| This study compared fish distributions to available habitats at two spatial scales in the Big Creek Ecological Reserve, California. At the microspatial (1--10 m) scale, relationships between fishes and habitats were assessed using logistic regression. At the macrospatial (10--100 m) scale, Index of Habitat Electivity (IHE) and Habitat Utilization Index (HUI) were used to assess habitat associations and were verified using Habitat Utilization Analysis (HUA). Nine species had significant relationships with specific seafloor substrata. Other habitat parameters, including habitat patch area, depth, and slope, were also identified as important factors affecting fish distributions. Three shallow (<100m) and three deep (>100 m) habitat guilds (Mixed, Hard, and Soft) were developed based on relationships between fishes and their habitat. The above methods detected habitat associations among fishes at both spatial scales and can be used to predict the presence of a species based on the available habitat. |
