Major threats to European freshwater fish species

Costa, Maria João; Duarte, Gonçalo; Segurado, Pedro; Branco, Paulo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149105

Cited by 48 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Previous work has shown that the disruption of connectivity due to habitat fragmentation increases rates of imperilment among stream fishes (Perkin and Gido 2011) and poses a substantial threat to long‐term persistence (Costa et al. 2021).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Barriers to movement can reduce population abundance and restrict gene flow, which represents a management challenge as small isolated populations are at elevated risk of extinction via demographic and environmental stochasticity (Boyce 1992). Previous work has shown that the disruption of connectivity due to habitat fragmentation increases rates of imperilment among stream fishes (Perkin and Gido 2011) and poses a substantial threat to long-term persistence (Costa et al 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Rapid Colonization of Upstream Habitats by Oncorhynchus Mykiss Following Culvert Modification

Knoth

Hargrove

Dobos

et al. 2022

N American J Fish Manag

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Habitat fragmentation threatens the persistence of fish populations, and road crossings (e.g., culverts) are particularly problematic because they are globally ubiquitous and can block access to critical habitats. Barrier removal or modifications that allow upstream access can result in expanded distributions, increased abundances, and gene flow among historically isolated populations. Actions that promote connectivity, gene flow, and the potential expression of multiple life history forms (e.g., anadromy in Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp.) are thought to buffer against extinction and are increasingly important given the high rates of imperilment for many fish species. We collected genetic samples from juvenile O. mykiss (anadromous steelhead and resident Rainbow Trout) prior to and following the modification of a culvert that served as a historical barrier to upstream movement and tested for changes in genetic composition through time. Prior to culvert modification, levels of genetic diversity were low and genetic differentiation with reference collections of anadromous steelhead was high. After treatment, we observed increased levels of genetic diversity, larger estimates of effective population size, and decreased genetic differentiation with steelhead, indicating an influx of individuals from a downstream population. Using an inexpensive genetic‐based monitoring approach, we show that culvert modification can result in the rapid reestablishment of connectivity between historically isolated populations.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Rapid Colonization of Upstream Habitats by Oncorhynchus Mykiss Following Culvert Modification

Knoth

Hargrove

Dobos

et al. 2022

N American J Fish Manag

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“…Its impact on the local fauna and flora in the monitored freshwater environments is not yet evident, but considering the damage that C. sapidus can cause in the different areas where it was introduced, the possibility that this species may affect fragile ecosystems such as those of inland waters is concrete. Indeed, freshwater habitats in Europe are already threatened by NIS, with particular reference to the impact on native fish fauna, which is vulnerable to the introduction and spread of freshwater alien species [24]; the occurrence of additional invaders coming from marine and coastal waters, such as the euryhaline C. sapidus, represents an additional risk for their conservation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Euryhaline Aliens Invading Italian Inland Waters: The Case of the Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896

et al. 2022

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Alien invasive species represent a major threat in Italian freshwaters. Despite national and European regulations aimed at the control and prevention of new invasive species, the number of allochthonous species is increasing and so is the rate of spread. One of the most widespread invasive animals in coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea is the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, a native of the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina. The species is euryhaline, and besides coastal waters, it is also commonly recorded in upper estuaries and lower reaches of rivers. Considering its fast adaptability and invasiveness, the main purpose of this work is to assess whether its biological plasticity and invasive capability may represent, in addition to marine and coastal habitats, also a potential threat for inland waters. Samples were collected in seven sites distributed between Southern and Central Italy. The new records are herein presented, starting from the original introduction by ballast waters and the actual westward migration in inland waters of Latium and Tuscany. In addition, the threat to biodiversity is also discussed, considering the blue crab aggressiveness toward both vertebrates and invertebrates, which may limit the distribution of native freshwater fish and macrofauna.

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“…The main stressors responsible for the decline of freshwater fish in the Iberian basins are alien species invasions, habitat degradation, pollution, and hydrological alterations (Anastácio et al, 2019; Costa et al, 2021). Specifically, periods of low discharge or inverted flow regime with summer maxima and winter minima induced by hydrological regulation and water diversions can alter the lifecycle of fish (García de Jalón et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shedding light on the decline of Iberian freshwater fish species over the period 1980–2020

et al. 2022

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1. Freshwater fish biodiversity is experiencing an alarming decline worldwide.Understanding the main factors behind its deterioration is a key step for ecosystem restoration. In this work, large-scale and long-term data were used to identify the causes of the decline of native species richness in Castilla-La Mancha.This region in central Spain covers part of six river basins belonging to four of the 11 biogeographical provinces for freshwater fish in the Iberian Peninsula.2. Firstly, we built a dataset that associates the presence of several fish species and a wide range of environmental variables (e.g. hydrological and hydromorphological indicators, land use classes, presence of alien fish species) at selected river sites for two different time periods (1980-2000 and 2001-2020). Secondly, we conducted an exploratory data analysis to identify possible temporal trends in the dataset. Finally, we applied the random forest algorithm to predict the response of different ecological guild-based metrics of fish richness to the selected variables.3. The exploratory data analysis revealed a decrease in native fish species richness in 74% of the area studied. There was no sustained temporal trend for stressor variables, except for the number of alien species, which increased in most river sites (63%). The models of the richness of native rheophilic, native intolerant, alien rheophilic, and alien limnophilic species performed satisfactorily. Magnitude of maximum discharge, presence of alien species, land use in the catchment area and altitude were the most important predictors of richness of native intolerant and rheophilic species. Alien limnophilic species proved to be sensitive to variables related to flow regime alteration, such as the presence of dams and the number of river flow reversals, while a less degraded habitat was found to be favourable to alien rheophilic species.4. The results suggest that the cumulative effect of persistent altered flow regimes and water pollution, coupled with a strong increase in the number of alien species, have led to the decline of native species in the area studied. The restoration This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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Major threats to European freshwater fish species

Cited by 48 publications

References 45 publications

Rapid Colonization of Upstream Habitats by Oncorhynchus Mykiss Following Culvert Modification

Rapid Colonization of Upstream Habitats by Oncorhynchus Mykiss Following Culvert Modification

Euryhaline Aliens Invading Italian Inland Waters: The Case of the Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896

Shedding light on the decline of Iberian freshwater fish species over the period 1980–2020

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