Contemporary environment and historical legacy explain functional diversity of freshwater fishes in the world rivers

Aim Regional taxonomic diversity (species richness) is strongly influenced by a joint effect of the current processes (habitat and energy availability) and historical legacies (past climate and geography), but it is still unclear how those historical and current environmental drivers have shaped the functional diversity of species assemblages. Major taxa studied Freshwater fish. Location Global. Time period 1960s–2000s. Methods We combined the spatial occurrences over 2,400 river basins world-wide and the functional traits measured on 10,682 freshwater fish species to quantify the relative role of the habitat, climate and historical processes on the current global fish functional diversity. To avoid any correlation between taxonomic diversity and functional diversity, we controlled for differences in the number of species (species richness) between rivers. Functional diversity was considered through three complementary facets: functional richness, functional dispersion and functional identity. Results The habitat-related variables explained most of the gradient in functional richness, verifying the habitat size–diversity hypothesis. In contrast, the historical climate–geography legacies markedly imprinted the functional dispersion and functional identity patterns, leading to a balanced influence of the current and historical processes. Indeed, the distribution of morphological traits related to fish dispersal was explained largely by the glaciation events during the Quaternary, leading to strong latitudinal gradients. Main conclusions This study provides new insights into the role of historical and current environmental determinants on the functional structure of fish assemblages and strengthens the proposal that the independence of facets of functional diversity from the species richness makes them essential biodiversity variables to understand the structure of communities and their responses to global changes

Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare

Aim: The criteria used to define the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories are essentially based on demographic parameters at the species level, but they do not integrate species' traits or their roles in ecosystems. Consequently, current IUCN-based protection measures may not be sufficient to conserve ecosystem functioning and services. Some species may have a singular combination of traits associated with unique functions. Such functionally distinct species are increasingly recognized as a key facet of biodiversity since they are, by definition, functionally irreplaceable. The aim of this study is to investigate whether threatened species are also functionally rare and to identify which traits determine extinction risk. Location: European continental shelf seas. Time period: 1984–2020. Major taxa studied: Marine fish. Methods: Using newly compiled trait information of 425 marine fish species in European waters, and more than 30 years of scientific bottom trawl surveys, we estimated the functional distinctiveness, restrictedness and scarcity of each species and cross-referenced it with their IUCN conservation status. Results: In European continental shelf seas, 38% of the species threatened with extinction (9 out of 24 species) were identified as the most functionally distinct. By mapping extinction risk in the multidimensional species trait space, we showed that species with the greatest risk of extinction are long-lived and of high trophic level. We also identified that the most functionally distinct species are sparsely distributed (4% of the total area on average) and have scarce abundances (<1% of the relative mean abundance of common species).Main Conclusions: Because a substantial proportion of threatened species are functionally distinct and thus may play unique roles in ecosystem functioning, we stress that species traits—especially functional rarity—should become an indispensable step in the development of conservation management plans

Threatened fish species in the Northeast Atlantic are functionally rare

AimThe criteria used to define the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories are essentially based on demographic parameters at the species level, but they do not integrate species' traits or their roles in ecosystems. Consequently, current IUCN-based protection measures may not be sufficient to conserve ecosystem functioning and services. Some species may have a singular combination of traits associated with unique functions. Such functionally distinct species are increasingly recognized as a key facet of biodiversity since they are, by definition, functionally irreplaceable. The aim of this study is to investigate whether threatened species are also functionally rare and to identify which traits determine extinction risk.LocationEuropean continental shelf seas.Time period1984–2020.Major taxa studiedMarine fish.MethodsUsing newly compiled trait information of 425 marine fish species in European waters, and more than 30 years of scientific bottom trawl surveys, we estimated the functional distinctiveness, restrictedness and scarcity of each species and cross-referenced it with their IUCN conservation status.ResultsIn European continental shelf seas, 38% of the species threatened with extinction (9 out of 24 species) were identified as the most functionally distinct. By mapping extinction risk in the multidimensional species trait space, we showed that species with the greatest risk of extinction are long-lived and of high trophic level. We also identified that the most functionally distinct species are sparsely distributed (4% of the total area on average) and have scarce abundances (<1% of the relative mean abundance of common species).Main ConclusionsBecause a substantial proportion of threatened species are functionally distinct and thus may play unique roles in ecosystem functioning, we stress that species traits—especially functional rarity—should become an indispensable step in the development of conservation management plans

Dataset in paper 'FISHMORPH: A global database on morphological traits of freshwater fishes'

