10th International Congress of Ecology (INTECOL)
Ecology in a Changing Climate: Two Hemispheres, One Globe
Brisbane, Australia, August 16-21, 2009

 

Species invasions, environmental change and the future biogeography of freshwater fishes

Symposium Chair: Julian D. Olden

Humans have a penchant for introducing species to areas beyond their native range, giving the potential for these non-indigenous species to become biological invaders. The continuing globalization of economies and trade has greatly facilitated this process, where invasive species are spreading at unprecedented rates, crossing oceans and colonizing formerly remote regions of the world. In contrast to most terrestrial species, freshwater fishes are uniquely constrained because their ability to respond to environmental change is limited to movement defined by the connectivity of water. In recent times, however, humans have dramatically enhanced the ability of fish species to overcome these natural biogeographic barriers to movement either through intentional transport and other colonization routes created by anthropogenic activities. As a result, human-mediated species introductions have dramatically reshuffled the present-day biogeography of freshwater fishes and threaten the unique biological antiquity of many regions of the world. Speakers in this symposium will discuss the current and future challenges to conserving the biogeography of long-evolved native species in light of rapidly expanding populations of invasive species and continued global change. Seminars will focus on enhancing our knowledge of the linkages between natural and human-induced environmental change and patterns of freshwater fish biogeography at global, continental and regional scales.

PARTICIPANTS (from left to right)   Mark Kennard, Griffith University, Australia Kirk Winemiller, Texas A&M University, United States Julian Olden, University of Washington, United States Fabien Leprieur, Antenne au Muséum National d’Histoire Naturalle, France Emili García-Berthou, Universitat de Girona, Spain Pablo Tedesco, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

 

PRESENTATIONS (link to PDF containing abstracts: click here)

 

Species invasions, environmental change and the future biogeography of freshwater fishes - Julian Olden

Global-scale patterns of freshwater fish diversity: a starting point to predict future changes - Pablo Tedesco

Patterns and processes in non-native fish species richness - Fabien Leprieur

The biogeography of nowhere: Species invasions and the fading antiquity of globe fish faunas - Julian Olden

Are successful fish invasions only from species-rich into species-poor communities? Examination of evidence from three continents - Kirk Winemiller

Invasive fishes in the Iberian Peninsula: linking ecology and biogeography - Emili García-Berthou

Systematic conservation planning of eastern Australian rivers to manage and maintain bioregional variation in fish biodiversity - Mark Kennard