The Ecology of Tijuana Estuary, California: An Estuarine Profile

changes in envlronment has not been fully
examined The short-term tolerance of selected
species to reduced salinity IS belng tested (D Kyle,
SDSU, pers. comm), and ~t appears that adults of
several spectes can survcve w~dely ranglng
condttcons for at least 4 weeks Whether or not
those same species could reproduce under the
same conditions or survlve several months of
altered saltn~ty IS not yet known The abcltty of
Invertebrates to recover from extreme condttions is
largely determtned by their l~fe history
characteristics, but chance also plays a role
Specces wlth large numbers of larvae present at the
tfme when estuarrne habitats are accessible and
suitable for settlcng w~li have the h~ghest probability
for recru~tment The qual~tattve data for 1985
cndlcate that recruitment from ocean waters can
occur rap~dly, once cond~tions become favorable,
and that a variety of species can become
established within one year. A benthic monitoring
program will begin in 1986 to track future shifts in
or stabilization of benthic community structure.
3.6.3 Fishes - Adults and Juveniles
The distribution and abundance of the fishes
that use the channel habitats of Tijuana Estuary
have also been affected by the variable tidal
regimes and climatic catastrophes. These
disturbances affected the fishes directly by
physiological stress and indirectly by elimination of
food items.
Before the 1978 flood. 29 species of fish were
found in Tijuana Estuary (Table 9). The community
Table! 9. Fishes and rays recorded from the Tijuana Estuary (Zedler et al. 1983b).
Organlsrn 1 2 3
Unpubl 1-drvae Eggs
Alk4tAINIOAT (Sllverstdes)
Attrsrrr!oy>s aiftnis tupsrnt4t 1 324 119 xD Ac xd x
RA I"C{ACHOlOIDAE (loadfishes)
Portchthys inyrtesfer - specklellri rn~dsti~pman x U
BLENNIUAF (Cornbtrjoth bltlr-irj~t?~)
Wypsoblenrl~us genlilis bay blenriy 6 0 - 1 x C xd
BOT MDAF (t-efteye fluundersi
C~thartchff?yspp - siincldabs
x
Parcll~Cilfttys cahlurntctrs - Caltforr~ta halibut 8 0 7 x A x x
C:I.UPFIDAt:
{Neru~irqs)
Serdinops saqax caeruloos - Pac~fic
sardine x x
CC37"7 IDAC (Sc:cilpnsi
Arfsdrus harrifrqtr>rr~ - scaiyhead sculpin x
L~pt~i(:offu~ arrncltus stacgllnrn scul~tn 11 12 14 x A x
C:YNUGLUSSIDAE (I'onguef~st~es)
Symnpltcj~us arr~cauda - Calrforn~a Iongueflsl~ x U
CYPUINODCTNTl[IAE (Kiilll~shes)
Furidulus parvtprnrrts - Calfarn~a k~li~fish 29 692 3 x A x
DASYATlDlUAE (Sl~rigrays)
Urolopus rrdlferi - roilrid st~ngray x U
f :dB:OTrSCtDAt !Surfpcrckcs!
Amph~sttchus argenteus - barred
.- *-
surfperch 32 C ., 30 x U
Cymatogaster aggregata - shrner perch x U
Hyper~rosopon arqenteum - walleys surfperch x U
(cO'111~:uoCII
44