| To construct ecological niche models for the Sabine shiner, ecological factors including water quality, habitat, and fish community were determined at known occurrence locations in the Angelina River watershed. The same factors were determined at 16 sites in the Sabine River watershed in the Sabine National Forest. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and maximum entropy were used to compare the watersheds in terms of species diversity and environmental variations and to make predictions as to which sites in the Sabine National Forest the Sabine shiner could inhabit, respectively. Sabine National Forest sites were found to vary considerably from the Angelina River watershed sites concerning both habitat and fish community. Probability of presence predictions for the Sabine shiner were low in the Sabine National Forest. If the reintroduction of the Sabine shiner is considered in this area, further research on this species is needed. |
