You are here:
Microhabitat Influence on Larval Fish Assemblages Within Vegetated Beds: Implications for Tubenose Goby Detection and Invasion
Citation:
Ramage, H., J. Hoffman, Greg Peterson, C. Hatzenbuhler, J. Barge, M. Pearson, AND J. Launspach. Microhabitat Influence on Larval Fish Assemblages Within Vegetated Beds: Implications for Tubenose Goby Detection and Invasion. To be Presented at International Association for Great Lakes Research, Detroit, MI, May 15 - 19, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
not applicable
Description:
We examined larval and juvenile fish assemblage structure in relation to microhabitat variables within the St. Louis River estuary, a drowned river mouth of Lake Superior. Fish were sampled in vegetated beds throughout the estuary, across a gradient of vegetation types and densities (including disturbed, preserved and post-restoration sites). Canonical correspondence analysis, relating species abundances to environmental variables revealed that plant species richness, turbidity and aquatic plant cover were most influential in structuring assemblages. Furthermore, plant species richness was positively correlated (r=0.677, p<0.05) with invasive Tubenose Goby abundance, signifying evidence against the diversity-invasibility hypothesis. Results from this microhabitat analysis has potential to inform sampling designs for rare and invasive aquatic species early detection.