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Biogeography, ecoregions, and geomorphology affect fish species composition in streams of eastern Oklahoma, USA

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Abstract

Stream fish assemblages are structured by biogeographical, physical and biological factors acting on different spatial scales. We determined how physical factors, geomorphology and stream habitat, influenced fish species composition (presence–absence) in eastern Oklahoma, USA relative to the ecoregion and biogeographic effects previously reported. We sampled fish assemblages and surveyed geomorphology and habitat at 107 stream sites in the Boston Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, and Ozark Highlands ecoregions in eastern Oklahoma. Partial canonical correspondence analyses (pCCAs) and variance partitioning showed that patterns of endemism related to drainage basins and ecoregions explained important variation in fish species composition in all streams, but stream size and local channel morphology explained more variation overall. Stream size effects were most important in explaining variability in fish species composition in both northeastern and southeastern Oklahoma streams. Local channel morphology and substrate characteristics were secondarily important. Variables typically considered important as fish habitat (aquatic vegetation, etc.) had little effect on fish species composition.

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Acknowledgements

We thank V. Horncastle, A. Krystyniak, B. Marston, R. Ary, K. Winters, M. Murray, and J. Morel for field assistance. M. Palmer, J. Bidwell, A. Echelle and two anonymous reviewers commented on manuscript drafts. Project funding was provided by a Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act grant under Project F-55-R of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly sponsored by the United States Geological Survey; Oklahoma State University; the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; the Wildlife Management Institute, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. D. Dauwalter was supported by a Fellowship for Water, Energy, & the Environment from the Environmental Institute, Oklahoma State University.

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Author notes

  1. Daniel C. Dauwalter

    Present address: Department of Zoology and Physiology, Dept. 3166, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    Daniel C. Dauwalter

  2. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA

    Dale K. Splinter

  3. United States Geological Survey, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    William L. Fisher

  4. Department of Geography, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Richard A. Marston

Authors
  1. Daniel C. Dauwalter
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Correspondence to Daniel C. Dauwalter.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Fish species by Boston Mountains (BM), Ouachita Mountains (OM), and Ozark Highlands (OH) ecoregions and Arkansas (AR) and Red (RR) River basins observed during snorkeling surveys of eastern Oklahoma streams. Nomenclature adopted from Miller and Robison (2004).

Family/Species

Common name

Ecoregion

Basin

BM

OM

OH

AR

RR

Petromyzontidae

 Ichthyomyzon spp.

lampreys

 

x

x

x

x

Lepisosteidae

 Lepisosteus oculatus

spotted gar

x

x

x

x

x

 Lepisosteus osseus

longnose gar

 

x

x

x

x

Clupeidae

 Dorosoma cepedianum

gizzard shad

 

x

x

x

x

Cyprinidae

 Campostoma anomalum

central stoneroller

x

x

x

x

x

 Cyprinella lutrensis

red shiner

 

x

 

x

 

 Cyprinella whipplei

steelcolor shiner

x

x

x

x

x

 Cyprinus carpio

common carp

 

x

x

x

x

 Dionda nubila

Ozark minnow

x

 

x

x

 

 Luxilus cardinalis

cardinal shiner

x

 

x

x

 

 Lythrurus spp.

lythrurus shiners

 

x

 

x

x

 Nocomis asper

redspot chub

x

 

x

x

 

 Notropis boops

bigeye shiner

x

x

x

x

x

 Phoxinus erythrogaster

southern redbelly dace

x

 

x

x

 

 Pimephales notatus

bluntnose minnow

x

 

x

x

x

 Semotilus atromaculatus

creek chub

x

 

x

x

 

Catostomidae

 Catostomus commersoni

white sucker

x

x

x

x

x

 Ictiobus spp.

buffalos

  

x

x

 

 Hypentelium nigricans

northern hogsucker

x

 

x

x

 

 Minytrema melanops

spotted sucker

  

x

x

 

 Moxostoma spp.

redhorses

x

x

x

x

x

Ictaluridae

 Ameiurus melas

black bullhead

x

x

 

x

x

 Ameiurus natalis

yellow bullhead

x

x

x

x

x

 Ictalurus punctatus

channel catfish

  

x

x

x

 Noturus exilis

slender madtom

x

x

x

x

 

 Noturus nocturnus

freckled madtom

 

x

  

x

 Pylodictis olivaris

flathead catfish

 

x

  

x

Esocidae

 Esox americanus

redfin pickerel

 

x

  

x

Salmonidae

 Oncorhynchus mykiss

rainbow trout

  

x

x

 

Aphredoderidae

 Aphredoderus sayanus 1

pirate perch

 

x

  

x

Fundulidae

 Fundulus catenatus

northern studfish

  

x

x

 

 Fundulus olivaceus

blackspotted topminnow

x

x

x

x

x

Poeciliidae

 Gambusia affinis

western mosquitofish

x

x

x

x

x

Atherinopsidae

 Labidesthes sicculus

brook silverside

x

x

 

x

x

Cottidae

 Cottus carolinae

banded sculpin

x

 

x

x

 

Centrarchidae

 Ambloplites rupestris

rock bass

x

 

x

x

 

 Lepomis cyanellus

green sunfish

x

x

x

x

x

 Lepomis gulosus

warmouth

 

x

 

x

x

 Lepomis humilis

orangespotted sunfish

 

x

  

x

 Lepomis macrochirus

bluegill

x

x

x

x

x

 Lepomis megalotis

longear sunfish

x

x

x

x

x

 Lepomis microlophus

redear sunfish

x

x

x

x

x

 Micropterus dolomieu

smallmouth bass

x

x

x

x

x

 Micropterus salmoides 2

largemouth bass

x

x

x

x

x

 Pomoxis annularis

white crappie

x

x

x

x

x

 Pomoxis nigromaculatus

black crappie

  

x

x

 

Percidae

 Etheostoma blennioides

greenside darter

x

x

x

x

x

 Etheostoma flabellare

fantail darter

x

x

 

x

 

 Etheostoma punctulatum

stippled darter

x

 

x

x

 

 Etheostoma radiosum

orangebelly darter

 

x

  

x

 Etheostoma spectabile

orangethroat darter

x

x

x

x

x

 Etheostoma whipplei

redfin darter

 

x

 

x

 

 Etheostoma zonale

banded darter

x

 

x

x

 

 Percina caprodes

logperch

x

x

x

x

x

 Percina copelandi

channel darter

 

x

  

x

 Percina maculata

blackside darter

 

x

 

x

x

 Percina pantherina

leopard darter

 

x

  

x

 Percina phoxocephala

slenderhead darter

 

x

 

x

x

Sciaenidae

 Aplodinotus grunniens

freshwater drum

  

x

x

 
  1. 1Only collected in stream sites that were electrofished.
  2. 2Included spotted bass Micropterus punctulatus.

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Dauwalter, D.C., Splinter, D.K., Fisher, W.L. et al. Biogeography, ecoregions, and geomorphology affect fish species composition in streams of eastern Oklahoma, USA. Environ Biol Fish 82, 237–249 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-007-9277-7

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