1,720,993 research outputs found
Fig. 38. Haplochromis squamipinnis Regan, 1921 in From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system
No full textFig. 38. Haplochromis squamipinnis Regan, 1921, holotype, ♀, 136.9 mm SL (NHMUK 1914.4.8.32). Drawn by N. Vranken.Published as part of Vranken, Nathan, Steenberge, Maarten Van, Heylen, Annelies, Decru, Eva & Snoeks, Jos, 2022, From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system, pp. 1-94 in European Journal of Taxonomy 815 on page 69, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.815.1749, http://zenodo.org/record/648415
The genomic basis of similarity in the cichlid fishes of the Lake Victoria Region Superflock
No full textParasites warning us on ecosystem changes. The case study of fish parasites in anthropogenically impacted Lake Victoria
No full textHow parasites are affected by global change is largely unknown, despite their ubiquity and crucial role for ecosystem
health in maintaining complexity and contributing to ecosystem robustness. Human-induced environmental changes
are expected to alter parasite abundance and host-parasite interactions (e.g. spillovers), but the direction of such
changes is unclear, as its consequences for ecosystem health. Lake Victoria, the youngest of the African Great Lakes,
is a biodiversity hotspot that experienced simultaneous drastic anthropogenic changes, the main being: Nile perch
invasions and eutrophication. We compared gill macroparasite communities of 13 cichlid fish species 20 years before
and after the onset of these anthropogenic perturbations, using historical and recent fish collections. We observed a
decline in parasite abundance, biodiversity indices, and co-infections. The host-parasite network rearranged, some
parasites disappeared from some host species and colonized few new ones, in a way that reduces ecosystem stability.
This highlights the need to preserve parasites and their ecosystem services in face of global change. We also
disentangled the cause of such changes, by comparing parasite communities between lake ecosystems similar and close
to Lake Victoria but differing in perturbation types. This space-for-time approach revealed that the observed changes
in parasite communities in Lake Victoria are not due to natural fluctuations, but rather result from the effect of both
studied perturbations. Since changes that have occurred in Lake Victoria are also occurring in other ecosystems, we
can use parasites as sentinel for ecosystem health, which might contribute to better strategies for linking conservation
and ecosystem health
The genomic basis of similarity in the cichlid fishes of the Lake Victoria Region Superflock
No full textWorms of change: anthropogenic disturbance changes the ectoparasite community structure of Lake Victoria cichlids
No full textHost-parasite interactions increase the complexity, and thus robustness and resilience, of an ecosystem. This role is particularly relevant in global change times. Environmental changes cause biodiversity loss and shifts in community compositions of free-living organisms, but how these changes affect parasite communities is still unclear. We tested how parasites respond to anthropogenic perturbations, using the Lake Victoria case (East Africa), after 40 years of their onset. Lake Victoria experienced multiple human-induced invasions (e.g. Nile perch), eutrophication, which heavily affected haplochromine cichlid fishes (whose species richness decreased from 500 to 250 species in a decade). We compared gill macroparasite communities of 13 haplochromine species before and after perturbations, using historical and recent fish collections. The host-parasite network rearranged in a way that buffers the impact of perturbations, indicating resilience. However, the host range of parasites, which is linked to resilience ability, decreased and thus we expect a decreased resilience ability in the future. We also found a decrease in infection parameters, co-infection occurrence, and biodiversity indices highlighting the urgent need of a conservation plan for wildlife parasites, to preserve their ecosystem services in face of global change. This study serves as a proof-of-concept of how often overlooked aspects of host-parasite interactions provide a tool to monitor the health status of an ecosystem
Parasites warning us on ecosystem changes. The case study of fish parasites in anthropogenically impacted Lake Victoria
No full textHow parasites are affected by global change is largely unknown, despite their ubiquity and crucial role for ecosystem
health in maintaining complexity and contributing to ecosystem robustness. Human-induced environmental changes
are expected to alter parasite abundance and host-parasite interactions (e.g. spillovers), but the direction of such
changes is unclear, as its consequences for ecosystem health. Lake Victoria, the youngest of the African Great Lakes,
is a biodiversity hotspot that experienced simultaneous drastic anthropogenic changes, the main being: Nile perch
invasions and eutrophication. We compared gill macroparasite communities of 13 cichlid fish species 20 years before
and after the onset of these anthropogenic perturbations, using historical and recent fish collections. We observed a
decline in parasite abundance, biodiversity indices, and co-infections. The host-parasite network rearranged, some
parasites disappeared from some host species and colonized few new ones, in a way that reduces ecosystem stability.
