I tested if spatial variation of Ohio River drainage basin fish assemblages, current habitat,
water quality, and hydrology were concordant with historic glaciation boundaries.
Assemblage analyses were organized using taxonomic and functional groups.
Multivariate analyses, principal components analysis (PCA) and indicator species
analyses, were used to test whether taxonomic and functional assemblages were distinct
among regions with varying glacial histories. Principal components analysis was used to
identify habitat and water quality as well as hydrologic gradients that could be discerned
by glacial region. I identified significant differences in both taxonomic and functional
fish assemblage structure and habitat variation among regions that had different
glaciation histories. Recently glaciated Wisconsinan sites were characterized by
assemblages of Cyprinidae and Catostomidae families, with high abundances of tolerant
fishes that tended to occur in habitats with reduced current velocity. Sites in the Pre-
Wisconsinan region were characterized by Cyprinidae, Catostomidae, Centrarchidae, and
Percidae families, with increased abundances of intolerant fishes that tended to occur in
habitats with coarser substrates and increased water velocity in streams of varying size.
Sites in the unglaciated region were dominated by Cyprinidae and Percidae families but
were not closely associated with any habitat-based functional group. Taxonomic and
functional analyses explained 25% and 40%, respectively, of the variance in assemblage
structure. Mean habitat PCA component scores in the unglaciated and Pre-Wisconsinan
sites were significantly different than Wisconsinan sites, which were characterized by
increased channel structure and reduced stream size. While a multitude of factors impact
the distribution of fishes, these results suggest that historical influences such as glaciation
may be used to further explain underlying mechanisms of spatial variation in fish
assemblages. / Department of Biology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:123456789/193661 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Jacquemin, Stephen J. |
| Contributors | Pyron, Mark, 1960- |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vi, 48 p. : digital, PDF file, ill., maps. |
| Source | CardinalScholar 1.0 |
| Coverage | n-uso-- |
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