Use of artificial structure to enhance fish diversity in the Youjiang River, a dammed river of the Pearl River in China

The fragmentation and homogenization of habitats have seriously affected the fishery resources of the Pearl River. To protect the fishery resources, a new type of artificial habitat, consisting of bamboo and palm slices, was deployed in the Youjiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, China. The results of field and laboratory experiments show that fish abundance, species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index were higher at the artificial habitats than at the control sites. There were no significant effects on fish biomass, as artificial habitats attracted more Cultrinae and Gobioninae individuals with smaller size. Artificial habitats can serve as spawning grounds for fish that produce sticky eggs and refuges to improve the survival rates of juvenile fishes. This study revealed that the new type of artificial habitat can form new habitats for fish in the Youjiang River.

生境破碎化与同质化已严重威胁珠江流域渔业资源。为保护渔业资源，研究团队在中国珠江支流右江流域布设了一种由竹片与棕榈片构成的新型人工生境。野外与室内实验结果显示，人工生境布设点的鱼类丰度、物种丰富度及香农-威纳多样性指数（Shannon-Wiener diversity index）均高于对照样点。由于人工生境吸引了更多体型偏小的鲌亚科（Cultrinae）与鮈亚科（Gobioninae）鱼类个体，因此对鱼类生物量无显著影响。该人工生境可作为产粘性卵鱼类的产卵场，同时为幼鱼提供庇护场所以提升其存活率。本研究表明，此种新型人工生境可为右江流域的鱼类构建全新的栖息生境。