Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Wetland edges as peak refugia from an introduced piscivore
Author(s)
Reid, A. J.;Chapman, L. J.;Ricciardi, A.
Published
2013
Publisher
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2328
Abstract
Wetlands in the Lake Victoria basin serve as structural and hypoxic refugia for some native fishes against predation by introduced Nile perch (Lates niloticus); however, little is known about the fine-scale patterns of distribution and abundance of these refuge inhabitants. This study sought to quantify wetland ecological gradients and determine where peaks in native fish abundance and richness ('peak refugia') occurred using Lake Nabugabo, Uganda as a model system. Extensive wetland transects were sampled between June and August, 2011 to measure ecological variation over distance from the lake-wetland edge. Wetlands were characterized by strong clines in water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), depth and vegetation density, and narrow peak refugia were found precisely at the lake-wetland edge. Community richness and diversity tended to be greater in areas with higher DO and lower temperature, pH, and vegetation density. It is interesting that areas encroached upon by a native emergent macrophyte (hippo grass, Vossia cuspidata) had more extreme physico-chemical conditions and supported fewer native fish species. These results demonstrate the importance of wetland edges in the maintenance of native fish fauna in the Lake Victoria basin, and suggest that the continued expansion of hippo grass may reduce the accessibility of wetlands as refugia. We recommend that the use of spatially explicit management approaches such as the development of secure buffer zones surrounding wetland edges to protect peak refugia, and the need for hippo grass control to minimize its effects on this important refuge. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB14587