Functional Traits For Fish Biodiversity Assessment Offer New Opportunity In Conservation

An interesting idea put forward by a research study has redefined the ways biodiversity assessment may be taken up in future.

Traditionally, biodiversity of a place is determined by identifying number of different species or “species richness” as the basis global diversity pattern since the times of Darwin and Linnaeus. This has also constituted as the biological basis for management of threatened ecosystems.

However, a  study conducted by a global team studying reef fishes has revealed that by considering a species’ role in an ecosystem and the number of  individuals within a species, new hot spots of biodiversity can be identified.

The study, led by Dr. Rick Stuart-Smith of the University ofTasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, includes researchers, Jon Lefcheck and Professor Emmett Duffy of the Virginia Institute of MarineSciences, and scientists from Spain, and researchers from other places.

The study is based on information collected through the Reef Life Survey program, which is a “citizen science” initia­tive developed in Tasmania. The RLS program operates worldwide training recreational SCUBA divers to survey numbers of reef animals and supporting their research endeavors.

Over 100 dedicated divers have contributed to the project by looking at ecological patterns and processes impossible for scientific dive teams to cover.

As pointed out by Lefcheck, counting species is a really coarse way of understanding diversity. Gathering information, instead, on other animal’s traits—what they eat, how they move, where they live— can provide understanding of their dissimilarity, the very essence of diversity.

The study provides a fresh look at biodiversity assessment. Unlike biodiversity censuses which count species, collecting information on species role in ecosys­tems, which needs to know, how abundant they are and what they’re doing, is difficult to get.

The study is based on analysis of data from 4,357 standardized surveys, spanned over 133 degrees of latitude finding 2,473 different species of fish by RLS divers at 1,844 coral and rocky reef sites worldwide. This study is claimed to the first comprehensive study with new approach, and this  undoubtedly offers a different perspective of global diversity map.

The research team noted how the members of each of these species make a living, using a detailed matrix of “functional traits”,  which included what the fishes eat (plankton, inver­tebrates, algae, other fish, or a combination), how they eat (browsing, scraping, or predation), where they live (in, on, or near the bottom or free-swimming), weather active at night or during the day, and how gregarious they are (solitary, paired, or schooling).

By determining the biology and ecology of these fishes—noting what they do and how they do it—alters hotspots of diversity. Though coral reefs are the most species-rich habitats on earth, the trait-based view identifies new areas where the diversity of ways in which fishes function is even higher.

The study reveals that functional biodiversity is highest in places like the Galápagos with only moderate species counts, whereas functional biodiversity is low in many classical hotspots with high species counts, such as the iconic coral triangle of the west Pacific.

It is interesting to note that in coral reefs having lots of species, many are doing largely the same thing, whereas in temperate reefs with many fewer species, species tend to spread individuals out among species doing different things.

The study findings have important implications for planning and management, because incorporating information on func­tional traits into monitoring programs will add an extra dimension and greater ecological relevance to global efforts to manage and conserve marine biodi­versity.

Protect Spiders:They Are Beautiful And Useful

There are different life forms around us, and our reactions to each of them is different, depending upon their known importance and our understanding and perception about them.

Those forms which serve as our food, are source of medicines, and provide materials of economic importance are always in demand, while other forms according to general perception of people have attached tales of being harmful, dangerous and poisonous. Still others arise feelings of amusement, awe, dislike, even animosity leading to their killing at first sight.

It is likely that a spider sighted hopping on the floor, dangling on its web, or hiding behind the door, lead to its smashing with the newspaper roll, or sucking by the vacuum cleaner. Parents instead of  inducing fear against spiders may start teaching their children love and respect for spiders as marvellous creatures.

An unknown species of spider

Spiders are a class of not very much understood creatures, and are important to our ecosystem, for they greatly help in keeping in control insects populations. An unwanted spider in the home is only protecting us from mosquitoes, flies and other pests. But this does not reduce their importance as creatures of great value to the ecosystem. 

