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The determinant factors affecting habitat preference of Ponticola cyrius in the ShahrBijar River (a tributary of Sefidroud River Basin)
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Hadi Asadi *   , Masoud Sattari |
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Abstract: (15 Views) |
| In the implementation of aquatic ecosystem protection plans and sustainable exploitation, habitat preference is one of the most important management factors for fish populations. The Shahr Bijar River is one of the tributaries leading to the Sefidrood River in the Caspian Basin, which originates from the Alborz Mountains and is one of the distribution sites of the Ponticola cyrius, one of the native fish of this basin.To investigate the habitat characteristics of this species, fish abundance, biological variables, and environmental parameters were sampled from 13 stations, including height, depth, width, flow velocity, and average rock diameter, with three replicates from upstream to downstream of the Shahr-e Bijar River in the autumn of 1400. A total of 259 fish were released after counting. The environmental parameters of the river included temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, pH, river width, depth, height above sea level, slope, bedrock diameter, water flow velocity, and vegetation type were investigated at all stations. The selected habitat range was obtained using HABSEL software, considering the availability of each habitat unit. It showed that the behavioral preference was in the depth range of 52 to 75 cm and decreased at high and very shallow depths. The P. cyrius selected the water velocity range between 0.55 and 0.70 m/s and preferred rocky beds (with a stone diameter of 26 to 45 cm) to live. In general, some human activities on the banks of the river in Bijar have caused changes in environmental characteristics such as width, depth, flow speed, and especially the river bed, and have caused changes in the distribution and abundance of the P. cyrius. |
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| Keywords: Habitat preference, environmental parameters, Shahr Bijar River, Ponticola cyrius |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/12/30 | Accepted: 2026/02/1 | Published: 2026/02/8
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