Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding
Since 2017, a fishing ban in the Chishui River (China) has reduced human disturbances, yet the early-stage recovery of fish resources remains unquantified. Here, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess fish diversity and restoration status across its upper, middle, and lower reac...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/6/279 |
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| author | Jing Gao Jing Zhang Chengrong Pan Sheng Xu Yajie Wu Wei Lv Min Hong Yuxin Hu Yingru Wang |
| author_facet | Jing Gao Jing Zhang Chengrong Pan Sheng Xu Yajie Wu Wei Lv Min Hong Yuxin Hu Yingru Wang |
| author_sort | Jing Gao |
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| description | Since 2017, a fishing ban in the Chishui River (China) has reduced human disturbances, yet the early-stage recovery of fish resources remains unquantified. Here, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess fish diversity and restoration status across its upper, middle, and lower reaches. An analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed higher unique than shared OTUs among reaches, indicating significant spatial partitioning of fish communities. The upper reaches exhibited the highest diversity due to reduced human activity, attributed to greater species richness, while the middle and lower reaches showed similar community structures. Key findings include the following: (1) the detection of rare endemic species (<i>Schizothorax</i>) and non-native <i>Oreochromis</i> DNA, suggesting invasion risks; (2) the investigation revealed a predominance of small-bodied fish species, indicating that large-bodied fish populations in the Chishui River (China) remained relatively scarce; (3) the recovery of demersal fish DNA from surface waters, confirming eDNA’s broad detection capacity. The results indicate that the fishing ban has contributed to the partial recovery of the fish community in the Chishui River (China). However, risks of biological invasion (e.g., <i>Oreochromis</i> species) remain, and large-bodied fish are still relatively scarce. To ensure effective conservation, it is critical to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of the fishing ban’s effectiveness and implement timely measures to prevent invasive species proliferation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7ce803bbffe94e9ab86884a9f505f68b |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2410-3888 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Fishes |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ce803bbffe94e9ab86884a9f505f68b2025-06-25T13:49:43ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882025-06-0110627910.3390/fishes10060279Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) MetabarcodingJing Gao0Jing Zhang1Chengrong Pan2Sheng Xu3Yajie Wu4Wei Lv5Min Hong6Yuxin Hu7Yingru Wang8Changjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Changjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Administration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Wuhan 430010, ChinaChangjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Changjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Administration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Wuhan 430010, ChinaAnhui Province Eco-Environmental Monitoring Center, Hefei 230071, ChinaAnhui Province Eco-Environmental Monitoring Center, Hefei 230071, ChinaThe Technology Innovation Center for Hydrowindphotovoltaic Integration Engineering of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650214, ChinaJiangxia District Branch of Wuhan Ecological Environment Bureau, Wuhan 430010, ChinaJiangxia District Branch of Wuhan Ecological Environment Bureau, Wuhan 430010, ChinaChangjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Monitoring and Scientific Research Center, Changjiang Basin Ecology and Environment Administration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Wuhan 430010, ChinaSchool of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, ChinaSince 2017, a fishing ban in the Chishui River (China) has reduced human disturbances, yet the early-stage recovery of fish resources remains unquantified. Here, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess fish diversity and restoration status across its upper, middle, and lower reaches. An analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed higher unique than shared OTUs among reaches, indicating significant spatial partitioning of fish communities. The upper reaches exhibited the highest diversity due to reduced human activity, attributed to greater species richness, while the middle and lower reaches showed similar community structures. Key findings include the following: (1) the detection of rare endemic species (<i>Schizothorax</i>) and non-native <i>Oreochromis</i> DNA, suggesting invasion risks; (2) the investigation revealed a predominance of small-bodied fish species, indicating that large-bodied fish populations in the Chishui River (China) remained relatively scarce; (3) the recovery of demersal fish DNA from surface waters, confirming eDNA’s broad detection capacity. The results indicate that the fishing ban has contributed to the partial recovery of the fish community in the Chishui River (China). However, risks of biological invasion (e.g., <i>Oreochromis</i> species) remain, and large-bodied fish are still relatively scarce. To ensure effective conservation, it is critical to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of the fishing ban’s effectiveness and implement timely measures to prevent invasive species proliferation.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/6/279Chishui Riverfish diversityenvironmental DNAmetabarcodinginvasive speciesfish size reduction |
| spellingShingle | Jing Gao Jing Zhang Chengrong Pan Sheng Xu Yajie Wu Wei Lv Min Hong Yuxin Hu Yingru Wang Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding Fishes Chishui River fish diversity environmental DNA metabarcoding invasive species fish size reduction |
| title | Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding |
| title_full | Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding |
| title_fullStr | Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding |
| title_short | Assessing Fish Diversity in the Chishui River Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding |
| title_sort | assessing fish diversity in the chishui river using environmental dna edna metabarcoding |
| topic | Chishui River fish diversity environmental DNA metabarcoding invasive species fish size reduction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/6/279 |
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