Synopsis
We sampled fish at pairs of sites of the same stream order on opposite sides of drainage divides in the Cascade Mountains and in the southwest portion of Washington state. Elevation, gradient, drainage area, and stream order were significantly correlated with number of fish species collected at a site. Elevation accounted for the greatest portion of the variation in number of species and stream order for the least, but in low gradient, low elevation streams, stream order was significantly related to number of species. Species richness was greatest in low elevation, low gradient, high order streams. Species richness of a site reflected species richness of the drainage: in paired comparisons, sites in a drainage with a richer ichthyofauna had more fish species than sites in a drainage with fewer species. Addition of species with increasing stream order occurred in most streams, but replacement was more frequent than in other studies relating fish to stream order. The apparently higher frequency of replacement in this study appeared to be a result of headwater introductions of brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis, and a tendency for cutthroat trout, Salmo clarki, to occupy headwaters when in freshwater.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References cited
Bailey, R.G. 1976. Ecoregions of the United States (map). USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region, Ogden, Utah.
Cushing, C.E., C.D. McIntire, J.R. Sedell, K.W. Cummins, G.W. Minshall, R.C. Peterson & R.L. Vannote. 1980. Comparative study of physicalchemical variables of streams using multivariate analyses. Arch. Hydrobiol. 89: 343–352.
Evans, J.W. & R.L. Noble. 1979. The longitudinal distribution of fishes in an east Texas stream. Amer. Mid. Nat. 101: 333–343.
Fausch, K.D., J.R. Karr & P.R. Yant. 1984. Regional application of an index of biotic integrity based on stream fish communities. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 113: 39–55.
Gilbert, C.R. 1976. Composition and derivation of the North American freshwater fish fauna. Florida Scientist 39: 104–111.
Harrell, R.C., B.J. Davis & T.C. Dorris. 1967. Stream order and species diversity of fishes in an intermittent stream. Amer. Mid. Natur. 78: 428–436.
Harrell, R.C. & T.C. Dorris. 1968. Stream order, morphometry, physicochemical conditions, and community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates in an intermittent stream system. Amer. Mid. Natur. 80: 220–251.
Hartman, G.F. & C.A. Gill. 1968. Distribution of juvenile steelhead and cutthroat trout (Salmo gairdneri and S. clarki clarki) within streams in southwestern British Columbia. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 14: 687–691.
Horton, R.E. 1945. Erosional development of streams and their drainage basins; hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology. Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. 56: 275–370.
Hughes, R.M. & J.M. Omernik. 1981a. Use and misuse of the terms watershed and stream order. pp. 320–326. In: L.A. Krumholz (ed.) Warmwater Streams Symposium Southern Division, Amer. Fish. Soc. Allen Press, Lawrence, Kansas.
Hughes, R.M. & J.M. Omernik. 1981b. A proposed approach to determine regional patterns in aquatic ecosystems. pp. 92–102. In: N.B. Armantrout (ed.) Acquisition and Utilization of Aquatic Habitat Inventory Information Western Division, Amer. Fish. Soc. Portland, Oregon.
Hughes, R.M. & J.M. Omernik. 1983. An alternative for characterizing stream size. pp. 57–101. In: T.D. Fontaine, III & S.M. Bartell (ed.) Dynamics of Lotic Ecosystems Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Kuehne, R.A. 1962. A classification of streams illustrated by fish distribution in an eastern Kentucky creek. Ecology 43: 608–614.
Kuehne, R.A. 1970. Applications of the Horton stream classification to evaluate faunal studies. pp. 367–370. In: W.G. Weist Jr. & P.E. Greeson (ed.) Hydrobiology — Bioresources of Shallow Water Environments Amer. Water Resources Assoc. Urbana, Illinois.
Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. McAllister & J.R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. N.C. State Mus. Nat. Hist., Raleigh. 854 pp.
Leopold, L. 1962. Rivers. Amer. Sci. 50: 511–537.
Leopold, L., M.S. Wolman & J.P. Miller. 1964. Fluvial processes in geomorphology. W.H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco. 522 pp.
