White croaker (Genyonemus lineatus) are a sentinel fish species for contamination due to their direct interaction with contaminated sediments through benthic foraging. White croaker within the Los Angeles (LA) and Long Beach (LB) Harbor exhibited hierarchical habitat selection: avoiding dredged areas while selecting for areas of high sediment total organic carbon (4.8-8.1%), high polychaete den...

We characterized small-scale movement patterns and habitat of acoustic-tagged adult (68 to 220 cm total length) female Pacific halibut during summer and fall in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, a marine protected area (MPA). We used net squared displacement ana lysis methods to identify 2 movement states, characterize individual dispersal patterns, and relate habitat variables to movement sca...

Movements of organisms comprise a fundamental aspect of coastal habitat connectivity. Determining the distribution and co-existence of habitat specialists and generalists in shallow-water seascapes leads to a better understanding of the strength of connectivity-driven community patterns in coastal areas. In this study, unbaited Remote Underwater Video (RUV) systems were used to examine habitat ...

Low-head dams in arid regions restrict fish movement and create novel habitats that have complex effects on fish assemblages. The influence of low-head dams and artificial wetlands on fishes in Muddy Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River system in the USA was examined. Upstream, fish assemblages were dominated by native species including two species of conservation concern, bluehead sucker, ...

Many chemical, physiological, and trophic factors are known to affect bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in biota. Understanding the primary factors affecting fish contamination is critical for predicting and assessing risks to upper-trophic level consumers, including humans. Here we identify PCB contamination pathways that could explain within- and between-species variability ...

efficiency of the existing protected areas network in conservation of biodiversity is one of the most important challenges of protected areas custodians. despite there are numerous articles on evaluating the efficiency of the protected areas for conserving the habitat and species on national and international scales, in iran this subject has not been studied yet. the aim of the present study is...

Identifying pathways that animals use to move among ecosystems has become a focus for improving conservation planning. The function of habitat corridors in facilitating animal movement among terrestrial ecosystems is well established. By contrast, the role of habitat corridors for the movement of marine animals is poorly understood. We used underwater video cameras to evaluate the effects of se...

To evaluate the impact of hypoxia (<2 mg O2 l−1) on habitat quality of pelagic prey fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we used a spatially explicit, bioenergetics-based growth rate potential (GRP) model to develop indices of habitat quality. Our focus was on the pelagic bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli and Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus. Positive GRP was considered high-quality habitat (HQH)...

A fundamental step in conserving biodiversity is identification of quality habitat needed to sustain populations of target species. We used coarse scale environmental features (soil water holding capacity, soil texture, slope, elevation, and proximity to drainage channels) to predict habitat suitability for four species of desert amphibians in Big Bend National Park, USA: Scaphiopus couchii, Bu...