Register      Login
Marine and Freshwater Research Marine and Freshwater Research Society
Advances in the aquatic sciences
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MF > MF08357 > Fulltext
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(1)

Response and recovery of fish and invertebrate assemblages following flooding in five tributaries of a sub-tropical river

F. J. Kroon A B and J. A. Ludwig A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, PO Box 780, Atherton, Qld 4883, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: frederieke.kroon@csiro.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(1) 86-96 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08357
Submitted: 22 December 2008  Accepted: 11 June 2009   Published: 29 January 2010

Abstract

The response and recovery of aquatic ecosystems to major flooding is directly associated with the resistance and resilience of the perturbed ecosystem. In this 2-year study, we document the response of taxa assemblages in five tributary creeks of the Clarence River, Australia, following two sequential floods. Prior to the floods, we observed clear differences of taxa assemblages among tributaries, and clear but relatively small seasonal changes in all creeks. Flooding triggered large shifts in taxa assemblages in all creeks; however, only a few species out of the 106 taxa analysed were contributing to this pulse response. Combinations of specific water quality variables were significantly associated with the observed patterns in taxa assemblages in all but one creek. After an initial rapid recovery period, taxa compositions in all tributaries more slowly returned to resemble those before the floods. This strong resilience to major floods is most likely associated with high flushing rates, spatial and temporal refugia and life history characteristics of key biota. Overall, the results suggest that the current state of the Clarence floodplain has achieved a strong resilience to major flood disturbances, and that a shift to an alternate, potentially more desirable state may be difficult to achieve.

Additional keywords: Acetes sibogae australis, fisheries, heterogeneity.


Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the Clarence Floodplain Project for introducing us to the Clarence floodplain. Thanks to staff at the Australian Museum and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for species identifications, to Graham Lancaster (EAL Lismore) for prompt analysis of water quality samples, and to Kate Browning (NSW Department of Natural Resources) for providing invaluable hydrological information. NSW Fisheries staff, work experience students, and volunteers helped out in too many ways to describe. Special thanks go to Matt Barwick, Andrew Bruce, Tony Fowler, Chris Gallen, Graham Housefield, Roger Laird, Brooke McCartin, Kris Pitman and Isabelle Thiebaud. Proofreading by Helen Murphy and Nick Abel and two anonymous reviewers improved the draft manuscript. The field work was conducted when the first author was employed by NSW DPI Fisheries. This work was part of grant no 1998/215 from the Australian ‘Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’, and was conducted under a NSW Fisheries Collection Permit and NSW Fisheries Animal Research Authorities ACEC 98/11 and ACEC 00/07.


References

Auld K. M. (1998). ‘Wetland Rehabilitation on the Lower Clarence River Floodplain. Opportunities and Priorities for Action.’ (Ocean Watch Australia Ltd: Pyrmont, Australia.)

Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation Council (2000). Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality. National Water Quality Management Strategy. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council/Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand.

Barker D., Allan G. L., Rowland S. J., and Pickles J. M. (2002). ‘A Guide to Acceptable Procedures and Practices for Aquaculture and Fisheries Research.’ (NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Fisheries Centre: Nelson Bay, Australia.)

Barko, V. A. , Herzog, D. P. , and O’Connell, M. T. (2006). Response of fishes to floodplain connectivity during and following a 500-year flood event in the unimpounded upper Mississippi River. Wetlands 26, 244–257.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Carpenter S. R., and Cottingham K. L. (2002). Resilience in large-scale systems. In ‘Resilience and the Behavior of Large-Scale Systems’. (Eds L. H. Gunderson and L. Pritchard Jr.) pp. 51–70. (Island Press: Washington, DC.)

Clarke K. R., and Gorley R. N. (2006). ‘Primer v6: User Manual/Tutorial.’ (PRIMER-E Ltd: Plymouth, UK.)

Darnaude, A. M. , Salen-Picard, C. , Polunin, N. V. C. , and Harmelin-Vivien, M. L. (2004). Trophodynamic linkage between river runoff and coastal fishery yield elucidated by stable isotope data in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). Oecologia 138, 325–332.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed | Healthy Rivers Commission NSW (1999). ‘Independent Inquiry into the Clarence River System.’ (Healthy Rivers Commission: Sydney, Australia.)

Henry G. W. (1977). Preliminary study on the biology of Acetes australis. Masters (Qual.) thesis, University of New South Wales.

Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4, 1–23.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Kroon F. J., Bruce A. B., Housefield G. P., and Creese R. G. (2004). Coastal floodplain management in eastern Australia: barriers to fish and invertebrate recruitment in acid sulfate soil catchments. Final report for the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, No 98/215. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Sydney.

Lake, P. S. , Bond, N. , and Reich, P. (2007). Linking ecological theory with stream restoration. Freshwater Biology 52, 597–615.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (2001a). Northern Rivers Flood Summary February 2001. Report No. MHL1093, February 2001. NSW Department of Public Works and Services and Manly Hydraulics Laboratory, Sydney, Australia.

Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (2001b). Northern Rivers and Hunter Region New South Wales Flood Summary March 2001. Report No. MHL1105, March 2001. NSW Department of Public Works and Services, and Manly Hydraulics Laboratory, Sydney, Australia.

Matthews, W. J. (1986). Fish faunal structure in an Ozark stream: stability, persistence and a catastrophic flood. Copeia 1986, 388–397.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | SPCC (1987). Water quality in the Clarence River. Northern Rivers Study Report No. 3. State Pollution Control Commission, Sydney, Australia.

Steffe, A. S. , MacBeth, W. G. , and Murphy, J. J. (2007). Status of the recreational fisheries in two Australian coastal estuaries following large fish-kill events. Fisheries Research 85, 258–269.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Walker B., Gunderson L., Kinzig A., Folke C., Carpenter S., and Schultz L. (2006). A handful of heuristics and some propositions for understanding resilience in social-ecological systems. Ecology and Society 11, 13. Available at http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art13/ [Verified 13 December 2009].

Walsh S., Copeland C., and Westlake M. (2004). Major fish kills in the northern rivers of NSW in 2001: causes, impacts & responses. NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries, Ballina, Australia.

Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission NSW (1968). Water resources of the Clarence valley. Survey of thirty NSW river valleys. Water Conservation & Irrigation Commission, Sydney, Australia.

WBM Oceanics Australia (2004). Lower Clarence River flood study review. Final report. WBM Oceanics, Brisbane, Australia.

Webster J. R., Waide J. B., and Patten B. C. (1975). Nutrient cycling and the stability of ecosystems. In ‘Mineral Cycling in Southeastern Ecosystems’. (Eds F. G. Howell, J. B. Gentry and M. H. Smith.) pp. 1–27. (ERDA CONF-740513, National Technical Information Service: Springfield, VA).

West R. J. (1992). Summary of major research findings from the northern rivers fisheries project. Internal publication of the Fisheries Research Institute, NSW Fisheries, Cronulla, Australia.

West, R. J. , and Gordon, G. N. G. (1994). Commercial and recreational harvest of fish from two Australian coastal rivers. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45, 1259–1279.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Yearsly G. K., Last P. R., and Ward R. D. (1999). ‘Australian Seafood Handbook. An Identification Guide to Domestic Species.’ (CSIRO Marine Research: Australia.)

Yount, J. D. , and Niemi, G. J. (1990). Recovery of lotic communities and ecosystems from disturbance – a narrative review of case studies. Environmental Management 14, 547–569.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |