respectively). Finally, a multivariate regression model including measures of stream size, catchment area, river basin, and reservoir distance successfully predicted CPUE of reservoir species at sites upstream of Kansas reservoirs (R² = 0.45, P < 0.001). Overall, we found significant upstream effects of reservoirs on Kansas stream fish assemblages, which over time has led to a general homogenization of fish assemblages because of species introductions and extirpations. However, characteristic reservoir species are present throughout these systems and the importance of spatial proximity to reservoirs is probably dependent on the availability of suitable habitat (e.g. deep pools) in these tributary streams. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using habitat guilds to develop habitat suitability criteria for a warmwater stream fish assemblage

The diversity of fish species found in warmwater stream systems provides a perplexing challenge when selecting species for assessment of instream flow needs from physical habitat analyses. In this paper we examined the feasibility of developing habitat suitability criteria (HSC) for the entire fish community of a warmwater stream using habitat guilds. Each species was placed a priori into a guild structure and habitat data were collected for depth, velocity, Froude number, distance to cover, embeddedness and dominant and subdominant substrate. Correct guild classification was tested with linear discriminant analysis for each species. Correct classification based on habitat‐use data was highest for riffle and pool‐cover guilds, whereas the fast‐generalist and pool‐run classes, the broader niche guilds, were more frequently misclassified. Variables most important for discriminating guilds were Froude number, velocity and depth in that order. Nonparametric tolerance limits were used to develop guild suitability criteria for continuous variables and the Strauss linear index was used for categorical variables. We recommend the use of a wide array of variables to establish more accurate habitat analysis. Additionally, guild HSC can be developed with similar effort to that needed to develop HSC for a small number of individual species. Results indicate that a habitat guild structure can be successfully transferred to another river basin and that habitats for a diverse fish assemblage can be adequately described by a small number of habitat guilds. This approach represents an alternative for incorporating entire fish assemblages into habitat analyses of warmwater stream systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Drought Analysis in the Awash River Basin,Ethiopia

This study analyzes drought characteristics in the Awash River Basin of Ethiopia based on meteorological and hydrological variables. Standardized precipitation index is used for temporal and spatial analyses of meteorological drought and the theory of runs is used to define hydrological drought by considering streamflow as the drought indicator. Drought severity maps are generated using Arc View/GIS by summarizing the percentage of occurrence of droughts in areas within the study basin. Extreme drought category on 12-month time scale indicated that extreme events occur most frequently in the Upper and Middle Awash Basin. However, while considering the overall categories of drought, the most frequent droughts occurred in the Middle and Lower Awash Basin during the period of analysis. Similarly, results based on hydrological drought analysis shows that the severest drought events occurred in the Middle Awash Basin during May 1988 to June 1988 and April 1998 to May 1998. Analysis of the relationship between meteorological and hydrological drought indices in the basin shows that occurrence of hydrological drought event at Melka Sedi stream gauging station lags meteorological drought event in the Upper Awash on average by 7 months with a variation of 3 to 13 months.     

Assessment of larval fish assemblages and nursery habitat in the St. Clair River delta

The St. Clair River delta, part of the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS), is the most fished coastal wetland area in the Laurentian Great Lakes and provides nursery habitat for a variety of fish species; however, few large-scale surveys of larval fish have been performed within the delta since the 1980s. Larval fish, zooplankton, and aquatic plants were sampled at 20 sites from May through July in 2010 and 2011 to characterize shallow channel and backwater delta habitats used by fish. The larval fish assemblage was sampled using active and passive gears (conical nets and light traps) and was dominated by Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, and Gobiidae. The microzooplankton assemblage was composed of rotifers, copepod nauplii, and Dreissena spp. veligers, while the macrozooplankton assemblage was composed of mostly cyclopoids and harpacticoids in May and cladocerans later in the season. Scirpus spp. dominated the plant assemblage in June and was replaced by Chara spp. in July. Seasonal compositional shifts were evident for larval fish, zooplankton, and plant assemblages, and greater densities of microzooplankton and cladocerans were typically found in backwater areas. Assemblage compositions were comparable to those in historical surveys but invasive Gobiidae and Dreissena spp. veligers now represent substantial proportions of the larval fish and zooplankton assemblages, respectively. Due to the high connectivity and advective nature of the SCDRS, understanding the larval fish assemblage dynamics of the delta can help inform estimates of system productivity.     

