The flood of the century on the River Oder: effects on the 0+ fish community and implications for floodplain restoration

Abstract

In summer 1997, the flood of the century occurred on the River Oder in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. Effects of the summer flood on the 0+ fish community were evaluated at the Lower Oder in the Polish–German National Park. Fish were collected from different mesohabitats before the flood, at rising water levels and after the flood using Point Abundance Sampling by electrofishing. Flooding caused changes in local 0+ fish assemblages and partly affected the physical habitat structure. Two sandbars were formed by breaches in the dike system, replacing the former uniform river embankments. Under post-flood conditions, diversity was increased in nearly all mesohabitats. ‘Wash-out’ of 0+ fish was highest in poorly structured mesohabitats. Effects of the summer flood on eurytopic species were the most pronounced. We suggest that the progeny of rheophilic species were affected to a lesser extent by flooding because of their adaptation to variable flow conditions. Furthermore, rheophilic 0+ fish were able to colonize the newly created mesohabitats and, thus, benefited from the increased habitat heterogeneity after the flood. In this context, implications for floodplain restoration are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.