Aw. Paterson et Ak. Whitfield, The ichthyofauna associated with an intertidal creek and adjacent eelgrassbeds in the Kariega Estuary, South Africa, ENV BIOL F, 58(2), 2000, pp. 145-156
The structure and functioning of salt marsh fish communities in the overall
ecology of southern African estuaries is poorly understood. This study com
pares the ichthyofauna associated with a salt marsh creek and eelgrass bed
in an attempt to evaluate the relative importance of these habitats to fish
es. Taylor's salt marsh creek and adjacent eelgrass bed in the Kariega Estu
ary were sampled twice per season between the winter of 1992 and the autumn
of 1994. The average density and standing stock of fishes were found to be
considerably higher in the eelgrass bed than in the intertidal creek. Both
habitats had similar fish diversities but were dominated by different taxa
, the most notable of which was the dominance of mugilids in the creek and
their scarcity in the eelgrass. Taylor's intertidal creek and adjacent eelg
rass beds were dominated by juvenile fish, with both habitats functioning a
s nursery areas for juvenile fish, albeit for totally different ichthyofaun
al communities. The similar fish diversities but lower abundances in the in
tertidal creek compared to the eelgrass beds are in contrast to similar Nor
th American studies, and refute the hypothesis that intertidal salt marsh c
reeks have higher fish densities but lower diversities than eelgrass beds.