Cross-habitat utilization of fish in a tropical deltaic system as a function of climate variability and body size: Are mangroves fish nurseries in a tropical delta?

ABSTRACT: The temporal variability of fish habitat utilization is poorly understood in tropical deltaic systems due to high water turbidity, which limits visual censuses, and to the lack of long-term data incorporating climate variability events. We aimed to assess the influence of body size and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability on the cross-habitat utilization rate of 14 fish species of commercial relevance in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (CGSM). We estimated the utilization of mangroves and coastal lagoons based on relative catch frequencies from encircling gillnets used within a long-term catch monitoring program, and then tested for significant changes in each species' habitat utilization as a function of body size and climate variability. Six species showed a high dependence

SUBMITTER: Sanchez-Nunez DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11329160 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature