Linking ecological characteristics with fish diversity, assemblage patterns and feeding guilds, and GIS applications along the temporal and spatial gradients in a large subtropical reservoir, India, for sustainable management

The objective of the investigation was to explore the abundance, composition, and diversity patterns of the fish fauna along the temporal and spatial scale and study the influence of environmental parameters on the fish assemblage in the Rihand reservoir, a large sub-tropical Indian reservoir in India. On the temporal scale, the highest abundance was recorded in the summer season and the lowest in the monsoon season, while on the spatial scale, the highest abundance was recorded from the riverine and the minimum from the lacustrine zone. The highest species richness and diversity were recorded from the riverine zone followed by the transitional and lacustrine zones, respectively. The analysis of the variance of fish abundance revealed insignificant differences between the riverine and the transitional zones. The trophic guild analysis indicated the dominance of carnivores. The output of canonical correspondence analysis depicted the significant influence of the physico-chemical traits on the abundance of fish species. The transparency and specific conductivity were found to be the most critical factors affecting fish assemblages in the Rihand reservoir. This study generated important baseline ecological information that would be useful for the monitoring, conservation, and management of the reservoir ecosystem. HIGHLIGHTS This study quantified the abundance and diversity patterns of the fish fauna in the Rihand reservoir.; The species richness and diversity are arranged in GIS.; The trophic guild analysis indicated the dominance of carnivores.; This study suggested the inclusion of the riverine and transitional zones in management and conservation strategies.; The new information on fisheries and ecological complexity would be useful for sustainable management.;