This dataset is publiched in the paper "FISHMORPH: A global database on morphological traits of freshwater fishes" in Global Ecology and Biogeography (doi.org/10.1111/geb.13395). The FISHMORPH database includes 10 morphological traits measured on 8,342 freshwater fish species, covering 48.69% of the world freshwater fish fauna. It provides the most comprehensive database on fish morphological traits to date. It represents an essential source of information for ecologists and environmental managers seeking to consider morphological patterns of fish faunas throughout the globe, and for those interested in current and future impacts of human activities on the morphological structure of fish assemblages.This study was supported by "Investissement d'Avenir" grants (Centre d'Etude de la Biodiversité Amazonienne, ANR-10-LABX-0025; Towards a unified theory of biotic interactions (TULIP), ANR-10-LABX-41)

FISHMORPH: A global database on morphological traits of freshwater fishes

Motivation Global freshwater fish biodiversity and the responses of fishes to global changes have been explored intensively using taxonomic data, whereas functional aspects remain understudied owing to the lack of knowledge for most species. To fill this gap, we compiled morphological traits related to locomotion and feeding for the world freshwater fish fauna based on pictures and scientific drawings available from the literature. Main types of variables contained The database includes 10 morphological traits measured on 8,342 freshwater fish species, covering 48.69% of the world freshwater fish fauna. Spatial location and grain Global. Major taxa and level of measurement The database considers ray-finned fishes (class Actinopterygii). Measurements were made at the species level. Software format .csv. Main conclusion The FISHMORPH database provides the most comprehensive database on fish morphological traits to date. It represents an essential source of information for ecologists and environmental managers seeking to consider morphological patterns of fish faunas throughout the globe, and for those interested in current and future impacts of human activities on the morphological structure of fish assemblages. Given the high threat status of freshwater environments and the biodiversity they host, we believe this database will be of great interest for future studies on freshwater ecology research and conservation

Shark critical life stage vulnerability to monthly temperature variations under climate change

International audienceIn a 10-month experimental study, we assessed the combined impact of warming and acidification on critical life stages of small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula). Using recently developed frameworks, we disentangled individual and group responses to two climate scenarios projected for 2100 (SSP2-4.5: Middle of the road and SSP5-8.5: Fossil-fueled Development). Seasonal temperature fluctuations revealed the acute vulnerability of embryos to summer temperatures, with hatching success ranging from 82% for the control and SSP2-4.5 treatments to only 11% for the SSP5-8.5 treatment. The death of embryos was preceded by distinct individual growth trajectories between the treatments, and also revealed inter-individual variations within treatments. Embryos with the lowest hatching success had lower yolk consumption rates, and growth rates associated with a lower energy assimilation, and almost all of them failed to transition to internal gills. Within 6 months after hatching, no additional mortality was observed due to cooler temperatures

FISHMORPH: A global database on morphological traits of freshwater fishes

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A diagnosis-based approach to assess specific risks of river degradation in a multiple pressure context: Insights from fish communities

International audienceIn the context of increasing pressure on water bodies, many fish-based indices have been developed to evaluate the ecological status of rivers. However, most of these indices suffer from several limitations, which hamper the capacity of water managers to select the most appropriate measures of restoration. Those limitations include: (i) being dependent on reference conditions, (ii) not satisfactorily handling complex and non-linear biological responses to pressure gradients, and (iii) being unable to identify specific risks of stream degradation in a multi-pressure context. To tackle those issues, we developed a diagnosis-based approach using Random Forest models to predict the impairment probabilities of river fish communities by 28 pressure categories (chemical, hydromorphological and biological). In addition, the database includes the abundances of 72 fish species collected from 1527 sites in France, sampled between 2005 and 2015; and fish taxonomic and biological information. Twenty random forest models provided at least good performances when evaluating impairment probabilities of fish communities by those pressures. The best performing models indicated that fish communities were impacted, on average, by 7.34 ± 0.03 abiotic pressure categories (mean ± SE), and that hydromorphological alterations (5.27 ± 0.02) were more often detected than chemical ones (2.06 ± 0.02). These models showed that alterations in longitudinal continuity, and contaminations by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons were respectively the most frequent hydromorphological and chemical pressure categories in French rivers. This approach has also efficiently detected the functional impact of invasive alien species. Identifying and ranking the impacts of multiple anthropogenic pressures that trigger functional shifts in river biological communities is essential for managers to prioritize actions and to implement appropriate restoration programmes. Actually implemented in an R package, this approach has the capacity to detect a variety of impairments, resulting in an efficient assessment of ecological risks across various spatial and temporal scales

Why do plants silicify?

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Why do plants silicify?

Despite seminal papers that stress the significance of silicon (Si) in plant biology and ecology, most studies focus on manipulations of Si supply and mitigation of stresses. The ecological significance of Si varies with different levels of biological organization, and remains hard to capture. We show that the costs of Si accumulation are greater than is currently acknowledged, and discuss potential links between Si and fitness components (growth, survival, reproduction), environment, and ecosystem functioning. We suggest that Si is more important in trait-based ecology than is currently recognized. Si potentially plays a significant role in many aspects of plant ecology, but knowledge gaps prevent us from understanding its possible contribution to the success of some clades and the expansion of specific biomes.</p