The Importance of Cover and Other Habitat Features to The Distribution and Abundance of Illinois Stream Fishes (Sunfish, Cyprinids)
Effects of spatio-temporal changes in habitat structure on the distribution and abundance of stream fishes were assessed using field and laboratory results. Fish distributions in several small Illinois streams were related to the availability of depth and cover features using survey data and cover manipulations. Large fish were more often associated with deep areas and cover than small fish; centrarchids were more often associated with these features than cyprinids. Depth was a better predictor of fish distribution than cover, but correlations between fish abundances and habitat features varied among streams and years. In general, fish were more strongly associated with habitat features in homogeneous streams than in structurally complex ones.
Biology, Ecology, Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign