Patterns in the Distributions of Stream Fishes in Michigan's Lower Peninsula

摘要

The authors examined distribution and abundance patterns of 69 commonly occurring211u001efishes at several hundred sites in Lower Michigan streams. The authors used 211u001ecluster analysis to group fishes that commonly occurred together at stream sites. 211u001eThese seventeen clusters explained about 39% of the variation in species 211u001eabundances among the stream sites, providing a reasonable, albeit simplified 211u001epicture of general associations of fishes in Lower Michigan streams. Known 211u001eecological differences among species and further analyses suggested that a single 211u001emeasure of cluster abundance should not be used predict abundances of its 211u001econstitutent species. The authors used measures of stream size and hydrology as 211u001elandscape-scale, habitat axes (a 'macrotemplate') for comparing streams. The 211u001eauthors identified catchment area (CA) and low-flow yield (90% exceedence flow 211u001edivided by catchment area) as key driving variables that linked features of the 211u001elandscape to multiple, site-scale characteristics of stream habitat (e.g. 211u001etemperature, velocity, and depth) important to fishes.