Abstract

Human induced habitat destruction and modifications cause losses of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. The Congo and its islands constitute special ecosystems and have been used by humans for many purposes over centuries. However, little is known about the effects of these human activities on the fish species richness and distribution. This study is a preliminary assessment of island habitat types, fish species richness and effects of human activities on fish distribution. Islands were randomly selected to describe island habitats, to collect fish specimens using nets and to record human activities, including agriculture. Terra firma island habitats were mostly mixed mature forest with clay and muddy substrates. We captured 29 fish morphotypes (13 families). Clariidae and Cyprinidae were widely distributed whereas Alestidae, Chanidae, Malapteridae and Polypteridae were restricted in their distribution. Humans permanently settled 76 % of the islands and 70 % were cultivated. Permanent human settlements and agriculture were related to erosion on similar to 50 % of islands. For reasons that are difficult to explain at this stage, fish morphotype richness decreased with increasing field sizes, warranting further investigations.

Keywords

Tropical; Freshwater; Islands; Agriculture; Soil erosion; Fish species

Published in

Environmental Biology of Fishes
2013, Volume: 96, number: 10-11, pages: 1289-1299
Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Inogwabini, Bila-Isia

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development


UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Fish and Aquacultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-013-0136-4

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53179