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Study of habitat suitability of Namak chub (Squalius namak) in Qarachai River from Namak Lake basin
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Ali Reza Radkhah1   , Soheil Eagderi1 , Hadi Poorbagher1 |
| 1- Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran |
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Abstract: (941 Views) |
| The aim of this study was to investigate the habitat suitability of Namak chub (Squalius namak) in the Qarachai River from the Namak Lake basin. For this purpose, 12 stations along the Qarachai River were sampled in May 2021 using an electrofishing device. In addition to recording the abundance of fish, 13 physicochemical parameters were measured in each of the studied stations. Habitat suitability index was evaluated according to the relationship between environmental variables and fish abundance. According to the results, the most desirable habitat for S. namak in Qarachai River are areas with river width of 6-8 m, river depth of 30-35 cm, water flow velocity of 1.2-1.4 m/s, water temperature of 12-13 °C, EC values of 420-360 μS/cm, pH values of 7.70-7.90, DO values of 8.0-8.4 mg/l, TDS values of 400-680 mg/l, bedrock average diameter of 9.2-10.6 cm, slop 0.5-1.4%, Height above sea level 1600-1800 m, nitrate 1.0-202 mg/l and total phosphate was 0.2-0.3 mg/l. In the present study, the value of the habitat suitability index (HSI) for S. namak was determined to be 0.65. Meanwhile, the second station (HSI=0.81) and the fourth station (HSI=0.76) had high habitat suitability. In general, the results showed that Qarachai River has a moderate suitability for Namak chub in terms of habitat characteristics. According to the findings, human activities that cause changes in the environmental characteristics of the Qarachai River, especially the width, average diameter of bedrock, height, and depth of the river, can affect the distribution of Namak chub in this water ecosystem. Hence, one of the most important management and protection measures to protect the population of this species in the Qarachai River is to prevent the construction of barriers and dams along the river and exploit sand from the river bed. In addition, preventing the entry of urban-industrial-agricultural sewage as well as aquaculture effluents into this river will have a significant effect on improving the ecological conditions of fish, including Namak chub. |
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| Keywords: Squalius namak, River depth, River width, Flow velocity, Nitrate |
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Full-Text [PDF 838 kb]
(340 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
اكولوژي محيطهاي آبي
Received: 2023/08/1 | Accepted: 2024/04/29 | Published: 2024/06/18
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