This highlights the need to preserve parasites and their ecosystem services in face of global change. We also
disentangled the cause of such changes, by comparing parasite communities between lake ecosystems similar and close
to Lake Victoria but differing in perturbation types. This space-for-time approach revealed that the observed changes
in parasite communities in Lake Victoria are not due to natural fluctuations, but rather result from the effect of both
studied perturbations. Since changes that have occurred in Lake Victoria are also occurring in other ecosystems, we
can use parasites as sentinel for ecosystem health, which might contribute to better strategies for linking conservation
and ecosystem health
Monitoring wildlife parasites for One Health
No full textUnderstanding how ecosystems respond to stressors like climate change and human activities is key for One Health initiatives. Parasites play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem complexity, by increasing biodiversity (which can dilute the impact of parasites on individual hosts) and the number of interspecific interactions, and ultimately ecosystem robustness and resilience in face of global change. Anthropogenic changes may alter ecosystem health, potentially inducing shifts in host ranges (e.g. spillovers). Such human-induced shifts in host ranges need to be closely monitored and their mechanisms beter understood, as they could result in the emergence of new infectious diseases.
We investigated the link between habitat degradation and shifts in parasite communities, using parasites as indicators of ecosystem health in Lake Victoria (Eastern Africa). We compared macroparasite communities of 13 cichlid fish species 20 years before and after the onset of anthropogenic perturbations, using historical and recent fish collections. We observed a decline in parasite abundance, biodiversity indices, co-infections and a change in host-parasite combinations, with switches to new host species. This highlights the need of a monitoring plan of wildlife parasites, to preserve their ecosystem services in face of global change.
We also assessed the effect of two recent human disturbances – predator invasion and eutrophication – on parasite communities, by comparing parasite communities between lake ecosystems similar and close to Lake Victoria but differing in perturbation types. This space-for-time approach will reveal whether the observed changes in parasite communities in Lake Victoria reflect a natural state or are a result of recent human disturbances and, if so, which disturbance.
The study confirms the interconnection between wildlife, ecosystem and humans, and shows the potential of the new “historical ecology of parasitism” sub-field in the context of One Health research, offering the opportunity for long-term monitoring of wildlife diseases. This could reveal early warning signs of infection outbreaks or emergence of new diseases and contribute to develop policy strategies.International Coordination Action G0ADU24N of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen)
Haplochromis Hilgendorf 1888
No full textGenus Haplochromis Hilgendorf, 1888 Haplochromis Hilgendorf, 1888: 76 (as a subgenus of Chromis Cuvier, 1814).Published as part of Vranken, Nathan, Steenberge, Maarten Van, Heylen, Annelies, Decru, Eva & Snoeks, Jos, 2022, From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system, pp. 1-94 in European Journal of Taxonomy 815 on page 14, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.815.1749, http://zenodo.org/record/648415
Fig. 36. Haplochromis quasimodosp. nov. a in From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system
No full textFig. 36. Haplochromis quasimodosp. nov. a. Photograph of preserved holotype (RMCA 2018.008.P.0336; 120.4 mm SL). b. X-ray image of holotype. c–d. Photographs of freshly caught specimens. c. Dominant male (RMCA 2018.008.P(HP3072); 123.7 mm SL). d. Female (RMCA 2018.008.P(HP3064); 116.6 mm SL) to illustrate the live colour patterns. The contrast was slightly enhanced.Published as part of Vranken, Nathan, Steenberge, Maarten Van, Heylen, Annelies, Decru, Eva & Snoeks, Jos, 2022, From a pair to a dozen: the piscivorous species of Haplochromis (Cichlidae) from the Lake Edward system, pp. 1-94 in European Journal of Taxonomy 815 on page 65, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.815.1749, http://zenodo.org/record/648415
Just below the surface, the pelagic haplochromine cichlids from the Lake Edward system
No full textsponsorship: This research was conducted within the framework of the BELSPO (Belgian Science Policy Office) funded BRAIN projects HIPE (Human impacts on ecosystem health and resources of Lake Edward) and KEAFish (The biodiversity, biogeography and evolutionary history of the northern basins of the Great African Lakes: the enigmatic fish faunas of Lakes Kivu, Edward and Albert revisited) and an FWO (Research Foundation Flanders) funded PhD fellowship to NV (11E0520N). MM benefitted from a FishBase and Fish taxonomy training (2016) through the framework agreement of the RMCA with the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid. The fieldwork by NV, MVS, and ED was supported by the FWO and fieldwork by MVS by the King Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation. We thank L. Wasswa (Ugandan Fisheries Department) and M. Bifamengo (NaFIRRI, Uganda) for their help in collecting specimens, and W. Okello (NaFIRRI, Uganda) for valuable logistic support. We are grateful to M. Parrent (RMCA), O. Pauwels (IRSNB), J. Maclaine (NHMUK), and E. A beta el (ZMB) for curatorial services, E. A beta el for the provided photograph and X-ray image of the lectotype of H. pappenheimi, and support from the SYNTHESYS+ Project, http://www.synthesys.info/, which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the H2020 Integrating Activities Programme, Project number 823827. (BRAIN projects HIPE, KEAFish (The biodiversity, biogeography and evolutionary history of the northern basins of the Great African Lakes: the enigmatic fish faunas of Lakes Kivu, Edward and Albert revisited), FWO (Research Foundation Flanders)|11E0520N, FishBase and Fish taxonomy training (2016) through the framework agreement of the RMCA with the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, FWO, King Leopold III Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation, SYNTHESYS+ Project - European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the H2020 Integrating Activities Programme|823827)status: Publishe
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