Population Trends,Bend Use Relative to Available Habitat and Within‐River‐Bend Habitat Use of Eight Indicator Species of Missouri and Lower Kansas River Benthic Fishes: 15 Years After Baseline Assessment

A baseline assessment of the Missouri River fish community and species‐specific habitat use patterns conducted from 1996 to 1998 provided the first comprehensive analysis of Missouri River benthic fish population trends and habitat use in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone rivers, exclusive of reservoirs, and provided the foundation for the present Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP). Data used in such studies are frequently zero inflated. To address this issue, the zero‐inflated Poisson (ZIP) model was applied. This follow‐up study is based on PSPAP data collected up to 15 years later along with new understanding of how habitat characteristics among and within bends affect habitat use of fish species targeted by PSPAP, including pallid sturgeon. This work demonstrated that a large‐scale, large‐river, PSPAP‐type monitoring program can be an effective tool for assessing population trends and habitat usage of large‐river fish species. Using multiple gears, PSPAP was effective in monitoring shovelnose and pallid sturgeons, sicklefin, shoal and sturgeon chubs, sand shiner, blue sucker and sauger. For all species, the relationship between environmental variables and relative abundance differed, somewhat, among river segments suggesting the importance of the overall conditions of Upper and Middle Missouri River and Lower Missouri and Kansas rivers on the habitat usage patterns exhibited. Shoal and sicklefin chubs exhibited many similar habitat usage patterns; blue sucker and shovelnose sturgeon also shared similar responses. For pallid sturgeon, the primary focus of PSPAP, relative abundance tended to increase in Upper and Middle Missouri River paralleling stocking efforts, whereas no evidence of an increasing relative abundance was found in the Lower Missouri River despite stocking. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the beautiful diverse Danube? Danubian floodplain forest vegetation and flora under the influence of river eutrophication

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the flora and vegetation of three well‐preserved hardwood floodplain forest areas along the river Danube and to discuss whether possible differences between the floodplain forests can be linked to river eutrophication. Flora and vegetation data from three study areas located on the Upper, Middle and Lower Danube in Central and Eastern Europe were compared using univariate and multivariate statistical methods. Special attention was paid to floristic composition, plant functional types, and ecological indicator values. We found that the three studied hardwood floodplain forests appeared to be rather different regarding floristic composition and herb‐layer vegetation. Despite the high beta diversity, the distribution of the plant functional types indicated generally equal habitat conditions, which were quite stable. The diversity of herb‐layer vegetation decreased downstream, while the indicators of nutrient availability pointed to increasing nutrient supply. The factor light apparently played a minor role for herb‐layer diversity. There is a remarkable congruence between the results of our floodplain vegetation analysis and the longitudinal river eutrophication patterns as described in the literature. We conclude that the nutrient input into Danubian hardwood floodplain forests increased downstream, resulting in higher nutrient availability for plants. This promoted especially the growth of tall and competitive forbs, which outcompeted other plant species. Even if the importance of the various eutrophication patterns is difficult to quantify, our study provides evidence that anthropogenic eutrophication has a distinct effect on the flora and vegetation of Danubian hardwood floodplain forests. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of dams in river networks on fish assemblages in non‐impoundment sections of rivers in Michigan and Wisconsin,USA

Regional assessment of cumulative impacts of dams on riverine fish assemblages provides resource managers essential information for dam operation, potential dam removal, river health assessment and overall ecosystem management. Such an assessment is challenging because characteristics of fish assemblages are not only affected by dams, but also influenced by natural variation and human‐induced modification (in addition to dams) in thermal and flow regimes, physicochemical habitats and biological assemblages. This study evaluated the impacts of dams on river fish assemblages in the non‐impoundment sections of rivers in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin using multiple fish assemblage indicators and multiple approaches to distinguish the influences of dams from those of other natural and human‐induced factors. We found that environmental factors that influence fish assemblages in addition to dams should be incorporated when evaluating regional effects of dams on fish assemblages. Without considering such co‐influential factors, the evaluation is inadequate and potentially misleading. The role of dams alone in determining fish assemblages at a regional spatial scale is relatively small (explained less than 20% of variance) compared with the other environmental factors, such as river size, flow and thermal regimes and land uses jointly. However, our results do demonstrate that downstream and upstream dams can substantially modify fish assemblages in the non‐impoundment sections of rivers. After excluding river size and land‐use influences, our results clearly demonstrate that dams have significant impacts on fish biotic‐integrity and habitat‐and‐social‐preference indicators. The influences of the upstream dams, downstream dams, distance to dams, and dam density differ among the fish indicators, which have different implications for maintaining river biotic integrity, protecting biodiversity and managing fisheries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impoverishment of YOY‐fish assemblages by intense commercial navigation in a large Lowland river

