Fish assemblage shifts and species declines in Alabama, USA streams

Abstract –  Recognition of faunal changes requires long-term monitoring, which is lacking for all but a very few streams. Fish surveys are often focused on single, often imperiled, species. While such studies meet the goals of monitoring single species, assemblage-based data are required for detection of assemblage change and declines in common species, and yet these studies are relatively rare. Assemblage-based data may be important in identifying potential ecosystem problems before the loss of ecosystem function that results from catastrophic biodiversity decline. In 2005–2006, we sampled fishes in three streams in the Chattahoochee River drainage, Alabama in order to assess fish assemblage persistence and individual species declines. To achieve these comparisons we used historic data from two time periods, 1970s and 1995. Although comparisons to historical collections were used conservatively, we found dramatic assemblage shifts over time, even using conservative metrics. Examination of individual species persistence over time in these watersheds uncovered species losses at both the site and stream scale. Metrics of similarity, persistence, and Spearman's rank correlation indicated low similarity of fish assemblages and high species turnover over time. Specifically, cyprinid species have been lost and have been replaced with more cosmopolitan species. Comparison of three time periods allowed the estimation of when assemblages changed through time. Changes in land use, increases in the human population and less overall water availability may be agents of habitat degradation partially responsible for fish faunal changes.