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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(3)

Effects of an anti-salt intrusion dam on tropical fish assemblages

Tuantong Jutagate A F , Amonsak Sawusdee B , Thanitha Thapanand-Chaidee C , Sovan Lek D , Gaël Grenouillet D , Sutheera Thongkhoa B and Piyapong Chotipuntu E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathnai University, Warin Chamrab, Ubon Ratchathani, 34190 Thailand.

B School of Engineering and Resources, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakorn Si Thammarat, 80160 Thailand.

C Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok, 10900 Thailand.

D Laboratoire Dynamique de la Biodiversité, UMR 5172, CNRS–Université Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.

E School of Agricultural Technology, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakorn Si Thammarat, 80160 Thailand.

F Corresponding author. Email: tjuta@agri.ubu.ac.th

Marine and Freshwater Research 61(3) 288-301 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08296
Submitted: 22 October 2008  Accepted: 6 August 2009   Published: 29 March 2010

Abstract

Following the construction of an anti-salt intrusion dam in Pak Panang River, Thailand, changes in the environmental conditions and fish assemblages were monitored both in the estuary and in the river. The present study was conducted during two different phases: when the sluices were open; and when they were closed. Salinity in the estuary declined (P < 0.001), but increased in the river during the open phase (P = 0.002). In the river, the pH increased (P < 0.001) during the closed phase, but was relatively constant in the estuary. No differences were found for water temperatures, chlorophyll a and abundance of phytoplankton. During the closed phase, the abundance of zooplankton was higher in the estuary, but the abundance of benthos in the river declined. Ninety-four fish species were collected. Species richness and the diversity index did not differ in the estuary, but were significantly different in the river; abundance was higher during the open phase. Fish moved between the two systems during the open phase and changes in fish assemblages correlated with salinity gradients and food sources. Sluice regulation to allow fish to move between the river and the estuary is recommended.

Additional keywords: community composition, hypopotamon, salinity, Thailand.


Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (Grant TRF RDG 4940011) for field data collection. The analyses were conducted under the Franco-Thai Academic Collaboration (Grant PHC 16598RJ). We are very grateful for the assistance of the local fishermen during the fieldwork. We thank Professor Saowapa Angsupanich (Prince of Songkla University) and Drs Kan Janphromma (Walailak University), Padermsak Jaruyabhand (Chulalongkorn University) and Srilaporn Buasai (TRF) for their constructive comments to improve our research work. We also thank Professor Michael Hare (Ubon Ratchathani University) and Dr John Woodley (Université Toulouse) for editing and improving the English. Finally, we are grateful to two anonymous referees for providing constructive and valuable comments on the manuscript.


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