Session No.1
Investigating the biogeography of freshwater fishes of Asia
Convenors: Dr. Yahui Zhao (zhaoyh@ioz.ac.cn), Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Larry M. Page, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
The distributions of freshwater fishes in Asia are the results of major geological and climatic changes throughout the Cenozoic era, as well as ecological consequences of human impacts including deforestation, hydrological modifications, and introductions of non-native species. This symposium will investigate our current understanding of the natural distributions of fishes and how historic and present-day interactions of abiotic and biotic factors affect distributions and survival of native fishes.
Session No.2
Exploring the diverse roles of fish parasites in taxonomy, evolution and ecological interactions
Convenors: Dr. Ryota Hasegawa (ryotahase344922@gmail.com), University of Otago, New Zealand; Prof. Hiroki Hata (hata.hiroki.mk@ehime-u.ac.jp), Ehime University, Japan; Dr. Hsuan-Wien Chen (chen7@g.ncyu.edu.tw), National Chiayi University, Taiwan; Dr. Yu-Rong Cheng (yrcheng@nkust.edu.tw), National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Fish parasites, despite their small size, have a significant impact. Their interactions with fish hosts have profoundly influenced evolution, involving dynamics like arms races and co-adaptation. Taxonomically, fish parasites provide insights into historical connections, migration patterns, and ecological niches. Examining their diversity and distribution can reveal fish host migration routes, genetic stocks, and complex phylogenetic relationships. Ecologically, fish parasites regulate population dynamics, as heavy infestations can reduce host survival, reproduction, and growth. They interact with other organisms within the host, shaping entire ecosystems. Importantly, parasites play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. They can threaten endangered species through disease outbreaks or serve as early-warning indicators of ecosystem health. This session will explore the multifaceted roles of fish parasites and their complex interactions with their fish hosts.
Session No.3
Choral reefs: fish communication
Convenors: Dr. Marine Banse (mbanse@doct.uliege.be) and Prof. Eric Parmentier (E.Parmentier@uliege.be), Laboratoire de Morphologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Institut de Chimie, Université de Liège, Belgium
Abstract: Acoustic communication in fish has first long been considered an intriguing curiosity, albeit entertaining to study. However, in recent years, it has garnered recognition and established itself as a scientific discipline. In the realm of coral reefs, numerous studies consistently identify new vocal species, discuss the utilization of sounds in various types of social interactions, and offer suggestions on how scientists might use these novel data types to understand reef ecosystems. The Indo Pacific Fish Conference (IPFC) in Taiwan will feature a special session dedicated to fish acoustic communication, covering a wide range of subjects such as ethology, morphology, conservation, physiology, and ecology.
Session No.4
Diadromous fishes: biodiversity, life traits and conservation
Convenors: Dr. Clara Lord (clara.lord@mnhn.fr) & Philippe Keith (philippe.keith@mnhn.fr), BioPAC, French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)
In the Indo-Pacific area, river systems are colonised by freshwater species with a life cycle adapted to the conditions in these distinctive habitats. Fish are migratory (diadromous) and alternate between freshwater and saltwater according to their life cycle. Two main categories are known: the amphidromous species spawn in freshwaters, the free embryos drift generally downstream to the sea (with exceptions) where they undergo a planktonic phase, before returning to rivers to grow and reproduce (Gobioids, Galaxiids, Plecoglossus, etc) and the catadromous species where fish spend the majority of their life in freshwater and migrate to saltwater to reproduce (eels, kuhliids, etc). For some of them there was only scant knowledge of the practical details of their biological cycle and the parameters leading to this evolution, and these species contribute most to the diversity of fish communities in the Indo-Pacific with a high level of endemism. At certain times of the year, the biomass of fish larvae migrating upstream is so great that they become a major source of food for local human populations. However, harvesting this food resource is highly unsustainable, on account of the complexity of the species’ life cycle. The aim of the special session is to update our knowledge on biodiversity (taxonomy), life traits, management and conservation of these fascinating fishes.
Session No.5
Resilience and sensitivity of fishes to climate change and environmental stressors: from genes to ecosystems
Convenors: Prof. Ivan Nagelkerken (ivan.nagelkerken@adelaide.edu.au); Mr. Angus Mitchell, Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, Australia; Prof. Timothy Ravasi (timothy.ravasi@oist.jp), Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan; Dr. Yung-Che Tseng (yctseng@gate.sinica.edu.tw), Associate Research Fellow of Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Prof. Vincent Laudet, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan (vincent.laudet@oist.jp)
Environmental and climatic stressors are set to reshuffle life on Earth and alter ecological processes that underpin the biodiversity, health, productivity, and resilience of aquatic ecosystems. Marine, estuarine, and freshwater fishes contribute significantly to global biodiversity and are strong mediators of local processes that maintain ecosystem functioning. The effects of environmental change on aquatic ecosystems are extensive, affecting the intricate molecular mechanisms within individual organisms as well as the large-scale ecological dynamics. They stretch across various levels of biological organisation, such as genomes, cells, tissues, organs, individuals, species interactions, community, landscape, ecosystem and biogeographic levels, with effects at one level often eliciting responses at other levels of biological organisation. This session concentrates on the integration of cutting-edge analytical approaches with field-based ecological studies to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic and climate stressors on fishes at various biological scales. Topics and approaches include: genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, isotomics, paleobiology, organ-specific and developmental responses, phenotypic plasticity, ecological traits, community change, species range extensions, modelling approaches, meta-analysis, and studies using natural analogues of climate change. These talks will contribute to useful discussions and insights on how we can more broadly assess the effects of environmental change on fishes at various scales of biological organisation, from genes to ecosystems. Such a holistic synthesis is needed for a better understanding of how fishes and their surroundings might respond or adapt to the multi-stressor effects of a future world. Our objective is to offer a comprehensive session of the interconnections between fish genomics, physiology, ecology, and behaviour in the context of climatic and environmental change by combining field observations with state-of-the-art analytical techniques in the laboratory across various biological levels of organization and time scales.
