Human targeting of morphologically unique fishes amplifies the risk of functional erosion.

Humans target 26% of freshwater fish species that represent nearly half of global fish morphological diversity, causing non-random erosion of ecological traits.

• Why it matters: This matters because it highlights how human use may threaten species with unique traits and ecological roles, risking functional erosion of freshwater ecosystems.
• What they did: The study analyzed 26% of freshwater fish species used by humans, revealing these species possess distinct trait combinations linked to different uses such as fisheries, aquaculture, and recreation.
• The result: Simulating the extinction of threatened, human-used species showed a pronounced loss of morphological diversity, emphasizing the need to conserve both threatened species and irreplaceable trait combinations.