Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse1 and important for livelihoods and economic development2, but are under substantial stress3. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods4,5 are used to guide environmental policy6 and conservation prioritization7, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors8, 9, 10, 11, 12-13. However, there is evidence14, 15, 16-17 that such data are insufficient to represent the needs of freshwater species and achieve biodiversity goals18,19. Here we present the results of a multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans, fishes and odonates, finding that one-quarter are threatened with extinction. Prevalent threats include pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture and invasive species, with overharvesting also driving extinctions. We also examined the degree of surrogacy of both threatened tetrapods and freshwater abiotic factors (water stress and nitrogen) for threatened freshwater species. Threatened tetrapods are good surrogates when prioritizing sites to maximize rarity-weighted richness, but poorer when prioritizing based on the most range-restricted species. However, they are much better surrogates than abiotic factors, which perform worse than random. Thus, although global priority regions identified for tetrapod conservation are broadly reflective of those for freshwater faunas, given differences in key threats and habitats, meeting the needs of tetrapods cannot be assumed sufficient to conserve freshwater species at local scales.
Wearable sensors are the development trend in the future iteration of medical devices, in which, flexible tem-perature sensors with high resolution, fast response speed, and good reliability under deformations, are one of the much important devices. In this study, a nano multilayer sensing structured fiber temperature sensor is fabricated via in situ coating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and chitosan (CS) on the surface of stretchable polyurethane fiber (PF) by a layer-by-layer self-assembly method. The introduction of CS not only enhances the temperature sensitivity (with a temperature coefficient of -1.379 %.degrees C-1 in the range of 30-60 degrees C) of the rGO-based fiber sensors but also greatly increases the mechanical stability of the nanofibrous membrane. Most importantly, the fiber-shaped temperature sensor shows a fast response time (2.4 s) and recovery time (3.9 s) to temperature. Moreover, the sensor achieves a high temperature resolution of 0.1 degrees C. Made from a simple and low-cost process, the fiber-like devices can be easily integrated into items such as gloves or face masks to monitor the real-time temperature changes. The results demonstrate the great potential of rGO-based fiber sensors for applications in human healthcare monitoring.
Background:The spiny eel genus Sinobdella belongs to the family Mastacembelidae of the order Synbranchiformes. Kottelat and Lim (1994) utilised Rhynchobdellasinensis as the type species to propose the genus. Currently, it contains a single species widespread in eastern and southern China and northern Vietnam. New information:Sinobdellalongitubulus, a new species of spiny eel, is here described from the Xi-Jiang of the Zhu-Jiang Basin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. It differs from the single congeneric species S.sinensis in having a more or less white-brown reticulated pattern on the flank, two tubular anterior nostrils longer than or equal to the rostral appendage, an anal fin heavily mottled with dark brown markings and white spots and bearing a narrow white distal margin; shorter pre-anal length; and fewer abdominal vertebrae. The validity of this new species is corroborated by its monophyly recovered in a COI gene-based phylogenetic analysis and its significant sequence divergence with S.sinensis. A note on the type locality of S.sinensis is also given; its type specimen is possibly from mountain streams of Jiangxi Province, in the lower Chang-Jiang Basin.
Human economic activities severely threaten freshwater fish biodiversity in different river basins. Trade makes the impact more mysterious and complex and confounds local efforts to protect freshwater biodiversity. To investigate the relationship between trade and freshwater fishes, we developed a river-basin economic transaction model that is applied to mainland China, home to 9% of the world's freshwater fish species. Here, we show that interbasin trade induced by final demand contributes 74% of the threats to China's freshwater fish biodiversity. Economically developed river basins (e.g., the Huaihe River) are the main beneficiaries of interbasin trade at the cost of biodiversity deterioration in economically underdeveloped river basins (e.g., the upper Pearl River), especially when trade occurs between distant basins. Our findings highlight the significance of the shift in governance from administrative divisions to river basins and control measures in different stages of economic supply chains to mitigate freshwater fish biodiversity threats.
Bashimyzon, new genus, is here established for Erromyzon damingshanensis, and a new species of the genus is described from the You-Jiang of the Pearl River (=Zhu-Jiang in mandarin Chinese) basin in Guangxi Province, South China. This new genus has a small gill opening above the pectoral-fin base and short pectoral fins extending backwards short of pelvic-fin insertions, both characters combined to separate it from all currently-recognized gastromyzontid genera except Erromyzon and Protomyzon, but differs from the two genera in having a larger gap between the posterior edge of eye and the vertical through the pectoral-fin insertion and very small fleshy lobes posterior to the maxillary-barbel bases. It is further distinct from its most similar genus Erromyzon in having a relatively larger gill opening, fewer branched pectoral-fin rays folded against body, and more posteriorly placed pectoral fins with a shorter fin base. Bashimyzon cheni, new species, and B. damingshanensis, the single congeneric species, differ in number of lateral-line pored scales, body coloration, and cephalic contour, and also in substantial genetic divergence.
