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Impact of Armored Shorelines on Shore-Zone Fish Density in a Mid-Atlantic, USA, Estuary: Modulation by Hypoxia and Temperature



Details

  • Journal Title:
    Estuaries and Coasts
  • Personal Author:
  • NOAA Program & Office:
    NOS (National Ocean Service)
  • Description:
    Anthropogenic modifications of estuarine environments, including shoreline hardening and corresponding alteration of water quality, are accelerating worldwide as human population increases in coastal regions. Estuarine fish species inhabiting temperate ecosystems are adapted to extreme variations in environmental conditions including water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen across seasonal, daily, and hourly time scales. The present research utilized quantitative sampling to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of shore-zone estuarine fish species in association with four unique shoreline types across a range of water temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions. Fish were collected from the intertidal and shallow subtidal region of four shoreline types,Spartina alternifloramarsh,Phragmites australismarsh, riprap, and bulkhead, in the summer and fall of 2009 and 2010. Analyses were performed to (1) compare mean fish density among shoreline types across all water conditions and (2) explore relationships of the complete fish assemblage, three functional species groupings, and two fish species (Fundulus heteroclitusandMenidia menidia) to unique shoreline/water conditions. Significantly greater mean fish densities were found alongS. alterniflorashorelines than armored shorelines. Several metrics including fish density, species richness, and occurrence rates suggestS. alterniflorashorelines may serve as a form of refuge habitat during periods of low dissolved oxygen and high temperatures for various species, particularly littoral-demersal species includingF. heteroclitus. Potential mechanisms that could contribute to a habitat providing refuge during adverse water quality conditions include tempering of the adverse condition (decreased temperatures, increased dissolved oxygen), predation protection, and increased foraging opportunities.
  • Keywords:
  • Source:
    Estuaries and Coasts, 41(S1), 144-158
  • DOI:
  • ISSN:
    1559-2723 ; 1559-2731
  • Format:
    PDF
  • Publisher:
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC
  • Document Type:
    Journal Article
  • Funding:
    Grant no. NA09NOS4780219
  • License:
  • Rights Information:
    CC BY
  • Compliance:
    Library
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha256:24fd77982033eff1b719961d6175e459c6cdac2166b3beca0e6f6637edee4ee5
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 891.83 KB ]
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