Is there always space at the top? Ensemble modeling reveals climate-driven high-altitude squeeze for the vulnerable snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii in Himalaya

Sharma, Aashna; Dubey, Vineet Kumar; Johnson, Jeyaraj Antony; Rawal, Yogesh Kumar

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106900

Cited by 37 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Protocols have been developed and dams have also been designed elsewhere, to mimic the natural flow conditions required for the native rheophilic species which cannot survive in inundated areas like the reservoirs (Johnson et al., 2017; Propst & Gido, 2004; Stanford et al., 1996; Wegscheider et al., 2020). Snow trout, which is also a prime rheophilic species of Himalaya (Sharma et al., 2021b), however has not been considered while designing the RoR dams in basins like Parwati, where the frequent switching of turbines create rapid flow fluctuations (Kumar & Katoch, 2016; Saxena, 2014), which act as major stressors for the native snow trout. Such flow alterations have been reported to aggravate the active metabolism of fishes to a state that energy allocation to growth becomes impracticable for the fish, with most of the energy lost to physiological stress (Puffer et al, 2015, Young et al., 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Listed vulnerable by the IUCN, snow trout is already under serious threat due to the ongoing hydropower developments, impoundments and habitat loss (Grumbine & Pandit, 2013; Vishwanath, 2010). Global warming raises further concerns for snow trout conservation, with substantial range contractions predicted for this species across Himalaya (Sharma et al., 2021b). Additionally, brown trout invasion could be another major challenge for the snow trout, necessitating investigations on its life‐history traits for stringent mitigation measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive brown trout Salmo trutta induce differential growth strategies in the native snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii of Himalaya: Are natives in unaltered rivers better at picking the gauntlet of invasion?

et al. 2021

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Brown trout Salmo trutta is a potent global invader and its establishments have progressively altered physiologies, life‐histories and niche‐availabilities for native fish species. River impoundments further escalate its invasion potential. The Himalayan rivers however, stay uncharted for the effects of brown trout interactions with the native fish fauna. Snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii a Himalayan cold‐water native, concerningly overlaps its range with brown trout. To understand its responses to invasion pressures, we investigated brown trout effects on the age and growth of snow trout populations in three rivers with varying levels of perturbation: (a) a dammed and (b) an undammed river with the invasive brown trout in comparison to (c) an undammed river without invasion pressures. We found sympatric snow trout in the undammed river to respond to brown trout invasion with fast life history responses, showing an early age‐at‐maturity (A50 = 1.2 years) and fast growth with a higher growth constant (K = 0.40 yr−1) and specific rate of linear growth across life. On the contrary, sympatric snow trout in the dammed river showed an explicitly slow life‐history by maturing at a higher age (A50 = 2.9 years) and a slow growth, with a lower growth constant (K = 0.26 yr−1) and specific linear growth rates. Our findings suggest that, the snow trout appear to present stronger response to brown trout invasions when the river is unaltered and free from hydropower operations and damming. Further research is strongly warranted from other high‐altitude Himalayan basins to delineate the variation in growth strategies exhibited by snow trout in sympatry with the invasives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive brown trout Salmo trutta induce differential growth strategies in the native snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii of Himalaya: Are natives in unaltered rivers better at picking the gauntlet of invasion?

et al. 2021

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“…Additionally, more detailed molecular studies would promote conservation planning at the regional scale but will also require the analysis of populations now geographically isolated across the Himalaya. This, in turn, will necessitate cooperation/ collaboration among neighboring countries, particularly given the recognized (as well as predicted) impacts of climate change on the Third Pole in general, and Schizothhorax in particular [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The onset of these conditions has (and will continue to) significantly impact the distribution of Schizothorax, forcing a migration into higher-elevation streams, as well as concomitant contraction of trailing-edge habitats [22]. These are important considerations given the limitations inherent with Schizothorax taxonomy, especially given the strong potential for as-of-yet undiscovered biotic components (e.g.…”

Section: Contemporary Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

The Himalayan Uplift and the Evolution of Aquatic Biodiversity Across Asia: Snowtrout (Cyprininae: Schizothorax) as a Test Case