Conductive hydrogels have gained significant attention for wearable devices in recent years. However, hydrogel suffers from limitations such as poor stretchability, freezing under cold climates, and drying out in harsh environments, which restrict its practical applications. To address these issues. We synthesize waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and add it to the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel to enhance its mechanical properties. Additionally, DMSO is introduced to the system, aiming to enhance the environmental stability of the hydrogel through its interaction with water. Hence, we prepare a novel organohydrogel by incorporating WPU into PVA in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-water (H2O) binary solvent system by one-pot method. The addition of DMSO and WPU enhances the mechanical properties of the organohydrogel, resulting in high mechanical strength (1.27 MPa), excellent stretchability (874%), and superior toughness (3.62 MJ/m3). In addition, the organohydrogel presents reliable freeze resistance and water retention properties due to DMSO interaction with water. More significantly, the organohydrogel can be recycled and reshaped into various shapes through a simple process. The reconstructed organohydrogel still has the original's mechanical properties and sensing capabilities and can continue to be used in flexible electronic devices. Moreover, the organohydrogel is developed for flexible multifunctional sensors, exhibiting high sensitivity (G = 1.89), a rapid response time (141 ms), and exceptional fatigue resistance (100 cycles). Notably, the sensor signals remain stable even after storage in extreme conditions. This study expands the working field of flexible hydrogel sensors and provides a new idea for the sustainable development of next-generation flexible hydrogel sensors.
Despite the current recognition of Tachysurus taeniatus and T. ondon as two separate valid species of China, neither species have been revised based on examination of their types and/or topotypical materials, nor have they genetically analyzed. In this study, examination of the holotype of T. taeniatus showed that it has a serrated anterior edge of the pectoral spine, a slightly emarginate caudal fin, and longer maxillary barbels extending beyond the base of the pectoral spine, the characters shared with specimens currently identified as T. ondon. Morphological comparisons and molecular analysis showed that specimens from mainland China, which are characterized by the three mentioned morphological features, represent a single species. According to the nomenclatural rule of priority, T. taeniatus is a senior subjective synonym of T. ondon. Within this concept, T. taeniatus is widely distributed in the lower reaches of Yangtze River and coastal rivers in Zhejiang and Fujian Province and closely related to T. aurantiacus, which is endemic to Japan. The morphological differences and species-level genetic distance between T. taeniatus and T. aurantiacus provide additional support for synonymization of T. taeniatus and T. ondon. The paper also describes ontogenetic color changes and coloration polymorphism in this species. Phylogeny of the T. aurantiacus group, to which T. taeniatus belongs, is also discussed.
A taxonomic revision of the nemacheilid genus Claea from China is provided based on molecular and morphological data. Three species are identified in this genus: C. dabryi (type species), C. wulongensis (a species originally recognized in Triplophysa), and C. minibarba sp. nov., here described from the mid-upper Chang-Jiang basin in northwestern Hubei Province, South China. This new species differs from the two congeneric species in having a deeper body, further from C. dabryi in having shorter outer rostral and maxillary barbels, and further from C. wulongensis in possessing a higher count of vertebrae, a deeper caudal-peduncle, and a narrower interorbital space. Its validity is corroborated by its monophyly recovered in a mitochondrial cytochrome b gene-based phylogenetic analysis and its significant genetic divergence of this gene with the two congeneric species.
