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Tropical insular fish assemblages are resilient to flood disturbance

Ecosphere
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.1890/ES15-00224.1

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Abstract

Periods of stable environmental conditions, favoring development of ecological communities regulated by density-dependent processes, are interrupted by random periods of disturbance that may restructure communities. Disturbance may affect populations via habitat alteration, mortality, or displacement. We quantified fish habitat conditions, density, and movement before and after a major flood disturbance in a Caribbean island tropical river using habitat surveys, fish sampling and population estimates, radio telemetry, and passively monitored PIT tags. Native stream fish populations showed evidence of acute mortality and downstream displacement of surviving fish. All fish species were reduced in number at most life stages after the disturbance, but populations responded with recruitment and migration into vacated upstream habitats. Changes in density were uneven among size classes for most species, indicating altered size structures. Rapid recovery processes at the population level appeared to dampen effects at the assemblage level, as fish assemblage parameters (species richness and diversity) were unchanged by the flooding. The native fish assemblage appeared resilient to flood disturbance, rapidly compensating for mortality and displacement with increased recruitment and recolonization of upstream habitats.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Tropical insular fish assemblages are resilient to flood disturbance
Series title Ecosphere
DOI 10.1890/ES15-00224.1
Volume 6
Issue 12
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher Ecological Society of America
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description 16 p.
First page 1
Last page 16
Other Geospatial Puerto Rico
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