Spatio-temporal dynamics of fish communities and habitat conditions in the Bichom River Basin.

The distribution and abundance of freshwater ichthyofauna are closely associated with habitat conditions and serve as good indicators of the ecosystem's health. Various topographic, hydrological, and physico-chemical properties play a unique role in shaping ichthyofaunal distribution. A healthy freshwater habitat supports rich diversity and abundance. Thus, this study explores the habitat condition of river water and associates it with the ichthyofauna. Data were collected from three sampling sites across four seasons over three years (2021-2023). A total of 7793 fish individuals belonging to 2 orders, 6 families, 19 genera, and 37 species were collected during the study period. Thirteen habitat parameters were correlated with the ichthyofaunal indices. Additionally, KMO, Bartlett's test, and PCA were estimated to assess the dimensionality of the habitat parameters. Finally, CCA was used to examine the association between habitat parameters and ichthyofauna. The CCA analysis revealed a significant association between selected habitat parameters and ichthyofauna. The study provides valuable information for the conservation and management planning of ichthyofauna in the Bichom River Basin.