Comparative microhabitat use of cyprinid larvae and juveniles in a lotic floodplain channel

Abstract

The microhabitat of six cyprinids in a braided side-channel of the Upper Rhône River, France, was studied June to September 1985, using ‘point abundance sampling’ by electrofishing. Correspondence analysis of the samples-by-species data and Jacob’s electivity index (calculated from the availability and exploitation of eight environmental variables) revealed three groups of species: (1) Leuciscus cephalus and Alburnus alburnus, which used relatively similar microhabitat during both larval and 0 + juvenile development; (2) Rutilus rutilus, Leuciscus leuciscus and Chondrostoma nasus, which used different microhabitats as larvae but whose microhabitat overlapped notably during 0 + juvenile development; (3) and Gobio gobio, whose juvenile microhabitat overlapped only marginally with that of other 0 + juveniles (no data were available on larvae). Overlap in microhabitat use by 0+ juveniles increased notably during a period of reduced discharge, when the amount of available vegetal and ligneous structures decreased; while most species exploited the increased area of shallow waters, juvenile A. alburnus appeared to be the only species that exploited the deeper waters off the channel’s steeper banks. Although not quantified, numerous field observations of predation threat, particularly during the period of reduced discharge (which reduced the amount of cover), suggest that predation risk may influence the microhabitat use of young fishes. Compared with similar species in European lakes, the overlap in microhabitat use of these fluvial cyprinids appears to be more intensive.