Fish Species Diversity and Assemblage Structure in Seasonal Wetlands in the Dry Dipterocarp Forests of Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia
This study examines fish diversity and assemblage structure in seasonal wetlands within Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia. Sampling across wet and dry seasons recorded 53 fish species and found that water depth may be an important factor influencing fish diversity, highlighting the ecological value of small seasonal wetlands and the need for their conservation and management.
Dipterocarp forests are common in the northern plains of Cambodia, but litt le is known about the fish that occupy seasonal wetlands in these. With pressures increasing on Cambodian wetland resources, more information is needed on the value of small wetlands. We describe fish assemblages in seasonal wetlands in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary based on sampling completed during the early-wet, wet and dry seasons in 2015–2016. A total of 1,895 fish were captured, representing 53 species in 17 families. Fish assemblages were most diverse during the wet season according to the Shannon-Weiner index and species richness. We were not able to identify distinct seasonal assemblages using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling, which may have been due to differences in sampling effort between seasons. There was no significant correlation between log-transformed wetland area and diversity measures, although correlations between maximum water depth and diversity were significant and positive. Binomial generalized linear models were used to examine whether season, connectivity to permanent water bodies (categorical) and maximum water depth were related to presence of the five most common species. None of the models revealed significant relationships, although depth was in the best fit model for each species. These results indicate that water depth may be important in influencing the diversity of fish assemblages and presence of common species in seasonal wetlands. Our pilot of rapid sampling methods can inform protocols for assessing small wetlands in the region and we provide recommendations for improving these methods.
Note: This article was published in Cambodia Journal of Natural History, Volume 2018, No. 1.
Citation: Ainsley, S. et al. (2018) Fish species diversity and fisheries resources from wetlands in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia, Cambodian Journal of Natural History, Volume 2018 No. 1. Centre For Biodiversity Conservation Royal University of Phnom Penh
Dipterocarp forests are common in the northern plains of Cambodia, but litt le is known about the fish that occupy seasonal wetlands in these. With pressures increasing on Cambodian wetland resources, more information is needed on the value of small wetlands. We describe fish assemblages in seasonal wetlands in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary based on sampling completed during the early-wet, wet and dry seasons in 2015–2016. A total of 1,895 fish were captured, representing 53 species in 17 families. Fish assemblages were most diverse during the wet season according to the Shannon-Weiner index and species richness. We were not able to identify distinct seasonal assemblages using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling, which may have been due to differences in sampling effort between seasons. There was no significant correlation between log-transformed wetland area and diversity measures, although correlations between maximum water depth and diversity were significant and positive. Binomial generalized linear models were used to examine whether season, connectivity to permanent water bodies (categorical) and maximum water depth were related to presence of the five most common species. None of the models revealed significant relationships, although depth was in the best fit model for each species. These results indicate that water depth may be important in influencing the diversity of fish assemblages and presence of common species in seasonal wetlands. Our pilot of rapid sampling methods can inform protocols for assessing small wetlands in the region and we provide recommendations for improving these methods.
Note: This article was published in Cambodia Journal of Natural History, Volume 2018, No. 1.
Citation: Ainsley, S. et al. (2018) Fish species diversity and fisheries resources from wetlands in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia, Cambodian Journal of Natural History, Volume 2018 No. 1. Centre For Biodiversity Conservation Royal University of Phnom Penh
