Abstract :
[en] Throughout their lives, fish accomplish frequent movements between functional habitats
that are often triggered by environmental signals. We aimed to determine if
rheophilic cyprinids (barbel, Barbus barbus and chub Squalius cephalus), living in different
places of the same river basin, may develop similar movement periodicities and
react identically to environmental cues to carry out their spawning migration. We used
the capture data of three modern fish passes that were monitored continuously during
three consecutive years (2010 to 2012) in three rivers of the Meuse basin in Belgium.
We captured 418 individuals at adult stage, and the capture number per species was
greater (80%) in spring (during the spawning migration period). The spawning migration
of the barbel occurred earlier (median = 122nd day of the year) and at lower temperatures
(median = 14.5°C) in the lowland rivers compared to the upland river (140th
day of the year and 18.4°C). For the barbel, migration initiation differed depending on
the river but finished under similar environmental conditions. In contrast, for the chub,
no significant difference between rivers was observed regarding spawning migration
periodicity and environmental cues. Within the same river basin, rheophilic cyprinids
demonstrate flexibility in their responses to environmental variables and may optimise
the start date of migration to spawning grounds depending on their local environment
and individual experiences. This phenomenon was more pronounced in the barbel,
which has more specific ecological requirements.
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