Discharge, habitat complexity and social status: the influence of abiotic and biotic factors upon habitat suitability curves and the performance of juvenile Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar
Previous instream flow models assume that hydraulic habitat (based upon abiotic criteria) is the dominant factor in governing fish positions in a stream environment. However, fish utilisation of instream habitats within a specific range of water velocities has been shown by a number of scientific st...
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| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | unknown |
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2002
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/53139/ |
| Summary: | Previous instream flow models assume that hydraulic habitat (based upon abiotic criteria) is the dominant factor in governing fish positions in a stream environment. However, fish utilisation of instream habitats within a specific range of water velocities has been shown by a number of scientific studies to be both density dependent and to vary with discharge. This paper will investigate how social dominance (a biotic factor) of 1+ Atlantic salmon, interacts with habitat complexity and discharge in affecting fish performance and position choice in relation to velocity. The study was undertaken using a 32 metre length of flume, partitioned into sixteen 1 m2 chambers, which were landscaped with natural stream gravel and fed by water from a typical Scottish salmonid river. This paper will present the results and discuss how the findings are important in terms of the utilisation of hydraulically defined habitat. |
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