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Tributaries create habitat heterogeneity and enhance fish assemblage variation in one of the largest reservoirs in the world

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Abstract

The Three Gorges Reservoir is one of the largest reservoirs in the world. Previous studies uncovered longitudinal changes in fish assemblages among riverine, transitional, and lacustrine zones, but whether they vary at small-scale habitats and how tributaries contribute to fish conservation is poorly understood. We selected three neighboring tributaries with different habitat characteristics within and among tributaries and hypothesized that the small-scale habitat heterogeneity within or among tributaries could shape spatial and temporal variation in fish assemblages. We analyzed spatial (among tributaries, pelagic versus benthic, lower versus upper reach) and seasonal patterns of fish assemblage and their relationship with the environment. Piscivorous, limnophilic, and mid-pelagic species dominated the fish assemblage in different habitats. Fish assemblage structure varied spatially between lower and upper reaches and among tributaries. Fish assemblages also varied seasonally, mainly related to environmental variability (i.e., water depth, water temperature, pH, specific conductivity, riparian slope, and vegetation coverage). Catch per unit effort was similar between pelagic and benthic habitats but exhibited horizontal and seasonal changes. The most influential environmental variables were water depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. Our results supported the hypothesis, and indicated that we should protect tributaries that provide important areas for fish diversity in large reservoirs.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

The codes used in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-45), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32102798), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M672448). S.B. Correa was supported by the Forest and Wildlife Research Center of Mississippi State University, USA (MISZ-081700).

Funding

The Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System, CARS-45, Chuanbo Guo, The National Natural Science Foundation of China, 32102798, Chuansong Liao, The China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, 2020M672448, Chuansong Liao, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, MISZ-081700, Sandra Bibiana Correa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Chuansong Liao, Shaowen Ye, Chuanbo Guo & Jiashou Liu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Shaowen Ye, Chuanbo Guo & Jiashou Liu

  3. School of Life Sciences, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430058, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Dongdong Zhai & Jixin Yu

  4. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, 39762, USA

    Sandra Bibiana Correa

  5. Agricultural Comprehensive Law Enforcement Unit of Zigui, Yichang, 443600, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Feilong Wen

  6. Agricultural Comprehensive Law Enforcement Unit of **ngshan, Yichang, 443700, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Chao Zhang

  7. Jiujiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiujiang, 332005, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Fang

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  1. Chuansong Liao
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by LC, YS, ZD, YJ, SBC, WF, ZC, FL, GC, and LJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by LC and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jiashou Liu.

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Liao, C., Ye, S., Zhai, D. et al. Tributaries create habitat heterogeneity and enhance fish assemblage variation in one of the largest reservoirs in the world. Hydrobiologia 850, 4311–4326 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05306-3

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