Habitat suitability index model for Chinese Sturgeon in the Yangtze River

Human activities,including the construction of the Three Gorges Dam,Gezhouba Dam and other river training projects,are changing the river environment and stream habitat in the Yangtze River in China.As a result,the aquatic organisms,especially,the rare species and fishery fishes with economic value are affected.This paper studies the changing characteristics of the river that affect the aquatic community habitat,such as substrate,water depth,water temperature,water velocity,water quality,etc.Chinese Sturgeons,an anadromous species mainly live in the Yangtze River,are endangered by the construction of dams and other hydraulic projects.Habitat suitability indices for the chinese Sturgeon are proposed and calculated.Based on the research on the main eco-factors influencing growth and reproduction of the species,ten aquatic eco-factors are analyzed for the habitat suitability indices,including water temperature,water depth,substrate,water velocity,sediment concentration,and egg-predatory fishes.The stream habitat for the Chinese Sturgeon is assessed with the model,which integrates these eco-factors.The model is validated by its application to 12 groups of data,and a habitat saitabllity index model for Chinese Sturgeon is presented.