Effects of coupled natural and anthropogenic factors on the community structure of diadromous fish and shrimp species in tropical island streams

1. Overlapping river and road networks provide a framework for studying the complex interactions between natural and human systems, with river-road intersections as focal areas of study. Roads can alter the morphology of stream channels, pose barriers to freshwater fauna, provide easy access to stre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Freshwater biology 2011-05, Vol.56 (5), p.1002-1015
Main Authors: HEIN, CATHERINE L, PIKE, ANDREW S, BLANCO, JUAN F, COVICH, ALAN P, SCATENA, FREDERICK N, HAWKINS, CHARLES P, CROWL, TODD A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agricultural land
Atya lanipes
Atyidae
Awaous banana
biogeography
community structure
Creeks & streams
diadromous
diadromous fish
distribution models
fauna
Fish
forests
Freshwater
humans
introduced species
life history
random forests
River networks
rivers
roads
shrimp
stream channels
tropical stream
urbanization
watersheds
Xiphocaris elongata
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Summary:1. Overlapping river and road networks provide a framework for studying the complex interactions between natural and human systems, with river-road intersections as focal areas of study. Roads can alter the morphology of stream channels, pose barriers to freshwater fauna, provide easy access to streams for humans and non-native species and accelerate the expansion of urban development. 2. We determined what variables control the structure of diadromous fish and shrimp communities and assessed whether particular road crossings altered community structure in north-eastern Puerto Rico. We identified 24 sites that represented a range of river and road sizes across two catchments that drain El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. 3. The location of natural barriers and the size of stream pools were the most important variables for predicting six of fifteen fish and shrimp distributions. Predatory fishes were predicted to be limited to areas in the river network below large, steep waterfalls, whereas adult shrimp Atya lanipes (Atyidae) were predicted to be present above these waterfalls. The fish Awaous banana was predicted to be present in pools >11.6 m wide, whereas the shrimp Xiphocaris elongata was predicted to be present in pools
ISSN:0046-5070
1365-2427
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02537.x