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Geographic variation in patterns of nestedness among local stream fish assemblages in Virginia

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Abstract

Nestedness of faunal assemblages is a multi-scale phenomenon, potentially influenced by a variety of factors. Prior small-scale studies have found freshwater fish species assemblages to be nested along stream courses as a result of either selective colonization or extinction. However, within-stream gradients in temperature and other factors are correlated with the distributions of many fish species and may also contribute to nestedness. At a regional level, strongly nested patterns would require a consistent set of structuring mechanisms across streams, and correlation among species’ tolerances of the environmental factors that influence distribution. Thus, nestedness should be negatively associated with the spatial extent of the region analyzed and positively associated with elevational gradients (a correlate of temperature and other environmental factors). We examined these relationships for the freshwater fishes of Virginia. Regions were defined within a spatial hierarchy and included whole river drainages, portions of drainages within physiographic provinces, and smaller subdrainages. In most cases, nestedness was significantly stronger in regions of smaller spatial extent and in regions characterized by greater topographic relief. Analysis of hydrologic variability and patterns of faunal turnover provided no evidence that inter-annual colonization/extinction dynamics contributed to elevational differences in nestedness. These results suggest that, at regional scales, nestedness is influenced by interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, and that the strongest nestedness is likely to occur where a small number of organizational processes predominate, i.e., over small spatial extents and regions exhibiting strong environmental gradients.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Lenwood Hall (University of Maryland), Paul Kazyak (Maryland Department of Natural Resources), Peter Ruhl (United States Geological Survey), and Vann Stancil (Virginia Polytechnic and State University) for providing data to examine inter-annual variation in fish community composition. Two anonymous reviewers provided comments that significantly improved an earlier version of this manuscript. K.L. Krueger was supported partly by a Federal Aid grant from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

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Author notes

  1. Rosamonde R. Cook

    Present address: US National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA, 93271, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Rosamonde R. Cook

  2. US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Paul L. Angermeier

  3. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Debra S. Finn & N. LeRoy Poff

  4. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Kirk L. Krueger

Authors
  1. Rosamonde R. Cook
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  2. Paul L. Angermeier
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  3. Debra S. Finn
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  4. N. LeRoy Poff
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  5. Kirk L. Krueger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rosamonde R. Cook.

Additional information

The Virginia Cooperate Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly sponsored by United States Geological Survey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

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Cook, R.R., Angermeier, P.L., Finn, D.S. et al. Geographic variation in patterns of nestedness among local stream fish assemblages in Virginia. Oecologia 140, 639–649 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1618-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1618-z

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