The Classification of Riparian Habitats and Assessment of Fish-Spawning Habitat Suitability: A Case Study of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Abstract

After the completion of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), there was a significant and drastic transformation of the original river habitat. These changes led to the loss of the original fish habitat and the emergence of a new habitat. To effectively classify and assess fish-spawning habitats in the TGR, a novel coastal complexity index (CCI) was developed. The CCI was formulated utilizing satellite remote sensing data and considering the river coastal line and river centerline on the river-reach scale. By integrating the CCI with river morphology, five river habitats were identified: the backwater bay, point bar, straight river channel, convex-bank point bar, and concave-bank deep pool. In order to evaluate the suitability of these habitats for sticky-egg-spawning fish, a single-factor habitat suitability curve was constructed using three key habitat factors: the CCI, slope, and vegetation coverage. This process involved the employment of two distinct methods: the habitat utilization method and the habitat preference method. The former only considered the survey data of spawning grounds, while the latter integrated the overall distribution of habitats in the TGR. Subsequently, a habitat suitability index (HSI) was established to assess the overall suitability of the identified habitats for sticky-egg-spawning fish. The results demonstrated a high classification accuracy, with the backwater bay representing the most prevalent habitat type, accounting for 43.31% of the total habitat types. When considering slope and vegetation coverage, the optimal ranges obtained through the two habitat suitability analysis methods were similar. However, for the CCI, there were variations in the optimal ranges obtained using the two methods. The habitat utilization method indicated an optimal interval of 2–4, while the habitat preference method provided an optimal interval of 4–8. Nonetheless, the assessment results for the spawning habitats’ suitability using both methods yielded essentially identical outcomes. Specifically, the backwater bay, convex-bank point bar, and concave-bank deep pool habitats exhibited higher suitability for spawning than point bar and straight river channel habitats. Further analysis revealed that approximately 75% of the 230 identified backwater bays were categorized as high-quality or higher-quality spawning habitats. In the time since this research was conducted, its findings have served as a theoretical foundation for the protection of aquatic biological resources and habitats.