Modelling aquatic biodiversity in the Mekong Delta

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04631
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Rural environmental engineering/Planning
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
• Principal Investigator: FUKUDA SHINJI 東京農工大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (70437771)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 木村 匡臣 近畿大学, 農学部, 講師 (80725664)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 農業水利 / 水工水理学 / 水圏現象 / 生物多様性 / データ駆動モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this project was to develop a set of species distribution models as a tool for assessing biodiversity in the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre, Vietnam. A series of field surveys on fish fauna and physical environment was conducted jointly with Thuyloi University, Vietnam. In the fish fauna survey, fishing gears were selected according to a local condition, and species name and body length were recorded with geographic location. Physical environment survey was conducted using a CTD profiler in the five major rivers in the region (namely, Tien river, Ham Luong river, Balai river, Ben Tre channel, and Binh Chanh river). As a result, over 70 fish species were observed in the region, of which species distributions were affected by salinity gradient. Spatiotemporal salinity distributions in the region was complex due to nested channel structures and tidal gates established to alleviate saline water intrusion. Such information will be used for modelling the dynamics of species distributions.

Free Research Field

生態水理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

対象水域の主要水路における流況解析モデルを構築することで、流況と塩分濃度の時空間変動の解析が可能になり、魚類の空間分布モデルを構築することにより、最終的には、流況-塩分濃度-魚類相の関係性を考慮した生物多様性予測モデルの構築が可能になる。本研究の成果は、水利構造物の建設や維持管理に伴う環境の変化が生態系に及ぼす影響の定量評価に大きく貢献する。