[OANNES Foro] Harnessing the potential for otolith microchemistry to foster the conservation of Amazonian fishes

[Mario Cabrejos]

Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 2021;1–15

DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3567



*Harnessing the potential for otolith microchemistry to foster the
conservation of Amazonian fishes*



*Theodore W. Hermann1 | Fabrice Duponchelle2,3 | Leandro Castello4 | Karin
E. Limburg1 | Luciana A. Pereira4 | Marília Hauser3,5,6*

1 Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental
Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, USA
2 Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), MARBEC (Univ.
Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD), Montpellier, France 3 Laboratoire Mixte
International, Evolution et Domestication de l'Ichtyofaune Amazonienne
(LMI-EDIA), IIAP, UAGRM, IRD, Montpellier, France 4 Department of Fish &
Wildlife Conservation, College of Natural Resources and Environment,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia,
USA 5 Laboratório de Ictiologia e Pesca, Departamento de Ciências
Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR), Porto Velho, Brazil 6
Programa de Pós-graduaç~ao da Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da
Amazônia Legal, Porto Velho, Brazil



*Abstract *



1. Freshwater environments host roughly half of the world’s fish diversity,
much of which is concentrated in large, tropical river systems such as the
Amazon. Fishes are critical to ecosystem functioning in the Amazon River
basin but face increasing human threats. The basic biology of these
species, and particularly migratory behaviour, remains poorly studied, in
part owing to the difficulty associated with conducting tagging studies in
remote tropical regions.



2. Otolith microchemistry can circumvent logistical issues and is an
increasingly important tool for studying fish life histories. However, this
approach is still new in the Amazon, and its potential and limitations to
inform fish conservation strategies remain unclear.



3. Here, otolith microchemistry studies in the Amazon are reviewed,
highlighting current possibilities, and several key factors that limit its
use as a conservation tool in the Amazon are discussed. These include the
dearth of spatiotemporal elemental data, poor understanding of
environment–fish–otolith pathways, and insufficient funding, facilities,
and equipment.



4. A research initiative is proposed to harness the potential of this
technique to support conservation in the Amazon. Key aspects of the
proposal include recommendations for internal and external funding, which
are critical to acquiring and maintaining technical staff, cutting-edge
equipment, and facilities, as well as fostering regular scientific meetings
and working groups. Meetings can facilitate a systematic approach to
investigating environment–otolith pathways, broadening the chemical
baseline for most Amazonian tributaries, and exploring potential valuable
elements.



5. These outcomes are urgently needed to conserve biodiversity and
ecosystem functioning in the Amazon, especially given threats such as
widespread hydroelectric damming. The initiative proposed here could make
otolith microchemistry an important, cost-effective tool to inform and
foster conservation in the Amazon, and act as a template for other
imperilled tropical river basins, such as the Mekong and the Congo.

<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
Libre
de virus. www.avast.com
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail>
<#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
------------ próxima parte ------------
Se ha borrado un adjunto en formato HTML...
URL: <http://lista.oannes.org.pe/pipermail/oannes-oannes.org.pe/attachments/20210503/ebec0c07/attachment.html>