Session No.6
Charting the Future of Indo-Pacific Shark and Ray Research and Conservation: Emerging Trends, Critical Needs, Practical Solutions
Convenors: Dr. Andrew Chin (andrew.chin@jcu.edu.au), James Cook University Australia; Dr. Neil Hutchinson (neil.hutchinson@jcu.edu.au), James Cook University Singapore; Dr. Fabienne Ziadi-Künzli (fabienne.ziadi@oist.jp), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology; Dr. Hollie Booth (hollie.booth@biology.ox.ac.uk), Oxford University; Dr. Kerstin Glaus (kerstin.glaus@usp.ac.fj), University of the South Pacific, Fiji.
Sharks and rays are the most imperilled group of vertebrates on the planet with over one-third of species threatened with extinction. The Indo-Pacific region holds incredible shark and ray biodiversity, with high levels of endemism and a high proportion of endangered species. However, the region also has the world’s largest shark and ray fisheries, and trade characteristics which often involve complex challenges of high demand, diverse fisheries, diverse cultures, poverty and livelihoods, and limited research capacity and resources. This symposium will bring together regional experts from various fields to highlight emerging issues and new research to understand these issues and the species they affect, and importantly, to showcase research and conservation projects that can address these issues and deliver tangible outcomes. Speakers and session participants will also be challenged to provide clear, tractable solutions to address the issues identified, and to prepare a collaborative document that charts the future of shark and ray conservation in the Indo-Pacific.
Session No.7
Gateway to the Past: Fish fossils and otoliths of the Indo-Pacific and their relation to fish biodiversity in time and space
Convenors: Dr. Chien-Hsiang Lin (chlin.otolith@gmail.com), Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Dr. Yu-Jia Lin (yjlin888@mail.nsysu.edu.tw), Institute of Marine Ecology and Conservation, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan; Dr. Laszlo Kocsis (laszlo.kocsis@unil.ch), Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Dr. Tomáš Přikryl (prikryl@gli.cas.cz), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology, Czech Republic; Dr. Dominique Mediodia (dpmediodia@up.edu.ph), Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, University of the Philippines Visayas, Philippines; Prof. Jen-Chieh Shiao (jcshiao@ntu.edu.tw), Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University; Dr. Hua-Hsun Hsu (hsuhuahsun@yahoo.com.tw), Coastal Fishery Research Center, Fisheries Research Institute, MOA, Taiwan.
Interest in fish fossils from the Indo-Pacific has grown significantly over the past decade, with numerous Neogene and Quaternary specimens being described. This region, once considered scarce in fossil records, is now recognized as a promising area for enhanced efforts and further research across various localities. On the other hand, otolith studies have a long history of application and can provide rich information about fish history also in time and space. This session will highlight the rich diversity of Indo-Pacific fish fossils and their extant relatives, offering insights into how fish communities have responded to key geological and environmental events. Our goal is to provide an international platform for the (paleo)ichthyologists and enthusiasts to discuss and identify the key factors driving the distribution and dynamics of fish faunas over geological timescales. We welcome contributions on fish systematics, evolutionary biology, paleoecology, aquatic geochemistry, and new paleontological and sclerochonorlogical research techniques.
Session no. 8
Coral Reef Fishes as models for Eco-Evo-Devo
Convenors: Prof Fabio Cortesi (The university of Queensland, Australia); Prof Celia Schunter (Hong-Kong University, China); Prof Vincent Laudet, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan and Academia Sinica, Taiwan); Dr Roger Huerliman (OIST, Japan); Prof. Bruno Frederich (University of Liege, Belgium)
This symposium on Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Eco-Evo-Devo) at the next Indo-Pacific Fish Conference will provide a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of ecology, evolution, and development in marine fish. This modern synthesis reunites evolution and development (Evo-Devo), traditionally focused on the origins of evolutionary novelty, but it introduces a critical missing piece: the influence of ecology on developmental processes. Eco-Evo-Devo integrates key concepts such as developmental symbiosis, developmental plasticity, genetic accommodation or niche construction, offering a richer understanding of the evolutionary process.
The Indo-Pacific region, with its highly complex and dynamic coral reef environments, offers many excellent fish models for studying these processes. By integrating Eco-Evo-Devo with marine biology, we can gain crucial insights into the resilience of Indo-Pacific fishes to climate change and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding how ecological factors interact with developmental mechanisms will help us address pressing conservation challenges in the region and beyond. This symposium will bridge the gap between ecologists and developmental biologists, fostering a new evolutionary synthesis and promoting collaborations that will shape the future of marine biology research.