Regmi

Douglas

Edds

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The Himalayan uplift, a tectonic event of global importance, seemingly disseminated aquatic biodiversity broadly across Asia. But surprisingly, this hypothesis has yet to be tested. We do so herein by sequencing 1,140 base-pair of mtDNA cytochrome-b for 72 tetraploid Nepalese/Bhutanese Snowtrout (Schizothorax spp.), combining those data with 67 GENBANK sequences (59 ingroup/8 outgroup), then reconstructing phylogenetic relationships using maximum likelihood/ Bayesian analyses. Results indicate Snowtrout originated in Central Asia, dispersed across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), then into Bhutan via south-flowing tributaries of the east-flowing Yarlung-Tsangpo River (YLTR). The headwaters of five large Asian rivers provided dispersal corridors into southeast Asia. South of the Himalaya, the YLTR transitions into a westward-flowing Brahmaputra River that facilitated successive colonization of Himalayan drainages: First Bhutan, then Nepal, followed by far-western drainages subsequently captured by the Indus River. We found greater species-divergences across rather than within-basins, implicating vicariant evolution as a driver. The Himalaya is a component of the third-pole [largest (but rapidly shrinking) glacial reservoir outside the Arctic/Antarctic]. Its unique aquatic biodiversity must not only be recognized (as herein) but also conserved through broad, trans-national collaborations. Our results effectively contrast phylogeography with taxonomy as a necessary first step in this process.

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“…We assumed that distance to shore and ocean depth remain constant in the future. Future temperature, salinity, ice thickness, and current velocity) in Bio-ORACLE were predicted based on the mean simulation results of three Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCMs), i.e., Community Climate System Model (CCSM4, National Center for Atmospheric Research), Hadley Center Global Environment Model, version 2 (HadGEM2-ES, Met Office Hadley Centre) and Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, version 5 (MIROC5, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, National Institute for Environmental Studies, and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP 5) (Assis et al, 2018;Sharma et al, 2021). We believed the mean results of three different AOGCMs can reduce the uncertainties effectively.…”

Section: Environmental Variables and Future Projectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins with species distribution model

Zhao

Liu

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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As IUCN critically vulnerable species,the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) have attracted great public attention in recent years. The threats of human disturbance and environmental pollution to this population have been documented extensively. However, research on the sensitivity of this species to climate change is lacking. To understand the effect of climate change on the potential distribution of Sousa chinensis, we developed a weighted ensemble model based on 82 occurrence records and six predictor variables (e.g., ocean depth, distance to shore, mean temperature, salinity, ice thickness, and current velocity). According to the true skill statistic (TSS) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), our ensemble model presented higher prediction precision than most of the single-algorithm models. It also indicated that ocean depth and distance to shore were the most important predictors in shaping the distribution patterns. The projections for the 2050s and 2100s from our ensemble model indicated a severe adverse impact of climate change on the Sousa chinensis habitat. Over 75% and 80% of the suitable habitat in the present day will be lost in all representative concentration pathway emission scenarios (RCPS) in the 2050s and 2100s, respectively. With the increased numbers of records of stranding and deaths of Sousa chinensis in recent years, strict management regulations and conservation plans are urgent to safeguard the current suitable habitats. Due to habitat contraction and poleward shift in the future, adaptive management strategies, including designing new reserves and adjusting the location and range of reserves according to the geographical distribution of Sousa chinensis, should be formulated to minimize the impacts of climate change on this species.

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Is there always space at the top? Ensemble modeling reveals climate-driven high-altitude squeeze for the vulnerable snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii in Himalaya

Cited by 37 publications

References 104 publications

Invasive brown trout Salmo trutta induce differential growth strategies in the native snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii of Himalaya: Are natives in unaltered rivers better at picking the gauntlet of invasion?

Invasive brown trout Salmo trutta induce differential growth strategies in the native snow trout Schizothorax richardsonii of Himalaya: Are natives in unaltered rivers better at picking the gauntlet of invasion?

The Himalayan Uplift and the Evolution of Aquatic Biodiversity Across Asia: Snowtrout (Cyprininae: Schizothorax) as a Test Case

Estimating the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins with species distribution model

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