Spatial organisation of fish assemblages in the Chishui River, the last free‐flowing tributary of the upper Yangtze River, China

Abstract

AbstractThe Chishui River is the last free‐flowing tributary of the upper Yangtze River, China, which has an important role in fish conservation. This study aimed to explore the spatial organisation of fish assemblages in this river. Field sampling was conducted biannually between 2015 and 2017 at 41 sites from its headwater and downstream. One hundred and twenty‐two fish species were captured, including 34 endemic, 15 threatened and six exotic species. Fish assemblages varied significantly along the longitudinal gradient. Based on cluster and ordination analyses, 41 sampling sites could be divided into five site‐groups, corresponding to the headwater, upstream, midstream, downstream and the Xishui‐branch, respectively. The splitting of fish assemblages was consistent with the geographical divisions. However, fish species changed gradually along the longitudinal gradient rather than abruptly, which was consistent with the River Continuum Concept (RCC). In the headwaters and upstream, fish assemblages were mainly dominated by cold‐water and rheophilic species, while in the lower stretches, fish assemblages were dominated by warm‐water and limnophilic species. According to null models, fish assemblages were significantly nonrandomly structured at the basin scale, but randomly structured at the regional scale. This study is an important step in understanding the assembly rules of fish assemblages in this free‐flowing river and provides useful information for future fish conservation and ecological restoration.