5/21/2015  |   10:30 - 10:45   |  101A

PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF FRESHWATER BIOLOGY RESEARCH IN SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES South Asian countries viz. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh decided to co-operate with each other and established the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) in the 1980's. SAARC is supposed to provide policy advice and capacity building services for its freshwater research program. Unfortunately these are not available for various reasons. South Asia is blessed with rivers, lakes, streams and ponds and research on various aspects of freshwater biology started in the 1970's. However, almost all studies are independent, there is no co-ordination and everything moves aimlessly. This must stop. Instead, there must be a common coordinated approach from the concerned countries. Coordination should begin with establishment of a South Asian Research Center on Freshwater Biology which conducts research, organizes workshop and training programs, publishes documents and provides advisory services. The Center can also coordinate research activities in South Asian countries and help exchange information among member states. The SAARC Secretariate, governments and funding agencies can help establish this Center.

Achuthan Nair (Primary Presenter/Author), Environmental Resources Research Center (ERRC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, tvm2013@hotmail.com;

5/21/2015  |   10:45 - 11:00   |  101A

FRESHWATER RESEARCH IN MALAYSIA Despite publication of Yule and Yong (2004) Freshwater Invertebrates of the Malaysian Region, studies of Malaysian freshwaters are still uncommon. Most local research involves pollution studies and biodiversity surveys despite paucity of taxonomic research (relatively few invertebrate species are described). Our research focuses on ecosystem function of: tropical peatswamps; streams in different forest types (e.g. dipterocarp, heath, limestone, montane); and urban streams, particularly through studies of litter decomposition and food webs. We use Next Generation Sequencing to study microbial metagenomics, DNA barcoding and phylogenomics. We participate in world-wide collaborations comparing tropical vs temperate aquatic ecosystem processes, and have made novel discoveries regarding ecosystem functioning, microbial ecology and new species (e.g. aquatic microbes, algae, insects). Regional peatswamps are of global importance due to immense carbon sequestration (in peat up to 25 m deep). Ongoing peatswamp destruction by logging, drainage and fire – mostly for oil palm plantations –causes carbon releases >10% of world fossil fuel emissions. Understanding ecosystem processes involved in peat formation, degradation and carbon emissions is vital for the protection and rehabilitation of peatswamps and mitigation of climate change.

CATHERINE YULE (Primary Presenter/Author), Monash University Malaysia, catherine.yule@monash.edu;

5/21/2015  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  101A

STREAM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF TAIWAN: RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT The monsoon rainfall and flashy hydrology characterize streams in Taiwan. Mountain streams are prone to erosion and land slide. This review primarily summarizes papers of Taiwan stream ecology published in SCI journals in the last decade. Masu salmon conservation led the development of stream ecological research in Taiwan. Fish, macroinvertebrates, and algal ecology were studied. Among taxa, fish was paid more attention. Ecohydrology studies were driven by widespread engineering structures in streams and environmental awareness. Bioassessment and biogeochemistry, major topics in western countries, were paid little attention in Taiwan. Future studies may emphasize life history of aquatic organisms, ecology of migratory fauna, ecohydrology, impacts of climate change, biogeochemistry, and bioassessment.

Yi-Kuang Wang (Primary Presenter/Author), Department of Ecoscience and Ecotechnology, National Unviersity of Tainan, Tainan City, Taiwan, ykwang@mail.nutn.edu.tw;


Jian-Ping Suen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan, jpsuen@mail.ncku.edu.tw;

5/21/2015  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  101A

STATUS AND TREND OF FRESHWATER BIOLOGY IN THAILAND Since the Earth Summit in 1992, there was the increasing interested in biodiversity in Thailand. Biodiversity and conservation is one strategy of government policy. The flora and fauna were studied in many habitats. In freshwater, algae, benthic diatom, amphibians, fishes and aquatic insects have been studied. More than 500 species of algae and benthic diatom, 500 species of zooplankton, 176 species of amphibians were recorded. Among aquatic insects, trichopteran (998 species) was the most well studied under collaboration of Thai and Austrian institutes. Ephemeropteran (54 genera), plecopteran (60 species) and heteropteran (314 species) were also got more interested than other insects. More than 50% of species list were new to science and many species remained undescribed. The developing on a biotic index of macroinvertebrates to assess water quality was successful. Molecular techniques are likely to be a useful tool to help difficulty in identification and to associate between larvae and adults of aquatic insects. Moreover, the study in ecotoxicology as biomarker for pollution will be more important in the future. Collaboration between researchers and international experts are need.

Narumon Sangpradub (POC,Primary Presenter), Khon Kaen University, narumon@kku.ac.th;


Chutima Hanjavanit (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Khon Kaen University, chuhan@kku.ac.th;

5/21/2015  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  101A

DISTRIBUTION AND GENETIC STRUCTURE OF FRESHWATER TELEOSTS IN THE KOREAN PENINSULA: INTERACTION BETWEEN HISTORICAL AND HUMAN-MEDIATED PROCESSES The Korean Peninsula was never completely covered by ice sheets during the multiple episodes of glaciation, and therefore served as refuge for many freshwater species. Major rivers head west and south emptying into the Yellow Sea and Korean Strait, respectively, and there are many short eastern-flowing rivers along the east coast. Western- and southern-flowing rivers have likely created confluences with the Yellow River in China, whereas eastern-flowing rivers likely had confluences with the Amur River in Russia during the climatic fluctuations of the Pleistocene epoch. The contemporary distribution and genetic structure of freshwater species may provide insight into historical signature of geodispersal processes and geographical isolation. Here, I present molecular studies exploring cryptic diversity and population structure of freshwater teleosts in the Korean Peninsula and confirming the previous claims of historical colonization events. These studies also highlighted that anthropogenic perturbation and invasion have altered the partitioning of genetic variation, upsetting the historical processes over short time-scales. Finally, I propose specific management planning at the site and species level for integrating historical and human-mediated processes.

Ho Young Suk (Primary Presenter/Author), Yeungnam University, hsuk@ynu.ac.kr;

5/21/2015  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  101A

DEVELOPMENT OF MACROINVERTEBRATE INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY (M-IBI) FOR LARGE RIVER BIOASSESSMENT: A PILOT WORK IN SONGHUA RIVER, CHINA The index of biotic integrity (IBI) is the most widely used multi-metric index to assess the ecosystem health. However, development of IBI for large river lags far behind that for wadeble streams and has been mainly focused on fish assemblages. We developed a macroinvertebrate index and assessed the relative condition of Songhua River, the third largest river in China. In 2012 and 2013, the survey was conducted twice (May and September) per year at 33 raftable sites on the mainstream and tributaries of Songhua River. Macroinvertebrates were sampled with a standardized level of effort with artificial substrate, and water chemistry and habitat data were collected at the same time. Of 35 potential metrics considered, 6 core metrics were finally chosen: EPT taxa richness, percent sensitive taxa, percent Facultative taxa, Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI), ASPT and Marglef index. According to the results, the macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (M-IBI) was both sensitive to differences in water pollution index and habitat score. For the entire dataset, the least-impacted sites had significantly higher mean scores than the other site classifications.

Li Li (Primary Presenter/Author), Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, li.li81@hotmail.com;


Yeyao Wang (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, yeyaowang@163.com;


Tingliang Liu (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, liutl@cnemc.cn;


Lusan Liu (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, liuls@craes.org.cn;