China harbors a high species diversity of freshwater fishes not shared with any of its neighboring nations. Freshwater fish diversity in the country has been under severe threat from human activities over the past decades, thus conservation freshwater fishes and ecosystems is urgently needed. To accumulate baseline data for guiding protection actions, the third red list assessment of Chinese freshwater fishes was carried out. Among Chinese freshwater fishes assessed, there are 355 at-risk species (22.3% of the total), including 69 ranked as Critically Endangered, 97 as Endangered, and 189 as Vulnerable. Two species are classified as Extinct and one as Regionally Extinct. China's threat level seems to be lower than the known average level found in the IUCN's global assessment of freshwater fishes, but this is an artifact of a high rate of species classified as Data Deficient. Conservation of freshwater fishes is presently facing a grim situation in China. Imperilment of Chinese freshwater fishes is primarily attributed to habitat loss and degradation arising from human perturbations, particularly river damming. Despite the adoption of protected areas setting up, captive breeding and release, and a fishing moratorium, conservation efforts for freshwater fishes are compromised by disproportional attention in China's biodiversity conservation, baseline data deficiency, insufficiently designed protection networks, and inefficient or inadequate implementation of conservation strategies. To achieve the objectives of Chinese freshwater fish conservation, it is proposed to conduct a national-scale survey of fish diversity and reassess their at-risk status, develop systematic conservation planning of freshwater fish diversity and ecosystems, prioritize strategies for protected areas development, perform genetic-based captive breeding for releasing in concert with other protection actions, and implement flexible fishing moratorium strategies in different water bodies.
Triplophysa qini , a new stygobitic fish, is described from two subterranean pools (in the Wu-Jiang of the upper Chang-Jiang basin) located in Wulong and Fengdu counties, Chongqing City, Southwest China. It exhibits a concave distal margin of the dorsal fin and absence of nasal barbels; two characters that combined differentiate it from all congeners of the eyeless group except T. qiubeiensis . The new species differs from T. qiubeiensis in the number of branched dorsal-fin rays (9 vs. 8) and in the shorter head. The specific status of T. qini is confirmed by its significant sequence divergence for the cyt b gene with sampled congeneric species, particularly those coexisting in the mid-upper Chang-Jiang basin, and by its monophyly recovered in a cyt b gene-based phylogenetic analysis.
The tapertail anchovy Coilia brachygnathus, a commercially important species mainly distributed along the mid-lower Chang-Jiang basin, is by far the most dominant species in Lake Honghu. To figure out its success in this semiclosed lake, some basic biological parameters of this anchovy were analysed based on samples seasonally collected from October 2020 to December 2021. The results demonstrated that the age classes of fished individuals varied from 0.5 to 3.5, with the majority (97.36%) being between 0.5 and 3 years old. The size at 50% maturity of 17.2 cm total length (TL) for females and 19.0 cm TL for males corresponded to 1 and 1.6 years, respectively. Coilia brachygnathus has a short life span, early sexual maturity and a relatively fast growth rate. The flourishing of the fish in the lake is mainly attributed to its short life span, early maturity, fast growth rate, closed fishing, pelagic spawners, the availability of plenty of food and low predation effect on it. Age 3.5 year occurs in an extremely small percentage of the total (< 3%), indicating that a large number of larger-sized or older fish died after spawning, which is probably one of the major sources of water pollution if the closed fishing measure is adopted in Lake Honghu. Thus, individuals older than 2 years or more than 20.0 cm TL should be harvested. These findings have important management implications for the fish resources in Lake Honghu and beyond.
A combination effect of a polyurethane coating and hygroscopic lithium chloride endows various hydrogels with more adaptability to harsh environments.
The cyprinid genus Garra is so far represented in Mount Kenya streams by a single species, but which species it should be referred to as remains yet to be determined. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Garra species from the mountain is still lacking. Here, an integrative analysis, based on morphological and molecular data, unravelled the hidden species diversity of Garra from Mount Kenya. In mitochondrial genes-based trees, samples formerly identified as Garra dembeensis from the mountain nested into three distinct lineages that were distantly allied to the lineage constituted by topotypical samples of the species; the three lineages are morphologically distinguishable, and thus represent three distinct species: Garra hindii and two undescribed species, herein named as Garra alticauda sp. nov. and Garra minibarbata sp. nov., respectively, from the Mara River and the Ragati River of the mid-upper Tana River basin. The phylogeographic pattern of the three species is incongruent with the present-day basin pattern of Mount Kenya. The allopatry of the paired species G. alticauda and G. hindii points to river piracy ever incurring between the upper Ewaso Ngiro River and the middle Tana River basin in Mount Kenya. Besides, the molecular phylogenetic analysis of sampled African Garra species in this study, based on a broad set of sequences, provides evidence in support for the existing hypothesis of Asia-to-Africa biodispersal via the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa.
