Impacts of Global Change on Biotic Resistance, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services in Caribbean Fish Assemblages, Fisheries, and Aquatic Ecosystems
A NCCWSC Directed Funding 2017 Project
Dates
Start Date
2018-05-11
End Date
2023-12-31
Release Date
2017
Summary
Extreme events not only affect people but can have detrimental impacts on natural resources, such as fish and freshwater habitats. Impacts of extreme events, like hurricanes, tornadoes, and extreme flooding, have immediate consequences, but also have the ability to alter habitats and animals far in the future by providing opportunities for exotic species to colonize new areas. Some fish communities in streams, rivers, and lakes may have the natural ability to resist the long-term impacts of extreme weather events. In this project, researchers will investigate the ability of Caribbean fish assemblages in Puerto Rico, which have both economic and cultural importance, to resist the impacts of extreme weather events. This information would [...]
Summary
Extreme events not only affect people but can have detrimental impacts on natural resources, such as fish and freshwater habitats. Impacts of extreme events, like hurricanes, tornadoes, and extreme flooding, have immediate consequences, but also have the ability to alter habitats and animals far in the future by providing opportunities for exotic species to colonize new areas. Some fish communities in streams, rivers, and lakes may have the natural ability to resist the long-term impacts of extreme weather events. In this project, researchers will investigate the ability of Caribbean fish assemblages in Puerto Rico, which have both economic and cultural importance, to resist the impacts of extreme weather events. This information would allow natural resource managers on the island to develop appropriate responses to these events when managing fisheries resource. Furthermore, the project scientists will determine how changes in freshwater fish over time to hurricanes and other extreme weather events will impact the services (e.g., recreational and subsistence fishing practices) the fish will provide in the future. This work will not only deliver important information to fisheries managers and the community of Puerto Rico but could also be used by managers in other island systems.
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Technical Summary
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Ecological disturbance and its impacts on organisms and ecosystems is a longstanding concept in ecology. Understanding and planning for the effects of disturbances, such as extreme weather events, on natural resources may help managers respond to the impacts of extreme events more effectively. The diversity of freshwater fish species in Puerto Rico may provide natural biotic resistance and resilience to colonization by nonnative species following disturbances; however this has not yet been studied in Caribbean island freshwater ecosystems. Puerto Rico provides an ideal study location to test this hypothesis in Caribbean fish assemblages and apply the results to other similar closed freshwater island systems. We propose to determine changes in stream and river fish assemblages over time at multiple temporal scales (e.g., seasonal, annual, decadal), examine fish assemblages and fisheries dynamics in relation to biotic resistance from exotic species invasions while relating changes to landscape (e.g., dams and reservoirs) and climate influences, project changes in fish assemblages and their ecosystem services in the future, and determine the impacts on the community and stakeholders. Through regular communication, written reports, peer-reviewed publications, and other tailored communication products, we will transfer our results to regional stakeholders to help guide strategic planning efforts. Climate change is predicted to increase the number of extreme events globally, and having a clearer understanding of the impacts of such events on natural resources will help managers develop efficient adaptation strategies and allocate resources appropriately. This work will be a collaboration among the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina State University, USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
