Preliminary study of fish community structure in Amanos Mountain streams (Hatay-Turkey)

• Published in: Biologia
• Main Authors: Okur, Emel, Yalçin-Özdilek, Şükran
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Walter de Gruyter GmbH 2008
• Subjects: Plant Science; Animal Science and Zoology; Genetics; Cell Biology; Biochemistry; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Molecular Biology; Anguilla anguilla
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s11756-008-0058-3; https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/biolog.2008.63.issue-3/s11756-008-0058-3/s11756-008-0058-3.pdf

Abstract Fish diversity and distributions in 33 streams of the Amanos Mountains were investigated between December 2002 and November 2003. Some physical and chemical parameters, such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH, and velocity of the streams were measured periodically at each site. The study area was grouped into three regions: AS (Asi Basin), IS (İskenderun Gulf) and CE (Çevlik region). Fish abundance and Shannon Diversity Index were computed for each region. CE region was the poorest compared to the others in terms of fish abundance and diversity. A total of nine species in four families (Cyprinidae, Balitoridae, Anguillidae, Blenniidae) were recorded and all species collected were found to be indigenous. Capoeta barroisi (42.2%) and Garra rufa (33.3%) were the most common and abundant species and Salaria fluviatilis (0.4%), Carasobarbus luteus (0.9%), Anguilla anguilla (1.0%) and Alburnus sellal (1.2%) were the most rarely encountered species in the Amanos Mts. The endangered species Alburnus orontis is also rarely found. Fish diversity was greater in perennial streams (0.62) than in intermittent streams (0.27). There are many adverse human impacts on fish fauna in the Amanos Mountain streams; however, numbers of intermittent streams impose the greatest threat to fish in the Amanos Mts.