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BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS TO SPATIALLY INTERMITTENT STREAMS BY THE LONGFIN DACE, 'AGOSIA CHRYSOGASTER', (CYPRINIDAE)
Citation:
Bushdosh, M. BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS TO SPATIALLY INTERMITTENT STREAMS BY THE LONGFIN DACE, 'AGOSIA CHRYSOGASTER', (CYPRINIDAE). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-85/082 (NTIS PB85193282), 1985.
Description:
The spatially intermittent stream, with areas containing surface water separated by lengths of dry streambed, represents a common aquatic habitat in the Sonoran Desert. The longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster) is the only fish to utilize this habitat consistently. Behavioral adaptations contribute to the fish's success. Positioning in the current minimizes the likelihood of being stranded by falling water levels, or of being displaced downstream by floodwaters. Avoidance of the habitat edges and shallows reduces predation by birds and mammals. Rapid invasion of suddenly available habitat during periods of continuous flow, an omnivorous feeding mode, and a capacity to reproduce during most months of the year allow the longfin dace to better exploit spatially intermittent habitat.