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Scope for growth is optimized across a limited temperature range in an imperiled freshwater mussel
No full textPredicting effects of rising temperatures on the health and physiology of aquatic organisms is receiving increasing attention, particularly in arid regions with limited freshwater habitat. One approach to estimating energetic health of aquatic ectotherms is scope for growth (SFG)—the net energy available for reproduction and growth after meeting basic maintenance costs. We examined the relationships between temperature, clearance rates, respiration rates, and other physiological parameters to estimate SFG of Popenaias popeii—a federally endangered mussel native to the semi-arid Rio Grande basin of the southwestern USA and Mexico. Scope for growth followed a three-phase pattern with values remaining stable but negative from 16 to 24°C, increasing and becoming positive from 24 to 28°C, and decreasing back down to negative values from 28 to 32°C. In New Mexico’s Black River, a last stronghold for P. popeii, seasonal thermal regimes show that maximum investment in growth and reproduction likely occurs from May to October, when positive SFG values are most common. Within this critical period, mid-summer increases from 28 to 32°C may temporarily dampen or eliminate growth and reproduction in P. popeii as SFG decreases from peak to negative values. Management of flow to minimize thermal stress during mid-summer appears critical to maximizing growth and reproduction of remaining populations
Revisiting the History of Ornamental Aquaculture in Europe to Understand the Benefits and Drawbacks of Freshwater Fish Imports
No full textOrnamental aquaculture and fishkeeping are very popular with millions of enthusiasts worldwide. The number of newly imported fish species for ornamental purposes grew slowly from World War I until the 1980s. It then exponentially increased until now with more than 7900 species and a large number of scientifically undescribed morphotypes. Here we present the first comprehensive review of freshwater and brackish fish importations during the boom of ornamental fish keeping at the turn of the Millennium and discuss this with a cultural and socio-economic lens in the European context. The increase in imports accelerated following the availability of air transport and the end of the Cold War. From the list of traded species, the largest number of species imported for ornamental purposes was found in the following groups: armored loricariid catfish (family Loricariidae), cory catfish (family Callichthyidae, subfamily Callichthyinae), cichlids of African Great Lakes (order Cichliformes), killifish (egg-laying species of the order Cyprinodontiformes), and characids (order Characiformes). These taxa represent ca. 74% of all fresh and brackish water ornamental fish species. The species of fish with the ability to absorb atmospheric oxygen (e.g., Belontidae, including gouramis and bettas) have dominated the market, but their ratio to the other species has declined during the modern era of ornamental aquaculture (after the end of WWI). By identifying the most popular aquarium species traded through the history of the aquarium trade, our findings aim to guide present-day management of ornamental aquaculture and better inform invasion risk assessments
2024-2025: Distinguished Visiting Author, Elisa Gonzalez
No full textStudent Fellows: Benjamin Harvey, Abigail Lebowitz, Aelan Lee, May Mastrantonio, Ryan Robertsonhttps://docs.rwu.edu/bermont-fellowship/1011/thumbnail.jp
The magnitude of legal wildlife trade and implications for species survival
No full textThe unsustainable use of wildlife is a primary driver of global biodiversity loss. No comprehensive global dataset exists on what species are in trade, their geographic origins, and trade’s ultimate impacts, which limits our ability to sustainably manage trade. The United States is one of the world’s largest importers of wildlife, with trade data compiled in the US Law Enforcement Management Information System (LEMIS). The LEMIS provides the most comprehensive publicly accessible wildlife trade database of non-the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed species. In total, 21,097 species and over 2.85 billion individuals were traded over the past 22 y (2000-2022). When LEMIS data are combined with CITES records, the United States imported over 29,445 wild species, including over 50% of all globally described species in some taxonomic groups. For most taxa, around half of the individuals are declared as sourced from the wild. Although the LEMIS provides the only means to assess trade volumes for many taxa, without any associated data on most wild populations, it is impossible to assess the impact on biodiversity, sustainability of trade, or any potential risk of pest or pathogen spread. These insights underscore the considerable underestimation of trade and the urgent need for other countries to adopt similar mechanisms to accurately record trade