The most fascinating behaviour of their life is their predatory behaviour and the multiple means to catch their prey. Some spiders jump and catch their prey, others silently attack their prey, still others spin fascinating variety of webs to catch, and then prey on their victims.

A variety  of Tarantulla sp.

Spiders are a group of Arthropods, invertebrates with jointed legs, but unlike insects which have six legs, spiders belong to the group called arachnids which have eight legs. The other close relatives of spiders are scorpions, ticks and mites.

Spiders are ubiquitous, and are found in all continents except Antarctica. There are some 40000 species of spiders, with high order of diversity as a result of their adaptability to different ecosystems.

A closer look of spiders' body show colourful combination of  bright colours.  Their bodies are divisible into a head and abdomen, the abdomen is plump. Most spiders have eight eyes,  and feel vibrations with the help of tiny hairs on their legs. 

Spiders are good jumpers, runners, spinners. There are web-weaving and non-web weaving spiders. The weaving types are: garden spider, water spider, cobweb spider, brown recluse, black widow, funnel weaver, nursery spider.

The example of non-weaving types are: wolf spider, crab spider, tarantula, jumping spider, trapdoor spider, sac spider.

Some species spin symmetrical orb webs which reflects their great intuitive ability to design and position traps in locations that can fetch better catch.

Spiders blood is light blue and fills all empty spaces in the body to provide it shape, blood provides stiffness to legs to help in walking. 

As spiders grow they molt several times, shedding old skin and grow in new one; they molt several times before they become adult. The average life span of a spider is one year, but tarantullas can live longer.

Spiders feed on small and large insects depending upon their size; tarantulas can feed on mice, lizards and birds. Most tarantulas pose no risk to humans, the largest tarantula is known as the Goliath Birdeater. The giant Huntsman spiders has total span of legs up to 30 centi meters.

APP Released to Promote East Indies Fishes Among Masses

​​ The US based agency Conservation International (CI) has announced the release of  the “Reef Fishes Of The East Indies” mobile app, a digital guide to every known reef fish species in the most biodiverse region on the planet, based on the book of the same title.

The objective is sharing  knowledge on reef fish of the region which is of great value to the regions biodiversity. This app will increase motivation and momentum for conservation to ensure that the region’s species and their delicate ecosystems are allowed to stay balance.

Maintaining this natural capital is key to the region’s important tourism industry, and other ecosystem services the ocean provides the people.

The comprehensive guide  includes over 2,500 reef fishes of which 25 species are new to science. It summarizes 60 years of research and exploration and brings greater understanding and valuation of the immense biodiversity of reef fish in the East Indies.

The scientist authors, Mark Erdmann and Gerry Allen, have spent much of their lives at sea discovering, studying and conserving some of the most rare and beautiful fish in the world. The proceeds of this CI produced app will support CI Indonesia’s marine conservation program.

Designed for iPad and Kindle Fire, the app "Reef Fishes of the East Indies" enables users to use it at sea, with no internet connection. The app contains many useful and interactive features including search, note-taking and drawing features, detailed entries for each species, and photo-sharing by e-mail and social media.

A perfect digital guide for divers and nature lovers to use in the office, school, home or out on the open sea, it was originally created as a book but later made into an app to bring this information to the masses in an easy to access, transportable format.

The coverage area of the app includes the Coral Triangle (including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands) which alone boasts 37% of the world’s coral reef fish species.

It covers all shallow-water (0-75m) reef-associated fish species known from the region, including both obligate reef dwellers and those that are commonly observed passing through reef areas or in the soft bottom areas just adjacent to reefs.

From the majestic manta ray (Manta birostris) to the gorgeous, jewel-like mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus), with 2,655 species in over 3,000 Retina Display/High Definition photos, the sheer quantity of content is split between three volumes for iPad that link together seamlessly, so you can move instantly between one volume and another.

Organized by Classification, Family, and Species, the app will be regularly updated to keep up with the scientists’ new discoveries. Scientists have very recently found a new species of “walking” Bamboo Shark (Hemiscyllium halmahera) in the waters off the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.