Can turbulence statistics reflect the meso-habitat choice of juvenile salmonids
peer reviewed Variables commonly used to describe the physical habitat of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. parr are average velocity, water depth, and substrate. A variety of micro- and meso-habitat models have been developed using these variables to assess habitat quality. However, Atlantic salmon pa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/12736 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/12736/1/Enders%20et%20al.%20Ecohydraulics%20%282009%29.pdf |
| Summary: | peer reviewed Variables commonly used to describe the physical habitat of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. parr are average velocity, water depth, and substrate. A variety of micro- and meso-habitat models have been developed using these variables to assess habitat quality. However, Atlantic salmon parr live in highly turbulent streams and rivers, in which intense fluctuations of water velocity occur. Laboratory experiments have shown that turbulence affects the behavior and energetics of fish. Nevertheless, habitat use in relation to the strong temporal variability of velocity in natural environments has rarely been studied. In this study, Atlantic salmon parr habitat was examined in relation to turbulence in the Patapédia River, Québec, Canada. We analyzed meso-habitat use in relation to several dynamic hydraulic variables. Our results revealed that in a natural turbulent condition, parr displayed high individual variability in habitat use in relation to turbulence. Such heterogeneous use of habitat suggests that individuals are not constrained to a single habitat type but that they have a tendency to use areas with lower turbulence. |
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