Abstract
The variation in river discharge alters habitat heterogeneity with implications for the distribution of fish species with different habitat requirements. Assessments of habitat availability following changes in river discharge are difficult to apply at broad spatial scales and with relevance to multiple species. We used a MesoHABSIM modeling approach to quantify river-wide changes in habitat availability for five fish habitat guilds under three river discharge levels along the Niobrara River, NE, USA. We used a time-series of river discharge (1958–2010) to create uniform continuous under-threshold habitat duration curves that identified habitat conditions that may result in periods of stress for fish communities along the Niobrara River. Habitat availability for each fish habitat guild was dependent on river discharge and location along the river. Habitat availability for fish habitat guilds ranged from 5% to 49% of the total channel area suggesting habitat availability may, at times, be limited. We provide river discharge guidelines for bioperiods that limit the frequency and duration of stressful habitat conditions. Understanding interactions between river discharge and habitat availability through time and at river-wide scales may aid in managing for ecological integrity by including protection of river discharge variability to support multiple fish habitat guilds.
Highlights
The heterogeneity of habitat in a river is supported in part by variability in river discharge [1,2].Rivers are naturally dynamic with discharge patterns influenced by seasonal precipitation, temperature, and ground-water connections [3]
Suitable habitat conditions were available in each river segment of the Niobrara River for each fish guild
Suitable habitat availability for each fish habitat guild generally increased with increasing discharges
Summary
The heterogeneity of habitat in a river is supported in part by variability in river discharge [1,2].Rivers are naturally dynamic with discharge patterns influenced by seasonal precipitation, temperature, and ground-water connections [3]. The heterogeneity of habitat in a river is supported in part by variability in river discharge [1,2]. The variability in river discharge can influence the spatial and temporal availability of aquatic habitat [5,6]. Increases in river discharge can enable connectivity to side-channels or floodplains whereby increasing the amount of habitat available for fishes to carry out multiple life-requisites [1]. Variability in river discharge, facilitates heterogeneous habitat conditions that can influence fish species presence and abundance and subsequently fish community structure and dynamics [8,9]. River discharge and habitat availability relationships have traditionally been evaluated at spatial scales that limit river-wide inference [6]. Evaluating habitat availability (i.e., percent of channel area) at a river-wide scale and
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