Do diel variations in stream fish assemblages depend on spatial positioning of the sampling sites and seasons?

Czeglédi, István and Sály, Péter and Takács, Péter and Dolezsai, Anna and Vitál, Zoltán and Nagy, Sándor Alex and Erős, Tibor (2016) Do diel variations in stream fish assemblages depend on spatial positioning of the sampling sites and seasons? ACTA ZOOLOGICA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 62 (2). pp. 175-190. ISSN 1217-8837

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Abstract

The effect of diel period (i.e. day vs night) and its dependence on the spatial position of the sampling site were evaluated on the assessment of fish assemblage attributes in a wadeable lowland stream (Hajagos stream, Hungary). Species richness, composition and abundance data of two 150 m long reaches, one situated directly at the tributary mouth and one 6 km upstream were compared using three pass removal by electrofishing in three seasons (summer, autumn and spring) to test the effect of spatial position on day and night patterns. No differences in any assemblage level variables were found between day and night. Although fish assemblages showed large temporal variations, spatial position of the sampling site had the most influential effect on fish assemblage attributes compared with seasonal and/ or day night patterns. Consequently, the diel period had rather negligible effect in the studied stream. Daytime electrofishing data seems to be highly representative for the accurate assessment of fish assemblages in relatively small (less than 5 m wide) wadeable streams and maybe used reliably for any model of community organization (e.g. food web studies).

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