Modeling ecosystem impacts of the invasive Japanese smelt Hypomesus nipponensis in Lake Erhai, southwestern China

In this study we report changes in Indian summer monsoon (ISM) intensity during the past ~ 3500 yr inferred from proxy indices at Lake Erhai, southwestern China. Both the pollen concentrations and other proxy indices, including sediment grain size, total organic carbon contents (TOC), and elemental contents (e.g., Fe, Al), clearly indicate a long term decreasing trend in ISM intensity over the late Holocene. During the period from approximately AD 750 to AD 1200, pollen concentrations of conifer and broadleaf trees, and herbs reached the lowest levels over the past ~ 3500 yr; while the pollen percentages of both herbs and broadleaf trees increased, suggesting a significant medieval drought. The grain size, TOC, and elemental contents also support an arid climate during the medieval period. The Little Ice Age (LIA) at Lake Erhai was characterized as cold and wet. The medieval and LIA climatic patterns at Lake Erhai were similar to those over most of the ISM areas, but anti-phase with those over East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) areas. We suspect that sea surface temperature variations in the Indo-Pacific oceans and the related land-sea thermal contrasts may be responsible for such hydroclimatic differences between EASM and ISM areas.

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The Holocene vegetation history of Lake Erhai, Yunnan province southwestern China: the role of climate and human forcings

The Holocene ◽

10.1191/0959683606hl923rp ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 265-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 113

Author(s):

Ji Shen ◽

Richard T. Jones ◽

Xiangdong Yang ◽

John A. Dearing ◽

Sumin Wang

Keyword(s):

Yunnan Province ◽

Vegetation History ◽

Southwestern China ◽

The Holocene ◽

History Of ◽

Lake Erhai

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Fish Assemblage Shift after Japanese Smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis McAllister, 1963) Invasion in Lake Erhai, a Subtropical Plateau Lake in China

Water ◽

10.3390/w13131800 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 1800

Author(s):

Chengjie Yin ◽

Yushun Chen ◽

Longgen Guo ◽

Leyi Ni

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblage ◽

Native Species ◽

Crucian Carp ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Invasive Fish ◽

Catch Per Unit Effort ◽

Topmouth Gudgeon ◽

Lake Erhai ◽

Plateau Lake ◽

Japanese Smelt

The introduction of non-native fish species is known to have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems, but their effect on plateau lakes is not well studied. In this study, we examined the effect of the Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis) invasion on the fish assemblage in Lake Erhai, a subtropical plateau lake in southwestern China. Through cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), we found a significant fish assemblage shift: the population of sharpbelly (Hemiculter leucisculus) fell by 67% in catch per unit effort (CPUE) from 2.262 to 0.741; topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva) fell by 52% from 0.61 to 0.29; and icefish (Neosalanx taihuensis) plummeted by 88% from 0.736 to 0.088. Meanwhile, the numbers for crucian carp (Carassius auratus) improved by almost 185% from 1.82 to 3.36. A Pearson correlation analysis showed that these four species significantly correlated with the invasion of the Japanese smelt: sharpbelly (−0.71), topmouth gudgeon (−0.71), icefish (−0.62), and crucian carp (0.81). This study documented the expansion of invasive fish and their effects on native species over time, thus providing a case study of invasive fish as well as a theoretical basis for further research into interspecies interactions.

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Phosphorus speciation in the sediment profile of Lake Erhai, southwestern China: Fractionation and 31P NMR

Journal of Environmental Sciences ◽

10.1016/s1001-0742(12)60163-6 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 1124-1130 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Runyu Zhang ◽

Liying Wang ◽

Fengchang Wu ◽

Baoan Song

Keyword(s):

31P Nmr ◽

Southwestern China ◽

Phosphorus Speciation ◽

Sediment Profile ◽

Lake Erhai

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Reconstruction of maximum temperature on Zhegu Mountain, western Sichuan Plateau (China)

Climate Research ◽

10.3354/cr01606 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

M Keyimu ◽

Z Li ◽

Y Zhao ◽

Y Dong ◽

B Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Growth ◽

Ring Width ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Southwestern China ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Driving Mechanism ◽

Western Sichuan ◽

Relationship Analysis ◽

Decadal Scale ◽

Thermal Variability

Historical temperature reconstructions at high altitudes are still insufficient in southwestern China, which is considered one of the most sensitive areas to climate change in the world. Here we developed a tree ring-width chronology of Faxon fir Abies fargesii var. faxoniana at the upper timber line on Zhegu Mountain, Miyaluo Scenic Area, western Sichuan, China. The climate-tree growth relationship analysis indicated temperature as the dominant regulator on radial tree growth in this region. The reconstruction of aggregated maximum temperature (TMX) of autumn and winter for the period 1856-2016 was achieved with a linear regression model that accounted for 43.6% of the actual variability in the common time series (1954-2016). The reconstruction identified 4 warm periods and 3 cold periods. Similarities of warm and cold periods with previously published reconstructions from nearby sites indicated the reliability of our reconstruction. The significant positive correlation between TMX reconstruction and the Asian-Pacific Oscillation index and the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation index suggested a linkage between large-scale climate circulations and the thermal variability at a multi-decadal scale on the western Sichuan Plateau. We also found that solar activity exerted a strong influence on decadal temperature variability in this region. The cold periods were matched well with historical large volcanic eruptions. Our results strengthen the historical climatic information in southwestern China and contribute to further understanding the regional thermal variability as well as its driving mechanism.

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