Skip to main content
Log in

The Influence of Selected Environmental Variables on Fish Assemblage Structure in a Range of Southeast African Estuaries

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study compared the ichthyofaunal assemblages in 10 Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, estuaries to identify whether there were any structural variations between the assemblages and to determine the environmental and physical factors linked to these variations. Species belonging to both the marine migrant and estuarine resident groups, by consistent representation within each estuary grouping, were responsible for the separation of fish assemblage structures between the different types of systems. The data further revealed that fish assemblages in the three main types of estuaries investigated were distinct, linked primarily to estuary mouth status and estuary size.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References cited

  • Bennett, B.A. 1989. A comparison of the fish communities in nearby permanently open, seasonally open and normally closed estuaries in the south-western cape, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci. 8: 43–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, B.A., K.C.D. Hamman, G.M. Branch & S.C. Thorne. 1985. Changes in the fish fauna of the Bot River Estuary in relation to opening and closure of the estuary mouth. Trans. R. Soc. S. Afr. 45: 449–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaber, S.J.M. & A.K. Whitfield. 1976. Large scale mortality of fish at St Lucia. S. Afr. J. Sci. 72: 218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, C.A. 1965. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1, Physical and Mineralogical Properties, Including Statistics of Measurement and Sampling. American Society of Agronomy, Wisconsin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colloty, B.M. 2000. The Botanical Importance Rating of the Estuaries of Ciskei/Transkei. Ph.D. thesis, University of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth. 230pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowley, P.D. 1998. Fish Population Dynamics in a Temporarily Open/Closed South African Estuary. Ph.D. thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown. 145pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowley, P.D. & A.K. Whitfield. 2001. Fish population size estimates from a small intermittently open estuary in South Africa, based on mark-recapture techniques. Mar. Freshw. Res. 52: 283–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyrus, D.P. 1992. Turbidity gradients in two Indo-Pacific estuaries and their influence on fish distribution. S. Afr. J. Aquat. Sci. 18: 51–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyrus, D.P. & S.J.M. Blaber. 1987. The influence of turbidity on juvenile marine fish in the estuaries of Natal, South Africa. Cont. Shelf Res. 7: 1411–1416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyrus, D.P. & S.J.M. Blaber. 1992. Turbidity and salinity in a tropical northern Australian estuary and their influence on fish distribution. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci. 35: 545–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyrus, D.P. & S. Mclean. 1996. Water temperature and the 1987 fish kill at lake St Lucia on the south eastern coast of Africa. S. Afr. J. Aquat. Sci. 22: 105–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forbes, A.T. & D.P. Cyrus. 1993. Biological effects of salinity gradient reversals in a southeast African estuarine lake. Neth. J. Aquat. Ecol. 27: 483–488.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, S.P. & R.O. West. 1999. Preliminary assessment of shallow water fish in three small intermittently open estuaries in south-eastern Australia. Fish. Manag. Ecol. 6: 311–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanekom, N. & D. Baird. 1984. Fish community structure in Zostera and non-Zostera regions of the Kromme estuary, St Francis Bay. S. Afr. J. Zool. 19: 295–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kok, H.M. & A.K. Whitfield. 1986. The influence of open and closed mouth phases on the marine fish fauna of the Swartvlei estuary. S. Afr. J. Zool. 21: 309–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, I.A. 1996. Fish Abundance in the Wilderness and Swartvlei lake systems: Changes relative to environmental factors. S. Afr. J. Zool. 31: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ter Morshuizen, L.D. & A.K. Whitfield. 1994. The distribution of littoral fish associated with eelgrass Zostera capensis beds in the Kariega estuary, a Southern African system with a reversed salinity gradient. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci. 14: 95–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vorwerk, P.D., A.K. Whitfield, P.D. Cowley & A.W. Paterson. 2001. A survey of selected Eastern Cape estuaries with particular reference to the ichthyofauna. Ichthyol. Bull. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. 72: 1–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, J.H. 1975. The estuarine fishes of the east coast of South Africa. Part IV. Occurrence of juveniles in estuaries. Part V. Ecology, estuarine dependence and status. Invest. Rep. Oceanogr. Res. Inst. 42: 63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, J.H., H.M. Kok, L.E. Beckley, B. Bennett, S.J.M. Blaber & A.K. Whitfield. 1984. South African estuaries and their importance to fishes. S. Afr. J. Sci. 80: 203–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, J.H., D.S. Peters & D.P. Cyrus. 1999. Habitat utilization by small flatfishes in a North Carolina estuary. Estuaries 22: 803–813.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, A.K. 1986. Fish community structure response to major habitat changes within the littoral zone of an estuarine coastal lake. Env. Biol. Fish. 17: 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, A.K. 1998. Biology and ecology of fishes in southern African estuaries. Ichthyol. Monogr. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. 2: 1–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, A.K. & H.M. Kok. 1992. Recruitment of juvenile marine fishes into permanently open and seasonally open estuarine systems on the southern coast of South Africa. Ichthyl. Bull. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. 57: 1–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, A.K., L.E. Beckley, B.A. Bennett, G.M. Branch, H.M. Kok, I.C. Potter & R.P. van der Elst. 1989. Competition, species richness and similarity of Ichthyofaunas in eelgrass Zostera capensis beds of southern Africa. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci. 8: 251–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, A.K., A.W. Paterson, A.H. Bok & H.M. Kok. 1994. A comparison of the ichthyofaunas in two permanently open eastern Cape estuaries. S. Afr. J. Zool. 29: 175–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, G.C., I.C. Potter, G.A. Hyndes & S. De Lestang. 1997. The ichthyofauna of an intermittently open estuary: Implications of bar breaching and low salinities on faunal composition. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci. 45: 53–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zar, J.H. 1996. Biostatistical analysis. Prentice-Hall International, London.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan K. Whitfield.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vorwerk, P.D., Whitfield, A.K., Cowley, P.D. et al. The Influence of Selected Environmental Variables on Fish Assemblage Structure in a Range of Southeast African Estuaries. Environmental Biology of Fishes 66, 237–247 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023922521835

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023922521835

Navigation