Microhabitat use in an assemblage of native and introduced stream fishes in Wailoa Stream, Island of Hawaii
McRae M. 2001. Microhabitat use in an assemblage of native and introduced stream fishes in Wailoa Stream, Island of Hawaii. Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College
To date, most of the research on the ecology of Hawaiian stream fishes has taken place in the middle and upper reaches of streams. In the terminal reaches of streams in Hawaii, the ecological aspects of the relatively more diverse fish assemblages are unknown. This study investigated patterns of microhabitat use in an assemblage of native and introduced stream fishes living in the terminal reach of Wailoa Stream on the Island of Hawaii. Multivariate and univariate analyses of microhabitat data collected through underwater visual surveys indicated that differences in microhabitat preferences were an important factor in the structure of this assemblage. Strong differences in three-dimensional habitat use patterns appeared to allow native gobiods and introduced poeciliids to coexist in Wailoa Stream with little competition for spatial resources. However, high overlap in the microhabitat use patterns of juvenile Kuhila xenura and introduced Poecilia mexicana and Xiphophorus helleri is cause for concern.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- McRae, Mark
- Date of Issue
- 2001-12
- Publisher
- Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College
- Units
- HALE , KALA
- Keywords
- Awaous guamensis, Eleotris sandwicensis, Fish, Gambusia affinis, Hawaii, Kuhilia xenura, Poecilia mexicana, Sicyopteris stimpsoni, Stenogobius hawaiiensis, Stream, Thesis, Wailoa, Waipio, Xiphophorus helleri