Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

The Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science (한국수산과학회)
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Diversity and abundance of the fish community in Elala and Gereb Tsedo streams, Tekeze Sub-Basin: Northern Ethiopia

  • Solomon Tesfay (Department of Biology, CNCS, Mekelle University) ;
  • Mekonen Teferi (Department of Biology, CNCS, Mekelle University) ;
  • Tsegazeabe Hadush Haileselasie (Department of Biology, CNCS, Mekelle University)
  • Received : 2024.01.15
  • Accepted : 2024.05.31
  • Published : 2024.08.31
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Abstract

Fishes are found in different lentic and lotic aquatic ecosystems. Determining the composition of fish communities is a crucial component of water quality evaluations and conservation strategies in flowing rivers. The present study is carried out to investigate fish species diversity, richness, and abundance in two second-order streams: Gereb Tsedo (GTS) and Elala in the Tekeze sub-basin. We collected fish with backpack electrofishing during August and December 2013 and March 2014. Fish species richness and the total number of species per stream and per microhabitat were calculated for each stream. Species diversity for each site was calculated using the Shannon index of diversity using the standard formula H' = -Σpi ln (pi). Diversity data among habitats and streams were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc comparisons, using the statistical software package STATISTICA 11. A total of 6,554 specimens representing four species: Garra blanfordii, Grra ignestii, Garra dembecha and Garra aethiopica, were caught. They are all indigenous riverine fish species of the family Cyprinidae. Fish abundance was significantly higher in GTS than Elala stream (t-test, t = 1.444, df = 3, p < 0.05). Across the two streams, the overall relative fish abundance was higher in pools, with 53%, followed by runs and riffles with 35% and 12%, respectively. Garra blanfordii was dominant in pools while G. aethiopica was the least dominant. Stream and habitat types were likely the more important driving factors behind the observed patterns of diversity, although the impact of other, not evaluated variables cannot be excluded. Most likely, the observed patterns do not represent a signature of fish dispersal limitation given that almost all species were widely distributed across the study area.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mekelle University, for laboratory facilities and financial support. We are grateful to Belay Gebreyohannes and to all Aquatic research team members for their help during field sample collection and technical support.

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