Reference | Means, M. L. and J. E. Johnson. 1995. Movement of threatened Ozark cavefish in Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas. The Southwestern Naturalist 40:308-313. |
Abstract | Evaluation of the visual method of determining population size and status of threatened Ozark cavefish in Logan Cave (AR) was found to be deficient, as more cavefish were visual implant tagged during six months of the study (n = 80) than had been observed in that locality in the previous 10 years. Untagged cavefish were collected at a consistent rate throughout the sampling period, and a similar number of tagged individuals disappeared, indicating migration into and out of the accessible reach of Logan Cave. Movement of individual cavefish within the cave ranged up to a kilometer over the six months of the study, including up- and downstream movement over a small (0.3 m) cascade, with large fishes moving greater distances than smaller fishes. This indicates Ozark cavefish are mobile, capable of extended movements into reaches of the cave inaccessible to the investigators, and perhaps into the karst aquifer itself. It also suggests that the Logan Cave population of Ozark cavefish is greater than the number of individuals occupying the cave habitat at any one time. Protection for this threatened species should include the aquifer as well as the immediate cave habitat. |
Tag | Visible Implant Alpha (VIA) |
Objective | Evaluate habitat use |