Factors influencing behavior and transferability of habitat models for a benthic stream fish

Abstract We examined the predictive power and transferability of habitat-based models by comparing associations of tangerine darter Percina aurantiaca and stream habitat at local and regional scales in North Fork Holston River (NFHR) and Little River, Virginia. Our models correctly predicted the presence or absence of tangerine darters in NFHR for 64% (local model) and 78% (regional model) of the sampled habitat-units (i.e., pools, runs, riffles). The distribution of tangerine darters apparently was influenced more by regional variables than local variables. Data from Little River and 37 historical records from Virginia were used to assess transferability of our models developed from NFHR data. In general, the models did not transfer well to Little River; all models predicted that either no (regional model) or few (local model) habitat-units in Little River would contain tangerine darter even though the species was observed in 83% of the habitat-units sampled. Conversely, the regional model correctly pred...

[1]  P. Angermeier,et al.  Distribution and Abundance of American Eels in Virginia Streams: Tests of Null Models across Spatial Scales , 1995 .

[2]  D. Etnier,et al.  The Fishes of Tennessee , 1994 .

[3]  C. Townsend,et al.  Species traits in relation to a habitat templet for river systems , 1994 .

[4]  N. Burkhead,et al.  Freshwater Fishes of Virginia , 1994 .

[5]  T. Groshens.  An assessment of the transferability of habitat suitability criteria for smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu , 1993 .

[6]  C. Zipper,et al.  Surface water quality trends in southwestern Virginia, 1970-1989. I, Seasonal Kendall analysis , 1992 .

[7]  N. Poff,et al.  Physical habitat template of lotic systems: Recovery in the context of historical pattern of spatiotemporal heterogeneity , 1990 .

[8]  Wayne A. Hubert,et al.  Relations of Physical Habitat to Abundance of Four Nongame Fishes in High-Plains Streams: A Test of Habitat Suitability Index Models , 1989 .

[9]  A. Belaud,et al.  Probability-of-use curves applied to brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.) in rivers of southern France , 1989 .

[10]  David G. Hankin,et al.  Estimating Total Fish Abundance and Total Habitat Area in Small Streams Based on Visual Estimation Methods , 1988 .

[11]  P. Pająk,et al.  Habitat Suitability and Fish Production: A Model Evaluation for Rock Bass in Two Virginia Streams , 1987 .

[12]  Douglas W. Morris,et al.  Ecological Scale and Habitat Use , 1987 .

[13]  W. Warde,et al.  Spotted Bass Habitat Suitability Related to Fish Occurrence and Biomass and Measurements of Physicochemical Variables , 1987 .

[14]  J. Roff,et al.  Trout Biomass and Habitat Relationships in Southern Ontario Streams , 1986 .

[15]  R. Green.  Sampling design and statistical methods for environmental biologists. , 1979 .

[16]  T. R. E. Southwood,et al.  HABITAT, THE TEMPLET FOR ECOLOGICAL STRATEGIES? , 1977 .

[17]  A. N. Strahler.  Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology , 1957 .

[18]  W. Allen.  The Problem of Significant Variables in Natural Environments , 1929 .