Navigation‐induced physical forces have been suggested to modify the structure of riverine fish assemblages by impeding especially the recruitment of littoral bound species. To investigate the effect of vessel frequency on fish, we compared the composition and seasonal succession of young‐of‐the‐year (YOY) fish assemblages in three similarly degraded river reaches differing in average vessel passages (2, 6 and 41 per day). Fish were caught by electrofishing biweekly between May and September. Multivariate tests were used to analyse differences between YOY‐fish assemblages and hurdle regression models applied to determine abiotic factors predicting fish occurrence and abundance. Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) densities were compared. Roach larvae remain in the littoral zone while perch larvae shift to the pelagic zone immediately after hatch. YOY‐fish assemblage structure substantially changed along the traffic intensity gradient. In the high traffic intensity reach, species number and total fish density were markedly reduced compared to the other reaches. Roach densities were lowest in the high traffic intensity reach whereas perch densities did not decline along the gradient. Hurdle regressions confirmed a stronger effect of commercial navigation traffic intensity on roach than on perch. The total zooplankton biomass was highest in the high traffic intensity reach. Our results provide empirical evidence that intensive commercial navigation impoverishes fish assemblages in width‐restricted waterways. They underlined that in particular those species that have their first nursery habitats in shoreline areas were more affected by intensive commercial navigation than species whose larvae live predominantly pelagic. The results indicate that the negative effect of intensive navigation on riverine fish results primarily from the navigation‐induced hydraulic disturbances along the banks. Therefore, mitigation of navigation‐induced hydraulic forces is required to prevent degradation of fish communities in waterways. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long‐term fish assemblages of inner bends in a large river

We sampled fishes at 17 inner bend sites on the Wabash River in 2008 to compare with collections from 1977 to 1997. We used the same seine collection methods as previous years and collected a total of 37 species. Mean site Shannon‐Wiener diversity, species richness, evenness and abundance for all years were similar. We used multivariate analyses to test for patterns in fish assemblage structure among all sites and all years. The multivariate analyses resulted in distinct assemblages for each collection‐year, suggesting shifts in assemblage composition among years. We used separate multivariate analyses to examine fish assemblage variation within individual years. Variation that corresponded to an upstream–downstream pattern was present in 1977 and 2008, but not in 1997. A hydrologic analysis based on daily discharge revealed that eight large flood events occurred from 1928 to 2007, with four of these events during the recent 20 years. We quantified substrate variation at the 17 sites in 2008 and identified a longitudinal gradient in dominant substrate categories with gravel upstream and sand downstream that was correlated with the first axis of the 2008 fish assemblage ordination. We suggest that observed changes in fish assemblages in decadal periods were from hydrologic impacts of large floods on local habitats. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The importance of inshore areas for adult fish distribution along a free‐flowing section of the Danube,Austria

This study analyses bank morphological parameters of inshore areas as significant qualifying criteria for the habitat of riverine fish in large rivers. The mesoscaled (1.04±0.35 km) spatial distribution of adult fish was studied along a 50 km stretch of a free‐flowing section of the Austrian Danube. Fish abundance at the inshore zone of the main channel was assessed every month from March 1992 to May 1993, applying stratified random sampling by electrofishing. In order to calculate river morphological variables, a specific DOS application was programmed taking riverbank profiles, slope of the Danube and mean daily water level into account. The sampling sites by environmental variables were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA). PCA scores, together with the relative densities of each fish species in terms of their proportions per catch, were treated by a simple logistic regression. The different species exhibit specific patterns of statistical probability in terms of distribution and densities at distinct structural inshore types with regard to area, slope, habitat heterogeneity and connectivity parameters. Large gradually sloping inshore areas are characterized by rheophilic Chondrostoma nasus, Leuciscus idus and Abramis ballerus, whereas eurytopic species do not show a consistent pattern. Heterogeneous stretches contain high proportions of Leuciscus cephalus, Abramis brama and Abramis ballerus. Connectivity discriminates strictly riverine species like Chondrostoma nasus from rheophilic species which require non‐channel habitat during their life history. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fish assemblages and biotic integrity of a highly modified floodplain river,the Upper Mississippi,and a large,relatively unimpacted tributary,the Lower Wisconsin

The Upper Mississippi River is a dynamic floodplain river that has been largely transformed by navigational levees and dams since the 1930s. The pools upstream of each dam are lake‐like and only about the upper third of each reach retains a riverine character. In contrast, the Wisconsin River is not managed for commercial navigation and today its lower 149 km represent one of the least‐degraded large river reaches in central North America. Riverine reaches in both the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers have similar macro‐habitats including numerous islands, large side channels, and connected backwaters and floodplain lakes. In this study, shoreline electrofishing samples were collected during summer 2002 and 2003 to characterize resident fish assemblages. We compared fish species abundance, biomass, and biotic integrity along main and side channel borders between the Upper Mississippi River and the Lower Wisconsin River. We expected that, in the absence of environmental degradation, fish composition and structure would be similar between the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers, and between channel types within each river. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and redundancy analysis revealed that fish species in the Mississippi River, unlike in the Wisconsin River, were characteristic of non‐riverine habitats. We consider non‐riverine fish assemblages indicative of environmental impairment. The main and side channel sites in the Mississippi River had more variable fish assemblages than the Wisconsin River. Analyses of fish index of biotic integrity scores showed that environmental condition was excellent for both channel types in the Wisconsin River, whereas in the Mississippi River the side channel was rated good and the main channel only fair. We conclude that differences between the two rivers and between channel types of the Mississippi River are consistent with direct and indirect effects of navigation. This study demonstrates the utility of a fish index of biotic integrity, an inexpensive and rapid bioassessment tool, for detecting change in ecological health on one of the world's largest rivers. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.