Linsley, R.K. Jr., M.A. Kohler & J.L.H. Paulhus. 1975. Hydrology for engineers. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 482 pp.
Lotrich, V.A. 1973. Growth, production, and community composition of fishes inhabiting a first-, second-, and third-order stream of eastern Kentucky. Ecol. Monogr. 43: 377–397.
Mahon, R., E.K. Balon & D.L.G. Noakes. 1979. Distribution, community structure and production of fishes in the upper Speed River, Ontario: a preimpoundment study. Env. Biol. Fish. 4: 219–244.
Mason, J.C. & S. Machidori. 1976. Populations of sympatric sculpins, Cottus aleuticus and Cottus asper, in four adjacent salmon-producing coastal streams on Vancouver Island, B.C. U.S. Fish. Bull. 74: 131–141.
McPhail, J.D. 1967. Distribution of freshwater fishes in western Washington. Northwest Sci. 41: 1–11.
Michael, J.H. Jr. 1983. Contribution of cutthroat trout in headwater streams to the sea-run population. Calif. Fish & Game 69: 68–76.
Minshall, G.W. & R.A. Kuehne. 1969. An ecological study of invertebrates of the Duddon, an English mountain stream. Arch. Hydrobiol. 66: 169–191.
Moeller, J.R., G.W. Minshall, K.W. Cummins, R.C. Petersen, C.E. Cushing, J.R. Sedell, R.A. Larson & R.L. Vannote. 1979. Transport of organic carbon in streams of differing physiographic characteristics Org. Geochem. 1: 139–150.
Platts, W.S. 1976. Validity of methodologies to document stream environments for evaluating fishery conditions. pp. 267–284. In: J.F. Orsborn & C.H. Allman (ed.) Instream Flow Needs. Volume II. Amer. Fish. Soc., Bethesda, Maryland.
Platts, W.S. 1979a. Relationship among stream order, fish populations, and aquatic geomorphology in an Idaho river drainage. Fisheries 4: 5–9.
Reimers, P.E. & C.E. Bond. 1967. Distribution of fishes in tributaries of the lower Columbia River. Copeia 1967: 541–550.
Shelford, V.E. 1911. Ecological succession. I. Stream fishes and the method of physiographic analysis. Biol. Bull. 21: 9–35.
Sheldon, A.L. 1968. Species diversity and longitudinal succession in stream fishes. Ecology 49: 193–198.
Siegel, S. 1956. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York. 314 pp.
Smith, G.R. 1981. Late Cenozoic freshwater fishes of North America. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 12: 163–193.
Strahler, A.N. 1957. Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology. Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union 38: 913–920.
Thompson, D.H. & F.D. Hunt. 1930. The fishes of Champaign County: a study of the distribution and abundance of fishes in small streams. Illinois Natur. Hist. Surv. Bull. 19: 1–110.
Vannote, R.L., G.W. Minshall, K.W. Cummins, J.R. Sedell & C.E. Cushing. 1980. The river continuum concept. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 37: 130–138.
Walker,M.G. & F.M. Veatch. 1955. Monthly and yearly summaries of hydrographic data in the state of Washington to September, 1953. State of Washington, Department of Conservation and Development, Water- Supply Bulletin Number 6, Olympia, Washington.
Wasem, R. 1979. Postglacial dispersion and present distribution of salmonid fishes in the northern Cascade range. p. 637–641. In: R.M. Linn (ed.) Proceedings of the First Conference on Scientific Research in the National Parks, New Orleans, November 9–12,1976, USDI National Park Service Transactions and Proceedings Series Number 5, Volume I.
Whiteside, B.G. & R.M. McNatt. 1972. Fish species in relation to stream order and physicochemical conditions in the Plum Creek drainage basin. Amer. Midl. Natur. 88: 90–100.
Wilhm, J.L. & T.C. Dorris. 1966. Species diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in a stream receiving domestic and oil refinery effluents. Amer. Midl. Natur. 76: 427–449.
Wydoski, R.S. & R.R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beecher, H.A., Dott, E.R. & Fernau, R.F. Fish species richness and stream order in Washington State streams. Environ Biol Fish 22, 193–209 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005381
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005381