Biodiversity of Fishes Zoogeographic Freshwater Realms

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Biodiversity of Fishes Zoogeographic Freshwater
Realms

• Rainer Froese
• (20.11.07)

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What are Freshwater Fishes?

• Primary freshwater fishes
• little salt tolerance, saltwater acts as barrier
  to distribution, about 13,000 species
• Secondary freshwater fishes
• some salt tolerance, may disperse through short
  distances of coastal waters, derived from marine
  ancestors, about 700 species
• Peripheral freshwater fishes
• Marine species that enter freshwaters, about 700
  species, including diadromous species
• Berra 2001, Freshwater Fish Distribution

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Six Zoogeographic Realms
Alfred Russell Wallace, 1876. The Geographical
Distribution of Animals
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Simplified Geological Time Chart
Epoch Million years Event
Cenozoic, Quaternary, Pleistocene Holocene 2.0 - today Retreat of last ice Emergence of Homo sapiens
Tertiary, Paleocene 65 Origin of primates modern fishes (perciformes, flatfishes, ..)
Mesozoic, Triassic 248 213 First dinosours, origin of mammals, old fish groups
Paleozoic, Carboniferous 360 286 First reptiles, primitive sharks and bony fishes
Devonian 408 360 First amphibians, fish ancestors
Silurian 438 408 First jawed fishes
Ordovician 505 438 Spread of jawless fishes
Cambrian 590 505 Trilobites, hard-shelled invert.
Precambrian 4600 -590 Jellyfish, sea pens, worms, algae
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Permian, 225 m
Triassic, 200 m
Jurassic, 135 m
Cretaceous, 65 m
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Plate Tectonics
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Six Zoogeographic Realms
Alfred Russell Wallace, 1876. The Geographical
Distribution of Animals
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Climate Zones of the World
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Freshwater Fishes by Realm
Zoogeographic realm Species records
Percent Nearctic 1,052 7.9 Palearctic 1,39
7 10.5 Neotropical 4,385 32.8 Ethiopian 3,
072 23.0 Oriental 2,821 21.1
Australian 627 4.7
Distribution of freshwater species by
zoogeographic realm, with 13,354 records for
13,041 species, i.e., about 300 (2.4) species
occurred in more than one realm. Introduced
species and questionable occurrences were
excluded.
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Classes by Realm
Realm Cephalaspidomorphi Elasmobranchii Sarco
pterygii Actinopterygii Nearctic 24 2
1,026 Palearctic 17 3
1,377 Neotropical 2 22 1
4,360 Ethiopian 7 7 3,058 Oriental
10 2,811 Australian 3 6 1
617
Phylogenetic Classes by zoogeographic realm, with
13,354 records for 13,041 species of fishes
regularly found in freshwater.
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Size by Realm
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Species by Climate Zone and Realm
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Trophic Level by Realm
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Trophic Diversity by Realm
Analysis of food web complexity by realm H is
trophic diversity and J is evenness of the
Shannon index applied to trophic levels trophic
levels with 0.1 class width.
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Productivity by Realm
Distribution of freshwater fishes by
zoogeographic realm and productivity 868
species with available data, with indication of
the approximated rmax.
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Top 10 Nearctic Fish Families
Family Common Name
Species Cyprinidae Minnows or carps 293 Perci
dae Perches 169 Catostomidae Suckers
72 Poeciliidae Poeciliids 71 Goodeidae Split
fins 52 Ictaluridae North American
freshwater catfishes 47 Salmonidae Salmonids
46 Cyprinodontidae Pupfishes
39 Atherinopsidae Neotropical silversides
38 Fundulidae Topminnows and killifishes 32
Total 55 Families
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Top 10 Palearctic Fish Families
Family Common Name Species Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps 576 Salmonidae Salmonids
154 Balitoridae River loaches 148 Cobitidae L
oaches 95 Gobiidae Gobies
94 Bagridae Bagrid catfishes
35 Sisoridae Sisorid catfishes
25 Abyssocottidae Deep-water sculpins
22 Cichlidae Cichlids 22 Cyprinodontidae Pu
pfishes 22
Total 76 Families
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Top 10 Neotropical Fish Families
Family Common Name
Species Characidae Characins 1066 Loricariida
e Armored catfishes 682 Cichlidae Cichlids
401 Rivulidae Rivulines
231 Heptapteridae Pimelodella catfishes
186 Callichthyidae Callichthyid armored
catfishes 176 Trichomycteridae Pencil or
parasitic catfishes 172 Poeciliidae Poeciliids
154 Anostomidae Headstanders
133 Curimatidae Curimata characins 98
Total 88 Families
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Top 10 Ethiopian Families
Family Common Name Species Cichlidae Cichlids
1076 Cyprinidae Minnows or carps
523 Aplocheilidae Killifishes
221 Mormyridae Elephantfishes
203 Mochokidae Squeakers or upside-down
catfishes 189 Alestiidae African tetras
110 Citharinidae Citharinid tetras
102 Bagridae Bagrid catfishes
96 Poeciliidae Poeciliids
82 Clariidae Airbreathing catfishes 76
Total 70 Families
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Top 10 Oriental Fish Families
Family Common Name Species Cyprinidae
Minnows or carps 1058 Balitoridae River
loaches 458 Gobiidae Gobies
185 Bagridae Bagrid catfishes
133 Cobitidae Loaches 105 Sisoridae Sisorid
catfishes 101 Osphronemidae Gouramies
91 Siluridae Sheatfishes
75 Akysidae Stream catfishes
36 Hemiramphidae Halfbeaks 32
Total 96 Families
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Top 10 of Australian Families
Family Common Name Species Gobiidae Gobies
108 Eleotridae Sleepers
70 Melanotaeniidae Rainbowfishes, blue eyes
67 Galaxiidae Galaxiids 41 Terapontidae Gr
unters or tigerperches 39 Ariidae Sea
catfishes 25 Atherinidae Silversides
23 Plotosidae Eeltail catfishes
23 Hemiramphidae Halfbeaks
20 Ambassidae Asiatic glassfishes 20
Total 72 Families
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Exercises

• In FishBase, select one of these lakes Malawi,
  Laguna de Bay, Lake Waccamaw
• Discuss
• realm
• climate zone
• number of species and Families
• dominant Families
• median length and median trophic level
• Percent introduced