Community assembly and species coexistence in Sulawesi’s stream fishes

Analysing Sulawesi’s ichthyofauna to protect the endangered ecosystem

The Wallacea hosts a unique and largely endemic animal fauna, with high degrees of endemism. Sulawesi’s ichthyofauna represents an ideal study system to shed light on the ecological factors that determine diversity and composition of freshwater fishes, and the underlying evolutionary mechanisms. We analyze stream fish assemblages across different regions on Sulawesi by employing a combination of morphology-based analyses of ecologically relevant traits and genetic analyses, and combine these with estimators for resource use. This approach sheds light on the forces governing the diversity of Sulawesi’s ichthyofauna, which, aside from scientific progress, will also help develop practical measures to conserve the endangered ecosystems of Sulawesi.