Biodiv Sci ›› 2015, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (4): 499-506.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2014270

• Original Papers: Animal Diversity • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Species diversity of fish and its conservation in the mainstream of the lower reaches of Wu River

Qiong Xiao1, Zhi Yang2, Huiyuan Tang2, Pengxiang Duan1, Xiaoqing Wang1, Tiaoyi Xiao1, Xiaoyan Liu1,*()   

  1. 1 College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410000
    2 Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic-Projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem of Ministry of Water Resources, Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079
  • Received:2014-12-28 Accepted:2015-06-23 Online:2015-07-20 Published:2015-08-03
  • Contact: Liu Xiaoyan
  • About author:# Co-first authors

Abstract:

To understand the status of fish species diversity in the lower reaches of Wu River and to assess the impacts of hydropower station development on fish species diversity, two surveys were carried out along the Yanhe to Baima section in the mainstream of the lower reaches of Wu River from 2006 to 2008 (the time period before the sluice of Yinpan and Pengshui hydropower station) and from 2011 to 2013 (the time period after the sluice of Yinpan and Pengshui hydropower station) respectively by using fishery catch surveys. One hundred and five fish species were found from the two surveys, of which 100 fish species were sampled during 2006 and 2008, while only 62 fish species were found during 2011 and 2013. When the two datasets were compared, we found that the number proportion of eurytopic fish species, limnophilic fish species and rheophilic fish species in the catches of 2011-2013 decreased by 10.38%, 0.98% and 9.62%, respectively. Species diversity analysis indicated that the values of Margalef richness index (R) and Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H) during 2011 and 2013 were lower than those found during 2006 and 2008. Fishery catch structures indicated that the weight proportions of some species, such as Mystus macropterus, Spinibarbus sinensis, and Tor (Folifer) brevifilis, decreased from over 5% in the fishery catches of 2006-2008 to less than 2% in 2011-2013, but that the weight proportions of other species, such as Hemiculter leucisculus, Ctenopharyngodon idellus, and Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, had the greatest increase in the catches of 2011-2013 when compared with that of 2006-2008. Abundance biomass comparison showed that fish community structure of the mainstream of the lower reaches of the Wu River showed a moderately disturbed pattern during 2006 and 2008, but a seriously disturbed pattern during 2011 and 2013. To protect fish biodiversity of the lower reaches of Wu River, multiple protection measures, including habitat restoration and controls on overfishing must be applied by government departments.

Key words: Wu River, species composition, species diversity, abundance biomass comparison, fish resource protection