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Habitat Overlap <br />Habitat overlap between five fish species in the fall of 1980 was examined <br />at kilometer 424 of the Green River using multiple discriminant analysis. <br />,,,One discriminant function (DF) accounted for 82% of the among species variance <br />observed in species microhabitats (Fig. 3). Water velocity was the environmental <br />variable which made the greatest contribution`? th toe observed separation ±Letsi en <br />s'ert.---- along DF 1 (Fig. 3; Table 1), followed by habitat type, substrate <br />(size, water depth, time of sample and water temperature:.. <br />Habitat breadth of the species examined was estimated by the distribution <br />of these species along DF 1-(Fig. 3). The values for Colorado squawfish, <br />fathead minnow and red shiner tended to cluster around the center of the DF and <br />therefore these species were considered to have narrow habitat breadth. In contrast, <br />Age-0 channel catfish and flannelmouth sucker were more evenly dispersed along <br />DF land were considered to have a wider habitat breadth. Calculation of the <br />habitat overlap index showed high spatial overlap between Age-0 Colorado squawfish <br />and fathead minnow (0.8) and red shiner (0.9) (Fig. 3). Overlap is generally <br />(considered to be biologically important when the index value exceeds 0.6 Matthews <br />;hand Hi11 1980), which is the case between these species. Habitat overlap between <br />;small Colorado squawfish and small channel catfish (0.5) and flannelmouth sucker <br />.(0.4) was considerably less than observed with the other species. <br />Food Habits and Dietary Overlap <br />Food habits were summarized for two size classes of four species: Colorado <br />squawfish, 22-40 mm and 41-59 mm TL; red shiner 15-34 and 35-69 mm TL; fathead <br />minnow 22-34 and 35-62 mm TL; and channel catfish 19-55 and 85-114 mm TL (Table 2). <br />Smaller Colorado squawfish fed predominantly on aquatic invertebrates and some <br />E fish. Larger Colorado squawfish fed heavily on fish -- mostly red shiner. Both <br />size classes of red shiner and channel catfish fed heavily upon aquatic insect <br />1r larvae, but consumed a wider variety of taxa than did Colorado squawfish. Both <br />size groups of the fathead minnow fed heavily upon minute plant remains (Seston), <br />,primarily diatoms, green algae and blue-green algae. None of the introduced fish <br />'species contained fish remains. <br />U <br />A comparison of the diet overlap indexes shows high overlap for the smaller <br />1size group of Colorado squawfish with small channel catfish (15-55 mm TL) and <br />l1 <br />, with both size classes of red shiner (Fig. 4). Overlap is reduced between these <br />species and larger Colorado squawfish. Neither size class of Colorado squawfish <br />overlaps with fathead minnow to any extent. The decrease in dietary overlap is <br />presumed to be related to the increasing consumption of fish by Colorado squawfish <br />as they increase in length and become more piscivorous (Fig. 5). <br />DISCUSSION <br />There was no clear partitioning of space between the small fish species <br />examined in this study as has been reported by investigators working in lakes <br />(Werner et al. 1977) and more structured streams (Baker and Ross 1981). Cover <br />and position in the water column tended to be important variables separating fish <br />species spatially in those studies, but position in the water column could not <br />?be measured in this study and cover (except for turbidity or water depth) tends <br />to be absent in the study areas we examined. :Matthews and Hill (1980) found <br />48 <br />R