Range restriction leads to narrower ecological niches and greater extinction risk in Australian freshwater fish

Feuvre, Matthew C. Le; Dempster, Tim; Shelley, James J.; Davis, Aaron M.; Swearer, Stephen E.

doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02229-0

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Each species’ weighting on the niche generalisation axis was based predominantly on analyses presented in Le Feuvre et al. (2021). Specifically, we used their calculations of dietary niche breadth, on a scale of zero (specialist) to one (generalist), and their principal component analysis showing the relative degree of habitat generalisation between each species on to guide us.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on these characters, both species are predicted to have high dispersal potential. On the one hand, H. jenkinsi also is an abundant species that exhibits a generalist diet and habitat preferences and as such, is predicted to have high colonisation potential (Le Feuvre et al., 2021). The two species have similar caudal fin aspect ratios (1.64) suggesting similar swimming ability.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two species have similar caudal fin aspect ratios (1.64) suggesting similar swimming ability. On the other hand, H. epirrhinos is found in low abundance compared to H. jenkinsi and exhibits an affinity towards deeper permanent habitat and has a specialist carnivorous diet, although this is an abundant resource (Le Feuvre et al., 2021; Shelley, Morgan, et al., 2018a). Therefore, we hypothesise that it has a moderate colonisation potential.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, M. australis exhibits generalist diet and habitat requirements and as such we expect it has moderate colonisation potential. Conversely, M. gracilis is a specialist insectivore throughout its adult life and has a strong affinity towards sandy substrates in permanent stream sections (Le Feuvre et al., 2021). As such, we hypothesise that it has a low colonisation potential.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the genera Hephaestus, Syncomistes, and Melanotaenia each have a broadly distributed species (H. jenkinsi, S. trigonicus, and M. australis), and short-range endemic species that are effectively restricted to the Drysdale River (H. epirrhinos, S. rastellus, and M. gracilis) (Shelley, Swearer, et al, 2018b;Unmack et al, 2013). These genera differ substantially in dispersal syndromes related to dispersal potential (i.e., life history and swimming ability) (Davis et al, 2020;Shelley, Morgan, et al, 2018a), and these congeneric species exhibit substantial ecological niche differences (Le Feuvre et al, 2021). Although these factors are expected to contribute to species-level differences in dispersal and colonisation ability and, thus, differences in population connectivity, genetic structure, and range extent, this has not been formally tested.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape context and dispersal ability as determinants of population genetic structure in freshwater fishes

et al. 2021

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Dispersal is a critically important process that dictates population persistence, gene flow, and evolutionary potential, and is an essential element for identifying species conservation risks. This study aims to investigate the contributions of dispersal syndromes and hydrographic barriers on patterns of population connectivity and genetic structure in fishes occupying the particularly rugged and fragmented landscape of the Kimberley Plateau, Western Australia. We assessed population genetic structure between three neighbouring catchments (the Mitchell, King Edward, and Drysdale rivers) in three congeneric groups of freshwater fishes that exhibit varied dispersal syndromes within and among groups: (1) Melanotaenia australis and M. gracilis; (2) Syncomistes trigonicus and S. rastellus; and (3) Hephaestus jenkinsi and H. epirrhinos. Within each species we sampled the upper, middle, and lower reaches of each catchment and assessed patterns of gene flow between and within catchments using microsatellite markers. Our results suggest that contemporary connectivity between catchments is greatly limited or absent in all study species, regardless of their dispersal syndromes. However, gene flow within catchments varied in line with predicted dispersal potential, with poor dispersers exhibiting limited gene flow and significant genetic structuring. We conclude that the rugged landscape and historical habitat isolation has contributed to patterns of population fragmentation among fish populations from different river catchments. However, it appears dispersal syndromes influence connectivity and gene flow within catchments, where landscape constraints are not as pervasive. This study presents a comparative population genetic analysis of freshwater fishes with differing dispersal syndromes and colonisation ability. Our findings provide new insights into factors shaping patterns of biodiversity on the Kimberley Plateau, and the evolutionary uniqueness of fish communities from different river catchments draining the plateau. More broadly, they highlight the importance of accounting for dispersal‐related traits when planning management and conservation strategies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape context and dispersal ability as determinants of population genetic structure in freshwater fishes

et al. 2021

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Molecular phylogenetics reveals the evolutionary history of marine fishes (Actinopterygii) endemic to the subtropical islands of the Southwest Pacific

Samayoa

Struthers

Trnski³

et al. 2022

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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Measuring functional redundancy using generalized Hill numbers

Dick

2023

Functional Ecology

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A number of metrics for quantifying the amount of functional redundancy in a community have been proposed over the years. Two of the most popular metrics are based on comparing a taxonomic diversity measure with a generalized form of the same measure that accounts for functional dissimilarities between taxa. These two metrics express redundancy as either an absolute or relative difference between the taxonomic diversity measure and its generalized form. Because they express the amount of redundancy in a community in terms of raw diversity values, both redundancy metrics are susceptible to the same issues that complicate the interpretation of most commonly used diversity indices. It is possible to overcome these issues by restating these two indices using a Hill numbers framework. As a growing number of authors have noted, these modified metrics provide a more intuitive quantitative definition of functional redundancy when used to rank communities. Beyond this intuitive definition, measuring redundancy in terms of Hill numbers allows researchers to control the influence of rare taxa on the output value, enabling ecologists to better predict how a community is expected to respond when exposed to an external perturbation that selectively eliminates rare or common taxa. Here I show that, of the two possible Hill number‐based redundancy metrics, the form based on a popular absolute redundancy metric is extremely sensitive to differences in taxonomic diversity and can provide a misleading picture of how much redundancy is present in a community. For this reason, I argue that Hill number‐based functional redundancy should be quantified using a relative metric that explicitly accounts for differences in effective taxonomic diversity. The proposed Hill number‐based relative redundancy measure is shown to provide a much more complete picture of the distribution of redundant taxa within a community, highlighting subtle patterns that are completely missed by the Hill number‐based absolute redundancy metric. I include open‐source R code for calculating the indices discussed here. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Range restriction leads to narrower ecological niches and greater extinction risk in Australian freshwater fish

Cited by 10 publications

References 82 publications

Landscape context and dispersal ability as determinants of population genetic structure in freshwater fishes

Landscape context and dispersal ability as determinants of population genetic structure in freshwater fishes

Molecular phylogenetics reveals the evolutionary history of marine fishes (Actinopterygii) endemic to the subtropical islands of the Southwest Pacific

Measuring functional redundancy using generalized Hill numbers

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