Habitat use by fish (oopu), snails (hihiwai), shrimp (opae) and prawns in two streams on the Island of Molokai
Brasher AM. 1997. Habitat use by fish (oopu), snails (hihiwai), shrimp (opae) and prawns in two streams on the Island of Molokai. University of Hawai`i at Manoa. Honolulu, Hawaii
Habitat use by gobies, molluscs & crustaceans was evaluated in two streams on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii. One stream, Waikolu, is diverted while the other, Pelekunu, is not. The study focused on three native gobies (Awaous guamensis, Sicyopterus stimpsoni and Lentipes concolor), a native snail (Neritina granosa), a native shrimp (Atyodia bisulcata) and an introduced prawn (Macrobrachium lar). In both Waikolu and Pelekunu Streams, species showed less longitudinal seperation than typically reported in Hawaiian stream systems. The range of habitat availability was wider in Pelekunu Stream than in Waikolu Stream, reflecting the fact that Waikolu Stream is diverted. Overall, habitat use tended to reflect availability, with animals utilizing the deeper and faster water avaialble in Pelekunu Stream; consequently, species overlap was higher in Waikolu Stream. The impact of diversions on fauna in oceanic islands such as Hawaii can be especially severe because dewatering will prevent downstream dispersal of larvae and upstream migration of post-larvae, critical to the lifestyle of amphidromous species.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Brasher, Anne
- Date of Issue
- 1997-12
- Publisher
- University of Hawai`i at Manoa
- Units
- KALA , PUHO , WRD
- Keywords
- `o`opu, `opae, amphidromous, Clemson, diversion, Fish, Habitat Use, hapawai, hihiwai, oopu, Pelekunu, prawn, River, Shrimp, Snail, Stream, Waikolu