A review of the conservation status of seasonal <i>Nothobranchius</i> fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes), a genus with a high level of threat, inhabiting ephemeral wetland habitats in Africa

Nagy, Božidar; Watters, Brian R.

doi:10.1002/aqc.3741

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(42 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…fuscotaeniatus and N . steinforti , are classified as critically endangered, known only from their type localities, and collected only in the years of their discovery (1997 and 1976, respectively; Nagy & Watters, 2021 ). Our sampling scheme included their type localities and surrounding wetlands, which appear natural and uncompromised, and contained other Nothobranchius species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…flammicomantis (endemic to the Ruvu) and N . kilomberoensis (endemic to the Kilombero) – both species are not widespread and are classified as vulnerable (Nagy & Watters, 2021 ), and we may have missed them in our sampling due to interannual variation in their population densities (Nagy & Kiss, 2010 ; Shidlovsky, 2010 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The insular nature of seasonal wetland pools supports their isolation (Williams, 2006 ), including the evolution of many species with small, fragmented geographical ranges (van der Merwe et al, 2021 ). These range‐restricted species are intrinsically the most endangered (Nagy & Watters, 2021 ). We have identified the region of highest conservation priority (Mbezi region), where local endemism is highest and beta diversity is driven by species turnover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The conservation status of all 94 currently recognized Nothobranchius species has been recently evaluated (Nagy & Watters, 2021 ). Nothobranchius fishes are well characterized taxonomically and contain widespread species and species with locally endemic distribution, ranging from species of least concern to critically endangered (Nagy & Watters, 2021 ). Several Nothobranchius fishes often coexist, forming local assemblages with up to six species in a single temporary pool.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The highest species richness is found in coastal Tanzania (van der Merwe et al, 2021 ). Temporary pools in this region are considerably affected by habitat degradation and loss to human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture expansion (Nagy & Watters, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Patterns and drivers of Nothobranchius killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania

Reichard

Janáč

Blažek

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Temporary pools are seasonal wetland habitats with specifically adapted biota, including annual Nothobranchius killifishes that survive habitat desiccation as diapausing eggs encased in dry sediment. To understand the patterns in the structure of Nothobranchius assemblages and their potential in wetland conservation, we compared biodiversity components (alpha, beta, and gamma) between regions and estimated the role and sources of nestedness and turnover on their diversity. We sampled Nothobranchius assemblages from 127 pools across seven local regions in lowland Eastern Tanzania over 2 years, using dip net and seine nets. We estimated species composition and richness for each pool, and beta and gamma diversity for each region. We decomposed beta diversity into nestedness and turnover components. We tested nestedness in three main regions (Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi) using the number of decreasing fills metric and compared the roles of pool area, isolation, and altitude on nestedness. A total of 15 species formed assemblages containing 1–6 species. Most Nothobranchius species were endemic to one or two adjacent regions. Regional diversity was highest in the Ruvu, Rufiji, and Mbezi regions. Nestedness was significant in Ruvu and Rufiji, with shared core ( N . melanospilus , N . eggersi , and N . janpapi ) and common ( N. ocellatus and N . annectens ) species, and distinctive rare species. Nestedness apparently resulted from selective colonization rather than selective extinction, and local species richness was negatively associated with altitude. The Nothobranchius assemblages in the Mbezi region were not nested, and had many endemic species and the highest beta diversity driven by species turnover. Overall, we found unexpected local variation in the sources of beta diversity (nestedness and turnover) within the study area. The Mbezi region contained the highest diversity and many endemic species, apparently due to repeated colonizations of the region rather than local diversification. We suggest that annual killifish can serve as a flagship taxon for small wetland conservation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Patterns and drivers of Nothobranchius killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania

Reichard

Janáč

Blažek

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Fast satellite DNA evolution in Nothobranchius annual killifishes

Voleníková,

Lukšíková,

Mora

et al. 2023

Chromosome Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Satellite DNA (satDNA) is a rapidly evolving class of tandem repeats, with some monomers being involved in centromere organization and function. To identify repeats associated with (peri)centromeric regions, we investigated satDNA across Southern and Coastal clades of African annual killifishes of the genus Nothobranchius. Molecular cytogenetic and bioinformatic analyses revealed that two previously identified satellites, designated here as NkadSat01-77 and NfurSat01-348, are associated with (peri)centromeres only in one lineage of the Southern clade. NfurSat01-348 was, however, additionally detected outside centromeres in three members of the Coastal clade. We also identified a novel satDNA, NrubSat01-48, associated with (peri)centromeres in N. foerschi, N. guentheri, and N. rubripinnis. Our findings revealed fast turnover of satDNA associated with (peri)centromeres and different trends in their evolution in two clades of the genus Nothobranchius.

show abstract

Ecological character displacement among Nothobranchius annual killifishes in Tanzania

Alila,

ten Brink,

Haesler

et al. 2024

Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Divergent ecological character displacement (ECD) is the competition-driven divergence in resource use-related phenotypic traits between coexisting species. It is considered one of the primary drivers of ecological diversification and adaptive radiation. We analyzed phenotypic and ecological variation in two African annual killifish species of the genus Nothobranchius; N. eggersi and N. melanospilus in sympatry and N. melanospilus in allopatry. Our aim was to test if allopatric and sympatric populations of N. melanospilus differ morphologically from each other and from N. eggersi, and examine if these differences are consistent with the predictions of ECD. We find that sympatric N. melanospilus differ from allopatric N. melanospilus and differ from N. eggersi more strongly than the latter. Our data satisfy four criteria for demonstrating ECD: Differences in phenotypes between allopatric and sympatric N. melanospilus are greater than expected by chance; the divergence pattern between allopatric and sympatric N. melanospilus results from an evolutionary shift rather than from ecological sorting; morphological differences observed reflect differences in resource use and, lastly, sites of allopatry and sympatry do not differ in food resource availability or other ecological conditions. Our results suggest that competition is the main driver of the observed divergence between two N. melanospilus populations.

show abstract

A review of the conservation status of seasonal Nothobranchius fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes), a genus with a high level of threat, inhabiting ephemeral wetland habitats in Africa

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Patterns and drivers of Nothobranchius killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania

Patterns and drivers of Nothobranchius killifish diversity in lowland Tanzania

Fast satellite DNA evolution in Nothobranchius annual killifishes

Ecological character displacement among Nothobranchius annual killifishes in Tanzania

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About