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Abstract An Experimental Study of Vertical Habitat Use and Habitat Shifts in Single-species and Mixed-species Shoals of Native and Nonnative Congeneric Cyprinids Brandon J. Keplinger This thesis includes two chapters. The first (Chapter 1) is a literature review focusing on the ecological consequences of introduced fishes on host communities, and specifically on native fishes of similar morphology and phylogenetic origins. The second (Chapter 2) is a manuscript synthesizing the aquaria based study of the interspecific relationships, with respect to habitat utilization, between two syntopically occurring congeneric species pairs in the Greenbrier River. Each pair consists of an introduced and a native cyprinid species. Several species native (often endemic) to the New River watershed are experiencing reductions in abundance and distribution. Meanwhile, a concurrent increase has occurred in the abundance and distribution of similar nonnative species. Chapter 2 focuses on the interspecific interactions that occur with respect to vertical water column position between a pair of native species, Notropis scabriceps (New River shiner) and Cyprinella spiloptera (spotfin shiner), and a pair of nonnative species, Notropis telescopus (telescope shiner) and Cyprinella galactura (whitetail shiner). These four species occur in the Greenbrier River (a tributary to the New). Observations were made using aquaria and vertical position categories. All four species were observed under allotopic and syntopic trials. Allotopic trials provided evidence for segregation in vertical water column preferences but syntopic trials revealed integration and mixed-species shoals. Laboratory-observed patterns of native/nonnative species integration likely occur in wild populations (in the New River drainage). If laboratoryobserved patterns of species integration also occur in wild populations, then competitive interactions will likely occur owing to the close association between native and nonnative species in the use of vertical habitat space. Additional studies, however, are needed to verify experimental findings in the natural environment of the Greenbrier River system.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Stuart Welsh, the WVU Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the WVU Cooperative Wildlife and Fisheries Research Unit for allowing me the opportunity to attend graduate school and be a part of this very interesting study. Thanks also go to Dr. Kyle Hartman and Dan Cincotta for serving on my committee and their useful suggestions for improving my thesis. Additionally, I would like to thank the WVU Department of Biology for providing employment and teaching assistantships, and the US Forest Service for project funding. I would like to extend special thanks to those individuals that helped with the project: Dustin Smith, Dustin Wichterman, Jason Stolarsky, Holly Henderson, Roy Martin, and last but not least, Samantha Warner, who provided hours of physical assistance without pay. Thanks also go to Dr. Seidel for statistical guidance. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their support and encouragement and my fiancée Samantha Warner for her love and devotion. iii
Page 1: An Experimental Study of Vertical H
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Results of
Page 7 and 8: In order for similar species to avo
Page 9 and 10: species diversity should increase (
Page 11 and 12: noting that the abundance of some s
Page 13 and 14: exhibited by species involved; the
Page 15 and 16: new environment (Dueser and Porter
Page 17 and 18: host environment, proposing that a
Page 19 and 20: Hybridization with introduced speci
Page 21 and 22: alteration may reduce the habitat s
Page 23 and 24: in the upper Greenbrier River and o
Page 25 and 26: ubiquitous, appearing in all channe
Page 27 and 28: Literature Cited Addair, J. 1944. T
Page 29 and 30: Gibbs, R. H. 1957. Cyprinid fishes
Page 31 and 32: Lobb, M. D., III. 1986. Habitat use
Page 33 and 34: Paybins, K. S., T. Messinger, J. H.
Page 35 and 36: Chapter 2: An Experimental Study of
Page 37 and 38: Introduction Non-native fishes nega
Page 39 and 40: native cyprinids on their native co
Page 41 and 42: enthic, near-benthic, lower-pelagic
Page 43 and 44: N. telescopus had modes in the lowe
Page 45 and 46: native species pairs were partially
Page 47 and 48: interspecific separation of vertica
Page 49 and 50: MacArthur, R. and R. Levins. 1967.
Page 51 and 52: Table 1. Results of Chi square Test
Page 53 and 54:
Total Number of Occurrences 160 140
Page 55:
Total Number of Occurrences 160 140
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