title: Influences of local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics on fish assemblages within impoundments of low-head dams in the tributaries of the Qingyi River, China.
abstract: Low-head dam impoundments modify local habitat and alter fish assemblages; however, to our knowledge, the pattern of how fish assemblages in the impoundments relate to local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics is still unclear. We used data collected in 62 impoundments created by low-head dams in headwater streams of the Qingyi River, China, to examine relationships between fish assemblages and local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics. We also assessed the relative importance of the three groups of factors in determining fish species richness and composition. Linear regression models showed that fish species richness was related to substrate heterogeneity, confluence link, and dam number upstream. Redundancy analysis showed that fish species compositions were influenced by substrate heterogeneity, confluence link, dam height, dam numbers upstream and downstream. Overall, dam characteristics were more important in affecting fish species richness but less important in determining fish species composition than local habitat (i.e., substrate heterogeneity) and tributary position. Our results suggest that low-head dam may affect fish species richness in impoundments by modifying local habitat and constraining fish movement, and the relative abundances of those fish species may depend more on species habitat presences and stream size than on impoundment size and number.
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui;College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui;College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui;College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui;College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.
authors.forename: Ren
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Fisheries Research, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and University of Michigan, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Li-Zhu
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotic Environment and Ecological Safety in Anhui;College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China. yanyunzhi7677@126.com.
authors.forename: Yun-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology; D045483:Rivers
keywords: Confluence link; Dam number and area; Substrate coarseness and heterogeneity