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Description:
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The purpose of my research was to determine habitat use and reproductive ecology of the Arkansas River shiner and peppered chub , two obligate riverine species that have drastically declined in abundance and distribution throughout most of their historical range (Larson 1991 ; Luttrell et al . 1999 ) . My first objective was to quantify habitat use of the Arkansas River shiner and peppered chub in the Canadian River , New Mexico and Texas . Additionally , I quantified habitat use by three other species that coexist with the Arkansas River shiner and peppered chub in the Canadian River : the flathead chub and plains minnow , which are two obligate riverine species that generally have declined in abundance and distribution throughout their historical ranges , and the red shiner Cyprinella lutrensis , which has increased in abundance and distribution in Great Plains streams . Insight into mechanisms stmcturing the Canadian River assemblage and habitat use of each species will provide critical information for conservation of obligate riverine species in general .
My second objective was to describe life history pattems and reproductive ecology of the Arkansas River shiner and peppered chub . Alterations in the stream flows and other physical and chemical conditions may affect movement (Cross et al . 1985 ) and reproductive behaviors (Moore 1944 ) of obligate riverine species . Understanding general life histories and reproduction in these species will provide a better understanding of the effects of river alterations on prairie stream fish assemblages . |