Biodiversity and Conservation of Canadian Freshwater Fishes

淡水鱼是世界上最濒危的物种之一。北美超过30%的淡水鱼和加拿大近25%的淡水鱼都受到保护。与生境退化和水生入侵物种（AIS）相关的主要压力源是生境退化。虽然本土物种正在减少，但AIS正在北美蔓延。这些趋势预计会因气候变化和人口增长等压力因素而加剧。生物同质化——整个景观和全球范围内群落的相似性日益增加——是这些趋势的结果，也是生物多样性丧失的一个指标。我的研究项目的目的是更好地了解加拿大淡水鱼在多种分类和地理尺度上的模式、过程和压力源。这些知识对于淡水鱼生物多样性的养护、保护和恢复至关重要。将在加拿大、劳伦森五大湖及其流域的尺度上研究淡水鱼生物多样性的模式。将使用即将发布的国家鱼类图集、在线五大湖鱼类图集以及未发表和新收集的鱼类分布数据来检查总体丰富度和群落模式。构建这些模式的历史（冰期后历史、系统发育）和环境过程（非生物、生物）将使用各种统计方法进行识别。此外，还将审查目前影响生物多样性格局的人类压力源。为了确定加拿大现有的保护区网络实际保护淡水鱼生物多样性的程度，将进行一项覆盖生物多样性和保护区层的差距分析。这种差距分析将确定需要额外保护的鱼类种类和群落。为了阐明本地淡水鱼和鱼类AIS之间相互作用的潜在机制，我们将研究它们在五大湖共现的历史。本地物种损失和AIS入侵的历史将从1870年到2010年进行十年一次的研究，以检验与AIS建立和影响相关的假设（如生物抗性、生态位重叠）。这些假设将通过生态、生活史和形态特征的统计分析来检验，以检查随时间的变化。提出的研究包括几个新的组成部分。研究历史、环境、系统发育和压力源对淡水鱼的影响的分析还没有对加拿大或五大湖进行全面的研究。评估保护区对淡水鱼的保护程度的差距分析尚未在加拿大或五大湖发表。五大湖年代际数据库提供了一个独特的机会来测试入侵理论假设和物种同质化在很长一段时间内。

Freshwater fishes are among the most imperiled taxa in the world. Over 30% of freshwater fishes in North America, and >25% in Canada, are of conservation concern. The primary stressors related to imperilment are habitat degradation and aquatic invasive species (AIS). While native species are declining, AIS are spreading in North America. These trends are expected to be exacerbated by stressors such as climate change and human population growth. Biotic homogenization - the increasing similarity of communities across the landscape and the globe - is a result of these trends and is an indicator of biodiversity loss. The objective of my research program is to better understand the patterns, processes, and stressors of Canadian freshwater fishes at multiple taxonomic and geographic scales. Such knowledge is essential for the conservation, protection, and recovery of freshwater fish biodiversity. Patterns of freshwater fish biodiversity will be examined at the scales of Canada, and the Laurentian Great Lakes and their watersheds. Overall richness and community patterns will be examined using data from an upcoming national fish atlas, online Great Lakes fish atlas, and unpublished and newly collected fish distribution data. The historical (postglacial history, phylogeny) and environmental processes (abiotic, biotic) that structure those patterns will be identified using a variety of statistical methods. In addition, human stressors that currently influence the biodiversity patterns will also be examined. To determine how well Canada's existing network of protected areas actually protect freshwater fish biodiversity, a gap analysis will be undertaken that overlays biodiversity and protected areas layers. This gap analysis will identify fish species and communities in need of additional protection. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of interactions between native freshwater fishes and fish AIS, their history of co-occurrence in the Great Lakes will be examined. The history of native species loss and AIS invasion will be examined decadally, pre-1870 to 2010, to test hypotheses related to the establishment and impact of AIS (e.g. biotic resistance, niche overlap). These hypotheses will be tested through statistical analyses of ecological, life-history, and morphological traits to examine changes over time. The proposed research includes several novel components. Analyses that examine the influence of history, environment, phylogeny, and stressors on freshwater fishes have not been conducted comprehensively for Canada or the Great Lakes. Gap analyses to evaluate how well freshwater fishes are protected by protected areas have not been published for Canada or the Great Lakes. The decadal Great Lakes database provides a unique opportunity to test invasion theory hypotheses and species homogenization over an extended time periods.