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ARTICLE REVIEW
Human disturbance and long-term changes in fish taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic
diversity in the Yellow River, China
Human activities have sparked the sixth major biodiversity crisis, with unprecedented native
species extinction and widespread introduction of non-native species, which is probably the main
reason why taxonomic, functional, and phylogenic diversity in species is actually
affected. However, in many parts of the world, native species have altered species assemblages.
Regardless of human activities or disturbances that may cause changes in the taxonomic,
functional, and phylogenic diversity of the organism. Many other concerned human beings are still
finding their ways to help conserve biodiversity. Thus, to guide conservation efforts of those
ecosystem managers and conservation biologists, quantifying the extent of spatial and temporal
biodiversity change after ecosystem disturbance and unraveling the environmental drivers of
diversity and community assembly should be the primary concern.
The researchers have indeed made a thorough research in their study location which is the most
important thing to do before conducting an ecological study. Indeed, the researchers examined
temporal changes (over the last 50 years) and the relative influence of environmental variables on
all three facets of diversity (TD, FD, and PD) in the Yellow River basins at the alpha and beta
levels.
Nonetheless, the study is unlike any other on the subject about biodiversity and ecology, as
mentioned in the article, it was the first study to focus on how different alpha and beta diversity
facets change over time, especially when functional and genetic factors are added. In addition, the
phylogenetic perspectives on freshwater fish communities in the study was also emphasized which
is actually a very interesting knowledge in the field of ecology and biodiversity.
The study also hypothesized that while temporal trends in multifaceted components of diversity
would be very similar, the relative importance of anthropogenic disturbances in shaping spatial
patterns of fish diversity would differ. Thus, the great impact of their study in the field of research
is that the findings of their study will be useful in providing additional insight into freshwater
ecosystem conservation management.
According to the article, the Yellow River's diverse fish fauna is increasingly threatened by
dramatic environmental changes and species invasions. With this, the location of the study, the
Yellow River basin in China, for me, this would be the best site for the study since the species
diversity of the fishes is already there due to environmental changes caused by human disturbance
and species invasion. It's also a great way to look at long-term temporal trends and environmental
drivers of different aspects of fish diversity. The fish community has changed dramatically as a
result of significant environmental changes in the basin over the last five decades, including
climate change, flow regime changes, and the introduction of non-native fish.
For the conclusion of their study, the research found that different aspects of alpha and beta
diversity were highly congruent; however, the rate and magnitude of change varied significantly,
with functional and phylogenetic diversity being more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances than
taxonomic diversity. Accordingly, this discrepancy highlights how different facets provide
complementary information about biodiversity dynamics, and how a multifaceted approach can
help us detect and understand changes in community composition. Although the study did not
directly conclude their finding, there are already adequate data which shows that the aims of the
study have already met. In terms of fish conservation in the Yellow River, their findings have
shown that significant environmental changes were altered the composition of fish communities.
The river's current fish assemblages are characterized by a high percentage of non-native fishes
and few native fishes. Hence, in comparison to historical composition of climate change,
hydrological change, and aquaculture may have accelerated these changes in the last 50 years. As
a result, this would help protect the fish resource, a variety of management actions have been
implemented in response to these changes.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421002614
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/0-306-47534-0_12?noAccess=true
https://news.mongabay.com/2020/04/climate-change-makes-some-fish-smaller-and-othersbigger-studyfinds/#:~:text=Climate%20change%20is%20doing%20something,fish%20to%20morph%20in%
20size.