Variation in freshwater fish assemblages along a regional elevation gradient in the northern Andes, Colombia.

ABSTRACT: Studies on elevation diversity gradients have covered a large number of taxa and regions throughout the world; however, studies of freshwater fish are scarce and restricted to examining their changes along a specific gradient. These studies have reported a monotonic decrease in species richness with increasing elevation, but ignore the high taxonomic differentiation of each headwater assemblage that may generate high β-diversity among them. Here, we analyzed how fish assemblages vary with elevation among regional elevation bands, and how these changes are related to four environmental clines and to changes in the distribution, habitat use, and the morphology of fish species. Using a standardized field sampling technique, we assessed three different diversity and two structural assemblage m

SUBMITTER: Carvajal-Quintero JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4523357 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature