Evaluating the Influence of Environmental Variables on Fish Ecology and Diversity

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 8424

Special Issue Editors

College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: fish functional diversity; environmental DNA; invasive fish species; multiple human impacts; aquatic biodiversity and conservation

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Guest Editor
School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Interests: phylogeography; environmental DNA; genetic diversity; freshwater fish; species conservation

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Guest Editor
Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: fisheries management; freshwater aquaculture; ecosystem modelling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fish are an incredibly diverse group of animals that live in both freshwater and saltwater environments. They play a vital role in maintaining the health of ecosystems and are an important source of food and income for millions of people around the world. Despite their ecological and economic importance, fish and their habitats are facing numerous threats, including overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, invasion by non-native species and climate change. This has led to the decline of many fish species and an overall reduction in fish diversity. To ensure the future of fish populations and the services they provide, it is vital we take action to conserve them. This requires addressing the underlying causes of these threats and implementing effective conservation measures, such as sustainable fishing practices, habitat restoration and protection of critical habitats. However, conservation efforts are often hampered by a lack of understanding of the complex dynamics of fish populations or communities and the challenges they face.

This Special Issue, “Evaluating the Influence of Environmental Variables on Fish Ecology and Diversity”, highlights the current understanding of the role of environmental variables in shaping fish populations and their habitats. We invite manuscripts that focus on the effects of different factors, including anthropogenic disturbance, water quality and temperature and other variables on fish species and communities.

Dr. Lei Zhou
Dr. Junjie Wang
Prof. Dr. Chuanbo Guo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • fish ecology
  • environmental variables
  • water quality
  • habitat destruction
  • anthropogenic disturbance
  • conservation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1190 KiB  
Article
Fish of Low Commercial Value in Lakes of Different Trophic Status (Poland)
by Krystyna Kalinowska, Dariusz Ulikowski, Michał Kozłowski, Piotr Traczuk, Maciej Szkudlarek, Konrad Stawecki and Andrzej Kapusta
Diversity 2024, 16(8), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16080437 - 24 Jul 2024
Viewed by 700
Abstract
In a commercial fishery, some fish are classified as low-value, but their classification varies in different countries. The aim of this study was to determine the abundance, contribution, and dominance of low-value fish species, such as Abramis brama < 1000 g, Alburnus alburnus [...] Read more.
In a commercial fishery, some fish are classified as low-value, but their classification varies in different countries. The aim of this study was to determine the abundance, contribution, and dominance of low-value fish species, such as Abramis brama < 1000 g, Alburnus alburnus, Blicca bjoerkna, Gymnocephalus cernua, Perca fluviatilis < 100 g, Rutilus rutilus < 200 g, and Scardinius erythrophthalmus < 200 g, in 145 Polish lakes of different areas, depths, and trophic statuses situated in the northern and central parts of Poland in 2021. Perca fluviatilis and R. rutilus were the most frequent low-value species (100% and 99%, respectively). The contribution of all low-value fish to the total biomass of caught fish was relatively high, ranging from 37% in the mesotrophic lake to 100% in the eutrophic lake (mean of 77 ± 14%). Lakes in which the contribution of low-value species exceeded 90% were relatively numerous (24 lakes, 17% of the studied lakes). Among a total of about 437.5 thousand low-value fish, 261 thousand specimens (60%) had a body weight of below 10 g. All low-value fish species, except for P. fluviatilis and S. erythrophthalmus, were related to the studied environmental variables. The relative biomass of these species increased with increasing lake productivity, while it decreased with the increasing maximum and mean depth of the studied lakes. The high contribution of low-value fish to the total biomass in many lakes indicates the need for the constant monitoring of the abundance and structure of fish communities and the use of appropriate actions (biomanipulation and stocking with piscivorous fish species) to improve the ecological condition of lakes. Full article
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16 pages, 2429 KiB  
Article
Population Structure and Phylogeography of Marine Gastropods Monodonta labio and M. confusa (Trochidae) along the Northwestern Pacific Coast
by Yuh-Wen Chiu, Hor Bor, Jin-Xian Wu, Bao-Sen Shieh and Hung-Du Lin
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 1021; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15091021 - 17 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1477
Abstract
The genetic structure and demographic history of marine organisms are influenced by biological and ecological features, oceanic currents, and the paleo-geological effects of sea-level fluctuations. In this study, we used mitochondrial COI + 16S gene analysis to investigate the phylogeographic pattern and demography [...] Read more.
The genetic structure and demographic history of marine organisms are influenced by biological and ecological features, oceanic currents, and the paleo-geological effects of sea-level fluctuations. In this study, we used mitochondrial COI + 16S gene analysis to investigate the phylogeographic pattern and demography of Monodonta labio and M. confusa in Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, mainland China, and Korea. Our genetic analysis identified two major lineages that were not evident from the distribution patterns of different populations. The Taiwan Strait, which acted as a land bridge during Pleistocene glaciations, and the lack of strong dispersal barriers to gene flow between ocean basins after glaciations shaped the phylogeographic pattern. The genetic differentiation in the Ryukyu Islands was influenced by the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis and the Kuroshio Current. Bayesian skyline plot analyses suggested that the effective population size of M. labio and M. confusa rapidly increased approximately 0.1 and 0.075 million years ago, respectively. Our approximate Bayesian computation analysis suggested that all M. labio and M. confusa populations experienced a decline in population size following a recent population expansion and constant size, respectively. Our study provides a baseline for future investigations of the biogeographical patterns of marine gastropods in the Northwest Pacific and offers valuable insights for the management, sustainable resource utilization, and conservation of this species. Full article
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15 pages, 4948 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Drivers of Spatiotemporal Patterns in Fish Community in a Non-Fed Aquaculture Reservoir
by Gongpei Wang, Shilei Sang, Zanhu Zhou, Dapeng Wang, Xin Chen, Yusen Li, Chuanbo Guo and Lei Zhou
Diversity 2023, 15(8), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080886 - 26 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Non-fed aquaculture is an important contributor to low environmental impact protein production. However, knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of the fish community in non-fed fishery systems remains limited, despite their ecological importance for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries. To elucidate the status of the fisheries [...] Read more.
Non-fed aquaculture is an important contributor to low environmental impact protein production. However, knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of the fish community in non-fed fishery systems remains limited, despite their ecological importance for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries. To elucidate the status of the fisheries and their critical drivers in non-fed fishery systems, hydroacoustic surveys were conducted seasonally in Hongchaojiang Reservoir in two seasons (spring and autumn) of two consecutive years: 2018 and 2019. Results showed that the average fish density in Hongchaojiang Reservoir was 121.6 ind./1000 m3. Fish communities varied significantly between geographical locations and seasons. On the temporal scale, fish densities in October were higher than those in April. On the spatial scale, fish densities were higher in the upstream (S1 and S3) than those in the midstream (S2, S4, S5, S6), while the density of S7, S8 and S9 in the downstream was the lowest. Trophic level index, zooplankton, chlorophyll-a, and phytoplankton play vital roles in fish distributional patterns, while the target strength, which reflects fish body size, was highly associated with water temperature, dissolved oxygen, total organic carbon, and phytoplankton. These results suggest that the spatiotemporal distribution of the fish community in Hongchaojiang Reservoir was jointly influenced by biotic and abiotic variables of water bodies, and highlight the importance of water nutrient levels and food availability in shaping fish distribution in the non-fed aquaculture system. This study should improve our understanding of ecological patterns and dominant drivers in fish stocks and provide information for successful sustainable management in non-fed purification fisheries. Full article
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17 pages, 1448 KiB  
Article
Climate Change Potential Impacts on the Tuna Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zones of Tonga
by Siosaia Vaihola and Stuart Kininmonth
Diversity 2023, 15(7), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15070844 - 10 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3760
Abstract
The potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of tuna in Pacific Island countries’ exclusive economic zones have yet to be investigated rigorously and so their persistence and abundance in these areas remain uncertain. Here, we estimate optimal fisheries areas for four [...] Read more.
The potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of tuna in Pacific Island countries’ exclusive economic zones have yet to be investigated rigorously and so their persistence and abundance in these areas remain uncertain. Here, we estimate optimal fisheries areas for four tuna species: albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares). We consider different climate change scenarios, RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0, and RCP 8.5, within a set of tuna catch records in the exclusive economic zone of Tonga. Using environmental and CPUE datasets, species distribution modelling estimated and predicted these fisheries areas in the current and future climatic scenarios. Our projections indicate an expansion in area and a shift of productive areas to the southern part of this exclusive economic zone of Tonga. This is an indication that future climatic scenarios might be suitable for the species under study; however, changes in trophic layers, ocean currents, and ocean chemistry might alter this finding. The information provided here will be relevant in planning future national actions towards the proper management of these species. Full article
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