Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China
Inter-basin water transfer projects can drive ecological changes such as biological invasion, community homogenization, and ecosystem instability. However, the mechanisms governing fish community responses to water transfer remain unclear. Using environmental DNA metabarcoding, we examined species c...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002434 |
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| author | Huiguo Yan Anxiang Wang Fei Cheng Zhenhao Cheng Lei Gao Wenping He Songguang Xie |
| author_facet | Huiguo Yan Anxiang Wang Fei Cheng Zhenhao Cheng Lei Gao Wenping He Songguang Xie |
| author_sort | Huiguo Yan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inter-basin water transfer projects can drive ecological changes such as biological invasion, community homogenization, and ecosystem instability. However, the mechanisms governing fish community responses to water transfer remain unclear. Using environmental DNA metabarcoding, we examined species composition, assemblage structure, and community assembly in three water bodies along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project of China: Hongze Lake, Nansi Lake, and the terminal Shuangwangcheng Reservoir. 1610,564 OTUs were assigned to 53 species from 13 families and 6 orders. Cypriniformes dominated, comprising 71.7 % of species. Species richness was highest in July (48 species) compared to November (37 species) and February (38 species). Assemblage structures significantly differed among months (ANOSIM, R = 0.59, P = 0.00). Shuangwangcheng Reservoir’s assemblage was similar to the transferred communities, indicating IBWT-facilitated dispersal as a primary driver of fish community shifts. Fish diversity in Hongze Lake and Nansi Lake declined over two decades, from 84 to 73 species, with the loss of migratory and pollution-sensitive taxa. Community assembly was largely stochastic (NRI and NTI within null confidence intervals) but influenced by environmental filtering. Repeated annual transfers intensified stochastic processes, leading to homogenization. These findings highlight the ecological consequences of Inter-basin water transfer projects and underscore the need to consider long-term disturbances when designing and optimizing water transfer megaprojects. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-f6e4222c1f3e494dbaec38b6a7ef3ed02025-06-27T05:51:49ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942025-09-0161e03642Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, ChinaHuiguo Yan0Anxiang Wang1Fei Cheng2Zhenhao Cheng3Lei Gao4Wenping He5Songguang Xie6College of Fisheries, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, ChinaSchool of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China; Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; Corresponding author at: School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, China.School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, ChinaYangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), College of Fisheries, Southwest University, Chongqing 402460, China; Corresponding author at: College of Fisheries, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.School of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Hainan University, Haikou 570100, ChinaInter-basin water transfer projects can drive ecological changes such as biological invasion, community homogenization, and ecosystem instability. However, the mechanisms governing fish community responses to water transfer remain unclear. Using environmental DNA metabarcoding, we examined species composition, assemblage structure, and community assembly in three water bodies along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project of China: Hongze Lake, Nansi Lake, and the terminal Shuangwangcheng Reservoir. 1610,564 OTUs were assigned to 53 species from 13 families and 6 orders. Cypriniformes dominated, comprising 71.7 % of species. Species richness was highest in July (48 species) compared to November (37 species) and February (38 species). Assemblage structures significantly differed among months (ANOSIM, R = 0.59, P = 0.00). Shuangwangcheng Reservoir’s assemblage was similar to the transferred communities, indicating IBWT-facilitated dispersal as a primary driver of fish community shifts. Fish diversity in Hongze Lake and Nansi Lake declined over two decades, from 84 to 73 species, with the loss of migratory and pollution-sensitive taxa. Community assembly was largely stochastic (NRI and NTI within null confidence intervals) but influenced by environmental filtering. Repeated annual transfers intensified stochastic processes, leading to homogenization. These findings highlight the ecological consequences of Inter-basin water transfer projects and underscore the need to consider long-term disturbances when designing and optimizing water transfer megaprojects.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002434Assembly mechanismEDNAEcological impactsInter-basin water transferRepeated disturbances |
| spellingShingle | Huiguo Yan Anxiang Wang Fei Cheng Zhenhao Cheng Lei Gao Wenping He Songguang Xie Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China Global Ecology and Conservation Assembly mechanism EDNA Ecological impacts Inter-basin water transfer Repeated disturbances |
| title | Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China |
| title_full | Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China |
| title_fullStr | Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China |
| title_short | Stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China |
| title_sort | stochastic assembly process indicates high risks of water transfer on fish communities in waters along the east route of the south to north water transfer project china |
| topic | Assembly mechanism EDNA Ecological impacts Inter-basin water transfer Repeated disturbances |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989425002434 |
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