Quantifying the Distribution and Diversity of Fish Species Along Elevational Gradients in the Weihe River Basin, Northwest China

Dandong Cheng, Xiaotian Zhao, Jinxi Song, Haotian Sun, Shaoqing Wang, Haifeng Bai and Qi Li
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Dandong Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS & MWR, Yangling 712100, China
Xiaotian Zhao: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China
Jinxi Song: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS & MWR, Yangling 712100, China
Haotian Sun: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China
Shaoqing Wang: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China
Haifeng Bai: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China
Qi Li: Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: In this study, species compositions, distributions, and diversity patterns of fish assemblages were investigated at 50 sampling sites in the Weihe River and its two largest tributaries, the Jinghe River and the Beiluo River, under high- and low-flow conditions in 2017. For every condition tested and in the all rivers tested, Cyprinidae was the richest family, containing 17 of the 39 identified fish species. Carassius auratus was the most common species, accounting for 11.3% of the total individuals. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), analysis of similarities (ANOSIM), and similarity percentage analysis (SIMPER) revealed that fish species composition differed significantly among rivers ( p < 0.05), with dissimilar species assemblages found in the different rivers. Variation was influenced by a combined effect of habitat conditions, environmental factors, and human impact. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) identified variables explaining the variation in fish species ( p < 0.05), and elevation contributed the most under both flow conditions. Alpha diversity decreased with increasing elevation within rivers as a result of changing environmental conditions, especially for wetted width. Alpha and beta diversities of rivers increased with increasing drainage area, which is related to habitat heterogeneity. The decrease in alpha diversity and the increase in beta diversity with increasing elevation can be explained by variations in habitat and geographic features.

Keywords: distribution; diversity; elevation; ecological habitats; fish species; Weihe River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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