Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins
Longitudinal connectivity is the main attribute of river ecosystems and is essential for the maintenance of aquatic biota. When longitudinal connectivity decreases in a river network, abundance of some fish species decreases, and local extinctions may occur. Such abundance decreases and extinctions...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Diversity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/352 |
| _version_ | 1827750223600943104 |
|---|---|
| author | Gustavo Díaz Konrad Górski Aliro Manosalva Bárbara Toledo Evelyn Habit |
| author_facet | Gustavo Díaz Konrad Górski Aliro Manosalva Bárbara Toledo Evelyn Habit |
| author_sort | Gustavo Díaz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Longitudinal connectivity is the main attribute of river ecosystems and is essential for the maintenance of aquatic biota. When longitudinal connectivity decreases in a river network, abundance of some fish species decreases, and local extinctions may occur. Such abundance decreases and extinctions affect local assemblage structure (alpha diversity) and result in a high degree of dissimilarity among local assemblages (higher beta diversity). Specific ecological mechanisms that are behind these biodiversity changes induced by connectivity loss remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed the effects of fragmentation at the local and basin level, as well as local environmental variables on local fish diversity patterns in eight Andean river basins in central Chile (32–39° S). The results indicated that fish assemblages inhabiting pool habitats in highly fragmented basins were characterized by significantly lower species richness and alpha diversity mainly driven by absence of fish species with high dispersion capacities. Our results highlight the importance of the effects of barrier cascades upstream as drivers of local native fish diversity. Sustainable hydropower development necessitates system scale planning of the placement of future barriers and should consider both local and basin scale biodiversity indicators. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:40:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-243c12bc40dc4b0093d981fcabb98c7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:40:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-243c12bc40dc4b0093d981fcabb98c7f2023-11-17T10:37:27ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-03-0115335210.3390/d15030352Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River BasinsGustavo Díaz0Konrad Górski1Aliro Manosalva2Bárbara Toledo3Evelyn Habit4Departamento de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, ChileInstituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, ChileDepartamento de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, ChileDepartamento de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, ChileDepartamento de Sistemas Acuáticos, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, ChileLongitudinal connectivity is the main attribute of river ecosystems and is essential for the maintenance of aquatic biota. When longitudinal connectivity decreases in a river network, abundance of some fish species decreases, and local extinctions may occur. Such abundance decreases and extinctions affect local assemblage structure (alpha diversity) and result in a high degree of dissimilarity among local assemblages (higher beta diversity). Specific ecological mechanisms that are behind these biodiversity changes induced by connectivity loss remain poorly understood. Here, we assessed the effects of fragmentation at the local and basin level, as well as local environmental variables on local fish diversity patterns in eight Andean river basins in central Chile (32–39° S). The results indicated that fish assemblages inhabiting pool habitats in highly fragmented basins were characterized by significantly lower species richness and alpha diversity mainly driven by absence of fish species with high dispersion capacities. Our results highlight the importance of the effects of barrier cascades upstream as drivers of local native fish diversity. Sustainable hydropower development necessitates system scale planning of the placement of future barriers and should consider both local and basin scale biodiversity indicators.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/352river connectivityfishAndean riversalpha diversityChile |
| spellingShingle | Gustavo Díaz Konrad Górski Aliro Manosalva Bárbara Toledo Evelyn Habit Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins Diversity river connectivity fish Andean rivers alpha diversity Chile |
| title | Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins |
| title_full | Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins |
| title_fullStr | Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins |
| title_short | Fragmentation Level Drives Local Fish Assemblage Diversity Patterns in Fragmented River Basins |
| title_sort | fragmentation level drives local fish assemblage diversity patterns in fragmented river basins |
| topic | river connectivity fish Andean rivers alpha diversity Chile |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/352 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gustavodiaz fragmentationleveldriveslocalfishassemblagediversitypatternsinfragmentedriverbasins AT konradgorski fragmentationleveldriveslocalfishassemblagediversitypatternsinfragmentedriverbasins AT aliromanosalva fragmentationleveldriveslocalfishassemblagediversitypatternsinfragmentedriverbasins AT barbaratoledo fragmentationleveldriveslocalfishassemblagediversitypatternsinfragmentedriverbasins AT evelynhabit fragmentationleveldriveslocalfishassemblagediversitypatternsinfragmentedriverbasins |