2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/24/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA | Virtual Platform

Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA

Tropical and subtropical freshwater habitats are among the most biodiverse ecosystems, containing characteristic fauna and high numbers of endemic species. However, exploitation of organisms, global climate change, pollution and introduction of invasive species severely threaten this diversity. Implementation of appropriate conservation and protection measures in tropical freshwater systems depends on comprehensive knowledge of state and change in biodiversity, which however, has been barely feasible due to logistic, technical and taxonomic challenges in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Here we use a single environmental DNA sampling campaign in the Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on freshwater fish diversity. We found a total of 108 fish taxa and identified key biodiversity patterns within the river network with respect to alpha- and beta-diversity patterns. By using hierarchical clustering, we grouped the fish communities of all sites across the catchment into distinct clusters. Mapping these clusters over the catchment not only accurately matched the topology of the river network, but also revealed distinct groups of sites which should each be considered of high conservation value. Our study demonstrates a key application of large-scale eDNA monitoring to identify distinct areas for conservation.

Monitoring
Conservation
Freshwater continuum

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Presenters/Authors

Rosetta Blackman (), Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland, rosiecblackman@gmail.com;