Abstract

Etheostoma flabellare, Etheostoma podostemone and Percina roanoka, which coexist in mainstreams of the upper Roanoke River drainage, Virginia, exhibit partial ecological segregation in sympatry. E.flabellare andP. roanoka are trophic generalists relative to E. podostemone, which specializes on chironomid prey. Differences among the species in diet breadth are consistent with differences in their morphology, with E. flabellare having the greatest width of gape and widest diversity of prey taxa and size. E. flabellare and P. roanoka differ somewhat in microhabitat, with P. roanoka occupying the swiftest portions of the streams. Despite partial segregation of the species across food and microhabitat niche axes, all three overlapped strongly in their overall use of resources. Of the three species, only E. flabellare is common in small tributaries of the drainage, where food and microhabitat availability seem likely to limit fish diversity.

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