Breeding strategies of Acrossocheilus fasciatus were studied from 592 specimens collected monthly during May 2007 and April 2008 in the Puxi Stream of the Huangshan Mountain. Sex ratio of the studied population was 0.90 ： 1 （ ♀ ： ♂ ）, not significantly different from 1 ： 1. Both sexes reached their first sexual maturity at age 2 （the second calendar year of their birth）. Fifty percent of females and males reached maturity at a total length of 69.75 mm and 69.36 mm respectively, and the minimum total length was 61.54 mm and 58.96 mm, respectively. Based on the monthly changes in gonado-somatic index and egg- development process, the breeding season of the population was from May to August, with one obvious interval （in June） occurring in the breeding activity for the females. The nonsynchronous development of oocytes observed in mature ovaries indicated that A. fasciatus is a batch spawner. Absolute fecundity of A. fasciatus ranged from 308 to 2002 eggs with a mean of 857 eggs, increased significantly with total length, and was significantly different among three age groups. Relative fecundity ranged from 38.63 to 71.70 egg/g with a mean of 53.29 egg/g, and was not significantly different among the three age groups. It was suggested that these reproductive characteristics were adaptive strategies for A. fasciatus to acclimatize to lotic water where environmental factors were unstable but predictable [ Current Zoology 55 （5） ： 350 - 356, 2009].
Spatial and temporal variation of fish assemblages were investigated seasonally from May 2007 to February 2008 across 11 study sites in a subtropical small stream, the Puxi Stream, of the Huangshan Mountain. Along the longitudinal gradient from headwater to downstream, fish species richness and abundance increased gradually, but then decreased significantly at the lower reaches. The highest species richness and abundance were observed in August and the lowest in February. Based on analysis of similarities （ANOSIM）, fish assemblages were significantly different in spatial variation but not in temporal variation. Although differences were observed both among sites and among stream orders, the lower R value in order-variation suggested stream order was not the optimal factor explaining the spatial variation of fish assemblages. In addition, dam construction did not significantly alter fish assemblages in the sites adjacent to and immediately downstream to dams. Using cluster analysis and non-metric Multi Dimensional Scaling analysis （NMS）, assemblages were separated into three groups at a Bray-Curtis similarity value of 42%： the upper, middle and lower groups. Following analysis of similarity percentages of species contributions （SIM- PER）, shifts in occurrence or abundance of S. curriculus, Z. platypus, R. bitterling and A. fasciatus contributed most to the differences amongst the three groups. Standard Deviation Redundancy Analysis （RDA） suggested that habitat structure （such as elevation, substrate, and flow velocity） contributed to the spatial and temporal pattem of fish assemblages in the Puxi Stream. In conclusion, the fish assemblages in Puxi Stream presented significant spatial but not temporal variation. Human disturbance has perhaps induced the decrease in species diversity in the lower reaches. However, no significant change was observed for fish assemblages in sites far from and immediately downstream from low-head dams [Current Zoology 56 （6）： 670-677, 2010].
Yunzhi YANShan HELing CHUXiuying XIANGYanju JIAJuan TAO
Identifying the life-history strategies of fish and their associations with the surrounding environment is the basic foundation in the conservation and sustainable utilization of fish species.We examined the age,growth,and reproduction of Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis using 352 specimens collected monthly from May 2009 to April 2010 in the Qingyi Stream.We found the sex ratio of this study population was 0.58:1(female:male),significantly different from expected 1:1.Females and males both comprised four age groups.The annuli on the scales were formed during February and March.No obvious between-sex difference was observed in length-weight and length-scale-radius relationships.The total length in back-calculation significantly increased with age for both sexes,but did not differ significantly at each age between the two sexes.An inflection point was observed in the growth curves given by the von Bertalanffy growth function for total weight.At this inflection point,fish were 3.95 years.Both sexes reach their 50% sex maturity at age 2,when females and males were 94.7 mm and 103.0 mm total length.The temporal pattern of the gonado-somatic index corresponded to a spawning period that occurred from April through July.The non-synchronicity of egg diameter in each mature ovary during the breeding period suggested these fish may be batch spawners.The absolute fecundity increased significantly with total length and weight,whereas no significant correlation was observed between the relative fecundity and body size.
Identifying the life-history strategies of fish and their associations with the surrounding environment is the basic foundation in the conservation and sustainable utilization of fish species.We examined the age,growth,and reproduction of Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis using 352 specimens collected monthly from May 2009 to April 2010 in the Qingyi Stream.We found the sex ratio of this study population was 0.58:1(female:male),significantly different from expected 1:1.Females and males both comprised four age groups.The annuli on the scales were formed during February and March.No obvious between-sex difference was observed in length-weight and length-scale-radius relationships.The total length in back-calculation significantly increased with age for both sexes,but did not differ significantly at each age between the two sexes.An inflection point was observed in the growth curves given by the von Bertalanffy growth function for total weight.At this inflection point,fish were 3.95 years.Both sexes reach their 50%sex maturity at age 2,when females and males were 94.7 mm and 103.0 mm total length.The temporal pattern of the gonado-somatic index corresponded to a spawning period that occurred from April through July.The non-synchronicity of egg diameter in each mature ovary during the breeding period suggested these fish may be batch spawners.The absolute fecundity increased significantly with total length and weight,whereas no significant correlation was observed between the relative fecundity and body size.
