International Journal of Aquaculture, 2024, Vol.14, No.3, 139-153 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 148 conservation actions by prioritizing the protection of genetic diversity critical for adaptation to future climate conditions (Andrews et al., 2022). 7.2 Aquaculture and fisheries Aquaculture and fisheries can benefit significantly from understanding adaptation mechanisms in aquatic species. Selective breeding programs can utilize genetic information to enhance traits such as disease resistance, growth rates, and environmental tolerance, thereby improving the productivity and sustainability of aquaculture operations. For example, transcriptomic studies on freshwater prawns (Macrobrachiumspecies) revealed genes involved in osmoregulation and stress response, which are vital for adapting to different salinity levels. This information can be used to develop breeding programs that produce prawns with enhanced tolerance to varying salinity conditions, improving their survival and growth in diverse aquaculture settings (Rahi et al., 2019). Fisheries management can also leverage adaptation knowledge to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks. Understanding how fish populations adapt to changing environmental conditions, such as temperature and salinity, can inform management practices that support the resilience of fish stocks. For instance, genomic studies on marine diatoms have shown rapid thermal adaptation, which can help predict how fish populations may respond to warming oceans and guide the development of adaptive management strategies (O'Donnell et al., 2018). 7.3 Predicting responses to environmental change Predicting the responses of aquatic species to environmental changes is essential for mitigating the impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Adaptive models that incorporate physiological limits, phenotypic plasticity, evolutionary adaptation, and dispersal can improve the accuracy of predictions and guide conservation and management actions. A study using the AdaptR modeling approach demonstrated that accounting for adaptive capacity reduces projected range losses for Australian fruit flies by up to 33% by 2105. This approach can be applied to other species to predict their responses to environmental changes and identify critical areas for conservation efforts (Bush et al., 2016) (Figure 3). Furthermore, research on aquatic insects and their adaptation to stream flow regimes provides insights into how species may respond to changing hydrological conditions. These findings can inform the design of river restoration projects that support the adaptive capacities of aquatic species, ensuring their long-term survival in altered flow regimes (Mazzucco et al., 2015). Figure 4 shows the timeline of changes in the range size of three species of Drosophila under the CanESM2 climate change projections: (a) Drosophila melanogaster (continental distribution), (b) D. simulans (east coast), and (c) D. rubida (Wet Tropics). Each plot illustrates projections where CTmax (maximum heat tolerance) is held fixed (blue) and when plasticity and genetic adaptation are included (red). The data represent the mean and one standard deviation of 100 runs. (a) Drosophila melanogaster: Displays changes in distribution across the continental range. The blue line represents projections with fixed CTmax, while the red line represents projections including plasticity and genetic adaptation. (b) D. simulans: Shows changes in distribution along the east coast. Again, the blue and red lines represent fixed CTmax and adaptive projections, respectively. (c) D. rubida: Shows changes in distribution in the Wet Tropics region. The blue line indicates fixed CTmax projections, and the red line indicates projections with plasticity and genetic adaptation. (d) Shows the mean CTmax (°C) over time for each species in adaptive runs. The orange, green, and purple lines correspond to the species in panels (a), (b), and (c), respectively, displaying the mean CTmax and one standard deviation over time. Overall, Figure 3 illustrates how the distribution range and maximum heat tolerance of Drosophila species change over time under different climate change scenarios, particularly highlighting the differences between fixed CTmax and adaptive projections. These results help understand the potential impacts of climate change on species distributions and emphasize the importance of genetic adaptation in responding to climate change (Adapted from Bush et al., 2016).
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