Morphological traits mediate fish occurrences in oil palm-impacted tropical streams

 

Land-use change is a leading driver of biodiversity loss, especially in tropical fresh waters where the conversion of natural forest to monoculture plantations impacts freshwater fish assemblages. The environmental pathways underpinning shifts in fish assemblages, however, are poorly understood, but could potentially be inferred from trait-environment relationships.
We addressed this knowledge gap using eco-morphological traits to explain fish occurrences in oil palm-impacted streams of the Endau drainage in Peninsular Malaysia. We also investigated how traits relate to differences in environmental conditions associated with land-use change. We then integrate findings from the above to test how potential pathways of land-use driven environmental changes can impact species occurrences through effects on life history, feeding habits and mobility.
Mixed-effects models show that fishes with superior (upward-facing) mouths and low body mass were more likely to occur in oil palm ...