Lowland river reference condition: spatial and temporal patterns of the zoobenthos community in the Volga headwaters (2006–2010)

Schletterer, Martin; Füreder, Leopold; Kuzovlev, Vyacheslav V.; Zhenikov, Y. N.; Grigorieva, I. L.

doi:10.1007/s10750-013-1466-0

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It drains a catchment of 1.4 × 10 6 km 2 , including over 150,000 rivers, before flowing into the Caspian Sea. The headwaters of the Volga are relatively pristine, reflected by a fauna similar to that found in other near-pristine European lowland rivers (Leummens, 2016;Schletterer et al, 2019;Schletterer & Füreder, 2010;Schletterer, Füreder, Kuzovlev, Zhenikov, & Grigorieva, 2014). Mainly forests and peatlands cover the landscape of the Upper Volga River upstream of the city of Tver, and the water quality in these reaches has been classified between 'quite pure' and 'slightly polluted' (see Schletterer, Shaporenko, et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fish diversity assessment in the headwaters of the Volga River using environmental DNA metabarcoding

Lecaudey

Schletterer

Kuzovlev

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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The headwaters of the Volga River exhibit large reaches with near‐pristine conditions, and therefore long‐term biodiversity monitoring of this catchment can provide rare and valuable information on a European lowland river. More specifically, freshwater fish species assemblages are a good indicator of ecosystem status, as they are particularly sensitive to environmental changes and hydromorphological alterations. Historical records show that the fish fauna of the Upper Volga has changed over time, both in species composition and in abundance. The construction of the Volga–Kama cascade (a series of large dams) has specifically affected the migration of diadromous species. Environmental DNA metabarcoding offers a non‐invasive approach to determine the number of species in an aquatic ecosystem, as well as their identity and distribution. This approach is especially useful for fish fauna surveys along large rivers and long‐term biomonitoring, with the advantage of having no impact on the species and their habitats. To infer the current fish species diversity and the spatial distribution of each species in the free‐flowing section of the Upper Volga River, as well as in selected tributaries, an environmental DNA metabarcoding approach was applied, using three mitochondrial DNA markers. This method allowed the positive identification of 23 fish species and their respective distributions in the headwaters of the Volga. This assessment provides a valuable example of the application of environmental DNA metabarcoding in a large river system, and constitutes a starting point for future investigations and long‐term biomonitoring in the Upper Volga system. In addition, the results can also serve as a reference for fish diversity assessments of other large European lowland rivers, and can guide future conservation and management measures in the headwaters of the Volga.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fish diversity assessment in the headwaters of the Volga River using environmental DNA metabarcoding

Lecaudey

Schletterer

Kuzovlev

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Between the source of the Volga River at Volgoverkhovje and the city of Tver, three hydromorphological reaches have been defined: (a) the source region (rkm = 3,531–3,520), (b) the seminatural upper Volga lakes (rkm = 3,520–3,426), and (c) the free‐flowing section upstream Tver (rkm = 3,426–3,085). The free‐flowing section of the headwaters of the Volga River has provided a reference lowland river status on the basis of minor changes in river morphology, a high degree of natural catchment conditions (high amount of natural forest), and a low population density (Schletterer, Füreder, Kuzovlev, Zhenikov, & Grigorieva, ). It also has a high degree of connectivity between the main river channel and its tributaries and as result supports diverse, type specific biological communities.…”

Section: A Reference System For European Lowland Riversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This indicator of ecological integrity and flagship species of the European potamal was common in lowland rivers but disappeared in the 20th century almost completely (Schletterer, Bauernfeind, & Lechthaler, ). Long‐term data for this section of the Volga River has enabled the analyses of annual and interannual variation in community indices and metrics (Schletterer et al, ). As the headwaters of the Volga River are recognized as one of the last refugia for the potamal fauna of large European rivers, this stretch contributes to the understanding of the variation at reference or least disturbed conditions, which is an important prerequisite for the interpretation of data from impacted sites.…”

Section: A Reference System For European Lowland Riversmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has been the initiative for the development of the joint Russian-Austrian monitoring programme REFCOND_VOLGA (Schletterer, Füreder, Kuzovlev, Zhenikov, & Zhenikov, 2016). Between the source of the the Volga River has provided a reference lowland river status on the basis of minor changes in river morphology, a high degree of natural catchment conditions (high amount of natural forest), and a low population density (Schletterer, Füreder, Kuzovlev, Zhenikov, & Grigorieva, 2014). It also has a high degree of connectivity between the main river channel and its tributaries and as result supports diverse, type specific biological communities.…”

Section: A Reference System For European Lowland Riversmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Reference System For European Lowland Riversmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Volga: Management issues in the largest river basin in Europe

Schletterer

Shaporenko

Kuzovlev

et al. 2018

River Research & Apps

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The Volga is the longest river in Europe and 16th longest in the world. The riverine landscape of the Volga is of exceptional scientific and economic importance to Russia; the basin contains approximately 40% of the Russian population and relates to 45% of the country's industrial and agricultural produce. The Volga River drains an area of 1.4 million km2, covering various biomes from taiga to semidesert. Anthropogenic impacts in the 20th century include pollution as well as hydropower production and navigation purposes, incurring a cost for its historically important migratory fish (e.g., sturgeons) and related fisheries. River basin management in Russia, since 2006, is based on the water code that determines federal competencies in water management. Extensive water quality monitoring programmes provide feedback to regional managers. Monitoring of biological parameters is spatially limited and should be extended in order to provide sufficient data for informed management. Some initiatives have been implemented in recent decades in order to restore the ecological health of the river and manage fisheries resources (e.g., restocking programmes and the definition of total allowable catches). As recreational fishing is popular but presently unregulated in Russia, we suggest additional monitoring. Finally, the headwaters and lower river floodplain of the Volga have remained as free‐flowing and relatively undisturbed systems. Because reference conditions with low levels of anthropogenic disturbance cannot be found in Central European lowland rivers, both the headwaters and lower Volga floodplains below Volgograd are of great importance on European level.

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2022

The Baseline Concept in Biodiversity Conservation

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Lowland river reference condition: spatial and temporal patterns of the zoobenthos community in the Volga headwaters (2006–2010)

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Fish diversity assessment in the headwaters of the Volga River using environmental DNA metabarcoding

Fish diversity assessment in the headwaters of the Volga River using environmental DNA metabarcoding

The Volga: Management issues in the largest river basin in Europe

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