A waterborne polyurethane pressure-sensitive adhesive (WPUPSA) has the advantages of low pollution and good viscoelasticity. However, its poor thermo-tolerance limits its application in the field of high temperatures. Hence, a novel silicone-modified strong thermo-tolerant waterborne polyurethane/polyimide pressure-sensitive adhesive is developed as a way to remedy this problem. The single-chain structure of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) is transformed into a network structure by introducing the three-position network structure to increase the cohesive energy and heat resistance of the WPUPSA. Meanwhile, the primary chain of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) is modified by the reaction between pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) to include an imide ring and a benzene ring with more stable structures and heat resistance. Characterization results of the prepared WPUPSA show that the thermo-tolerance index of the WPUPSA increases by 15.2% and the room temperature 180° peel strength and shear resistance of the WPUPSA increase by 80.9 and 231.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the temperature corresponding to the maximum thermal decomposition rate of the samples is improved. More importantly, at 80 and 100 °C, the 180° peel strength and shear resistance of the modified samples are stronger than those of the unmodified samples. In addition, the energy storage modulus of WPUPSAs is also greater than the loss and increases with the increase of the frequency. Viscoelasticity dominates in the samples. This will provide new insight for the development of WPUPSAs in the field of high-temperature resistance.
Two new species of Leptobotia are here described as L. rotundilobus from the Xin'an-Jiang of the upper Qiantang-Jiang basin in both Anhui and Zhejiang Provinces and the Cao'e-Jiang in Zhejiang Province, and L. paucipinna from the Qing-Jiang of the middle Chang-Jiang basin in Hubei Province, South China. Both have a plain brown body as found in L. bellacauda Bohlen & Šlechtová, 2016, L. microphthalma Fu & Ye, 1983, L. posterodorsalis Chen & Lan, 1992 and L. tientainensis (Wu, 1930). The two new species are distinct from these species in vertebral counts, further from L. posterodorsalis in vent placement and further from the other three species in pectoral-fin length. Both differ in caudal-fin coloration and shape, and dorsal-fin location and coloration, and also in internal morphology. Their validity is confirmed by their own monophyly recovered in a phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cyt b and COI genes.
Thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) has received a great amount of attention in recent years, but the traditional PSA hardly loses adhesion properties after UV irradiation or heating. Therefore, endowing thermally conductive adhesive with UV-responsive peelability becomes a design strategy. Herein, vinyl-functionalized graphene (AA-GMA-G) is prepared by modifying graphene with acrylic acid and subsequently reacting with glycidyl methacrylate. Then, the UV-curable acrylate copolymer is synthesized by grafting glycidyl methacrylate. Finally, the novel thermally conductivity PSA with UV-responsive peelability is obtained by blending the copolymer with AA-GMA-G and photoinitiator. The results show that the PSA at 2 wt% AA-GMA-G loading exhibits an excellent thermal conductivity (0.74 W m-1 K-1 ) and a relatively strong peel strength, increasing by 15% compared with pristine graphene/PSA. Interestingly, the peel strength of AA-GMA-G/PSA can achieve a dramatic drop after UV treatment, and the decrease rate is 96.7%. Therefore, the novel thermally conductive PSA with UV-responsive peelability has potential applications in certain electronic devices.
Traditional epoxy thermosets have been extensively used in many fields, including the field of carbon fiber composite materials, which is favored by a large number of researchers. But they usually cannot be recycled under mild conditions. To make matters worse, the material loses its usefulness once it is damaged. Self-healing and degradable thermosetting resins with dynamic covalent bonds offer a potential solution to this conflict. In this paper, a series of epoxy polymers named EPCN based on dynamic imine bonds were easily prepared by a one -pot method using inexpensive industrial materials terephthalaldehyde and common bisphenol A diglycidyl ether as raw materials, which were cured by D230. The results show that the materials exhibit certain self-healing, reprocessability and thermadapt shape memory properties due to the dynamic properties of the imine bonds. Moreover, EPCN epoxy polymers can be degraded due to the hydrolysis of dynamic imine bonds, and their degradation exhibit temperature and acidity dependence. More importantly, the recyclable carbon fiber rein-forced polymer composites prepared with EPCN-4 as the resin matrix can be completely degraded under weak acid conditions, leading to the ready and non-destructive recycling of its carbon fiber composite. We envision this reprocessable and degradable carbon fiber-reinforced composite material with cheap raw materials, simple process, and suitable for mass production will make it a potential candidate for sustainable structural material applications.
Hongshuia brevibarba , new species, is described from a small tributary stream of the Qingshui-He (upper ChangJiang basin) in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China. It can be distinguished from congeners by a combination of characters, including features of oromandibular structures, head shape and fin coloration. The new species exhibits a genetic distance of 4.2 % to 5.7 % between congeneric species. Hongshuia megalophthalmus is here regarded as a senior synonym of H. banmo .