Ebner, B.C., Lobegeiger, J., Coe, J., Balcombe, S., Latimer, D., Pickering, G., and Marshall, J.C. (2024) Climate extreme triggers cold-water community rescue. Marine and Freshwater Research, 75. MF24046.

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Abstract

Context: Mountain-top associated instream fauna with restricted ranges and limited dispersal capability are especially vulnerable to extinction under global warming and climate extremes.

Aims: Rescue and housing of multiple cold-water taxa on short timelines in reaction to extreme drought.

Methods: We undertook multi-species rescue (fishes: Gadopsis marmorata, n = 50; Galaxias olidus, n = 150; and a crayfish Euastacus sulcatus, n = 50) from the headwaters of the Condamine–Balonne catchment, temporarily holding animals in small (200 L) and large (1000 L) aquaria in single- and mixed-species contexts, at below 23°C.

Key results: Galaxias olidus was successfully kept in one of the small aquaria, but did not survive in mixed-species aquaria, partly being due to predation by other species. Euastacus sulcatus showed decreased survivorship at moulting (predation). Large Gadopsis marmorata (>100-mm total length, TL) was aggressive, whereas maintaining smaller individuals and using large aquaria served to dampen overall aggression levels.

Conclusions: Holding mixed taxa following field rescues requires attention to detail, including developmental-stage combinations within and across species, enclosure volume and availability of structure.

Implications: The simultaneous rescue of multiple co-occurring endemic taxa represents a promising aspect of research and adaptive management in the era of global climate change.

Item ID:	85446
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1448-6059
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND
Date Deposited:	13 May 2025 23:12
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3005 Fisheries sciences > 300501 Aquaculture @ 50% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4101 Climate change impacts and adaptation > 410102 Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation @ 50%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1803 Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management > 180307 Rehabilitation or conservation of fresh, ground and surface water environments @ 100%
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