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Abstract
The type and extent of habitats along the shoreline specify the distribution of fish in the littoral zone of lakes, but effects are likely species and size-specific and might be overwhelmed by lake-level environmental factors that drive fish abundance (e.g. trophic state). We applied a replicated transect-sampling design by electrofishing assessing fish abundance and distribution along the banks of 20 gravel pit lakes in Lower Saxony (Germany). Boosted regression trees were used to analyse the impact of different characteristic habitat types (e.g. vegetated, woody or open water zones), shoreline water depth and lake-level environmental variables on species-specific fish abundances. In contrast to earlier studies, lake-level environment and transect-level habitat type similarly influenced the abundances of differently sized fish species in the littoral zone of gravel pit lakes. The abundance of almost all fish species increased with lake productivity and extent of structured littoral habitats, mostly following non-linear relationships. Our work suggests that investments into the quality of littoral habitat, and not merely the control of nutrient inputs or other lake-level environmental factors, can promote abundance of most gravel pit lake fish species, in particular those who depend on the littoral zone for at least part of their life-cycle.
Highlights
Littoral zones and the associated ecotones connect terrestrial and aquatic habitats (Schindler & Scheuerell, 2002) and provide key habitat for many taxa in rivers and lakes (Pusey & Arthington, 2003; Winfield, 2004; Strayer & Findlay, 2010)
Our work suggests that investments into the quality of littoral habitat, and not merely the control of nutrient inputs or other lake-level environmental factors, can promote abundance of most gravel pit lake fish species, in particular those who depend on the littoral zone for at least part of their life-cycle
We studied the effect of littoral structure on fish abundance, with transect-based catch per unit effort (CPUE) values by size class and species nested as samples within lakes
Summary
Littoral zones and the associated ecotones connect terrestrial and aquatic habitats (Schindler & Scheuerell, 2002) and provide key habitat for many taxa in rivers and lakes (Pusey & Arthington, 2003; Winfield, 2004; Strayer & Findlay, 2010). Littoral zones provide manifold biological, chemical and physical functions, serving as spawning, feeding and refuge habitats for fishes and wildlife, enabling nutrient cycling, buffering waves and offering substrate for the colonization by plants (Radomski & Goeman, 2001; Pusey & Arthington, 2003; Winfield, 2004; Strayer & Findlay, 2010; Vander Zanden et al, 2011). The characteristics of littoral habitats have been found to co-determine the abundance of selected fish species in the littoral zone (Fischer & Eckmann, 1997; Brosse et al, 1999; Helmus & Sass, 2008; Lewin et al, 2014), because availability and quality of littoral habitats may fundamentally constrain certain life-history stages (Scheuerell & Schindler, 2004; Ahrenstorff et al, 2009)
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