Poster Details
FISH COMMUNITY ASSEMBLAGES IN THE OZARKS OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI
There are several potential mechanisms regarding fish community assembly, many of which can be related to habitat type. Basin and stream order can be important because some species are restricted to specific basin and some fish are only found in streams of certain sizes. Surrounding land use is another likely mechanism in structuring fish communities as it impacts stream habitat structure and water quality. We sought to assess the mechanisms of fish community assembly by comparing fish diversity in southwest Missouri, specifically asking 1) are fish communities structured by basin, 2) are they structured by stream order, and 3) how does land use at different spatial scales affect assemblage structure? We sampled 44 streams in the summer 2016 using a combination of seines and electroshocking. A total of 58 species were collected, including hornyhead chubs and duskystripe shiners that were found only in specific drainages, and smallmouth bass and striped shiners that were found in all three basins. Bray-Curtis distances between sites were calculated and used to determine whether the assemblages were structured by basin, stream order, land use, or a combination of these mechanisms.
Sean Maher (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Missouri State University, spmaher@missouristate.edu;
Stephanie Sickler (Primary Presenter/Author), Missouri State University, sickler13@live.missouristate.edu;