Motivation: We compiled a global database of long-term riverine fish surveys from 46 regional and national monitoring programmes and from individual academic research efforts, with which numerous basic and applied questions in ecology and global change research can be explored. Such spatially and temporally extensive datasets have been lacking for freshwater systems in comparison to terrestrial ones. Main types of variables contained: The database includes 11,386 time-series of riverine fish community catch data, including 646,270 species-specific abundance records, together with metadata related to the geographical location and sampling methodology of each time-series. Spatial location and grain: The database contains 11,072 unique sampling locations (stream reach), spanning 19 countries, five biogeographical realms and 402 hydrographical basins worldwide. Time period and grain: The database encompasses the period 1951-2019. Each timeseries is composed of a minimum of two yearly surveys (mean = 8 years) and represents a minimum time span of 10 years (mean = 19 years). Major taxa and level of measurement: The database includes 944 species of rayfinned fishes (Class Actinopterygii). Software format: csv. Main conclusion: Our collective effort provides the most comprehensive long-term community database of riverine fishes to date. This unique database should interest ecologists who seek to understand the impacts of human activities on riverine fish biodiversity and to model and predict how fish communities will respond to future environmental change. Together, we hope it will promote advances in macroecological research in the freshwater realm.
While environmental alterations have made Homo sapiens the hyperkeystone species of the globe, biotic homogenization initiated a new era, the “Homogenocene.” Still, some terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in South America are considered pristine and wild, which can lead to a general faith that economic progress is consistent with conservation strategies, even without scientific support. We compiled anthropogenic threats to fish biodiversity in a hierarchical meta‐analysis, along with an evidence synthesis of threats related to biological invasions, based on peer‐reviewed research with the aim to represent the actual conservation status of the South American ichthyofauna. We highlighted human‐related threats and synergistic effects of biological invasions, climate change, environmental alterations (e.g., pollution, aquaculture and damming) and fisheries. Considering measures that reinforce novel alien fish (e.g., artificial hybrids or genetically modified) introductions, it became clear why an eventual increase in local or regional species richness is not always beneficial to aquaculture, biodiversity, human well‐being or nature. In fact, citizens in all societal roles, including scientists, should revise their concepts about threats to fish biodiversity. Environmental policies require more than taxonomic diagnostics to achieve conservation goals under an incompatible scenario of a multiplying number of fish species and biotic homogenization. We advocate for countries in South America using science‐based strategies useful to maintain their social and economic growth along with their “remaining nature.” We live a crucial moment when the government overlooks threats to biodiversity and uses agribusiness as the most acceptable manner of fuelling the economy.
No abstract
Non-native fish (NNF) can threaten megadiverse aquatic ecosystems throughout the planet, but limited information is available for the Amazon Region. In this study we review NNF data in the Amazonian macroregion using spatiotemporal records on the occurrence and the richness of NNF from a collaborative network of 35 regional experts, establishing the Amazon NNF database (ANNF). The NNF species richness was analyzed by river basin and by country, as well as the policies for each geopolitical division for the Amazon. The analysis included six countries (Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia), together comprising more than 80% of the Amazon Region. A total of 1314 NNF occurrence records were gathered. The first record of NNF in this region was in 1939 and there has been a marked increase in the last 20 years (2000–2020), during which 75% of the records were observed. The highest number of localities with NNF occurrence records was observed for Colombia, followed by Brazil and Bolivia. The NNF records include 9 orders, 17 families and 41 species. Most of the NNF species are also used in aquaculture (12 species) and in the aquarium trade (12 species). The most frequent NNF detected were Arapaima gigas, Poecilia reticulata and Oreochromis niloticus. The current data highlight that there are few documented cases on NNF in the Amazon, their negative impacts and management strategies adopted. The occurrence of NNF in the Amazon Region represents a threat to native biodiversity that has been increasing “silently” due to the difficulties of large-scale sampling and low number of NNF species reported when compared to other South American regions. The adoption of effective management measures by decision-makers is urgently needed and their enforcement needed to change this alarming trend and help protect the Amazon’s native fish diversity.
The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large‐scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications.
Aim This paper aims to concatenate and update the records of non-native species in a subtropical River, in Southern Brazil, warning about their possible impacts in this and other water bodies. Methods Monitoring was carried out in the Guaraguaçu River, the largest River of the Paraná coastal plain, located in the Atlantic Rainforest biome. Fishes were sampled in two periods: from 2002 to 2007 (monthly) and from 2016 to 2018 (semiannually), and the other organisms were collected in isolated samplings. Results The monitoring recorded the presence of six non-native species of animals in this River – four species of fish (Clarias gariepinus, Ictalurus punctatus, Oreochromis niloticus and Salminus brasiliensis), one invertebrate (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and one foraminifera (Ammoglobigerina globigeriniformis) introduced by escapes from aquaculture, sport fishing and ballast water. These introductions are problematic because they have the potential to impact upon the endangered native species in the River through predation, competition or novel diseases. Conclusions In Guaraguaçu River the increasing number of introductions is worrying because these species have in common a set of traits that turns them into potential invaders. It is of great importance to keep monitoring their populations in order to detect and minimize their negative impacts on native biota, once there is a conservation unit in the region (Guaraguaçu Ecological Station), with the aim to protect the environment in its pristine condition.
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