Fish assemblages in small streams in western Spain: The influence of an introduced predator

Rincón, Pedro A.; Velasco, Juan Carlos; Pollo, César J.

doi:10.1127/archiv-hydrobiol/118/1990/81

Cited by 36 publications

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“…While the actual impact of invasive species on native species is often unknown, they can affect native wildlife through a variety of factors. Invasive species can compete for niches or resources, prey on native fauna, transfer pathogens, alter habitat, or cause genetic introgression, ultimately leading to loss of genetic diversity [52][53][54][55][56].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of water samples as a tool for monitoring Iberian freshwater fish composition

Corral-Lou,

Doadrio

2023

PLoS ONE

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Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has been increasingly used to monitor the community assemblages of a wide variety of organisms. Here, we test the efficacy of eDNA metabarcoding to assess the composition of Iberian freshwater fishes, one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates in Spain. For this purpose, we sampled 12 sampling sites throughout one of Spain’s largest basins, the Duero, which is home to approximately 70% of the genera and 30% of the primary freshwater fish in Spain. We sampled these sampling sites in the summer by using electrofishing, a traditional sampling method, and eDNA metabarcoding of river water samples using the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene (12S) as a marker. We also resampled four of these sampling sites in autumn by eDNA. We compared the results obtained through eDNA metabarcoding with those of electrofishing surveys (ones conducted for the present study and past ones) and assessed the suitability of 12S as an eDNA metabarcoding marker for this group of freshwater fishes. We found that the 12S fragment, analysed for 25 Iberian species, showed sufficient taxonomic resolution to be useful for eDNA approaches, and even showed population-level differences in the studied populations across the tissue samples for Achondrostoma arcasii. In most cases, a greater number of species was detected through eDNA metabarcoding than through electrofishing. Based on our results, eDNA metabarcoding is a powerful tool to study the freshwater fish composition in the Iberian Peninsula and to unmask cryptic diversity. However, we highlight the need to generate a local genetic database for 12S gene for such studies and to interpret the results with caution when studying only mitochondrial DNA. Finally, our survey shows that the high detection sensitivity of eDNA metabarcoding and the non-invasiveness of this method allows it to act as a detection system for species of low abundance, such as early invasive species or species in population decline, two key aspects of conservation management of Spanish freshwater fishes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of water samples as a tool for monitoring Iberian freshwater fish composition

Corral-Lou,

Doadrio

2023

PLoS ONE

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Non‐indigenous fish in protected spaces: Trends in species distribution mediated by illegal stocking

Fernández

Arboleya

Dopico

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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Many freshwater non‐indigenous species (NISs) are stocked for recreational fishing, in some cases illegally in protected areas. In this study, fish communities were monitored using environmental DNA, electrofishing and anglers’ catches as the sources of samples in a mountainous Biosphere Reserve in Asturias (northern Spain), where stocking is forbidden. Three NISs have been introduced illegally in the protected area and have shown increasing populations in the last two decades. Two species used as fishing bait, Squalius carolitertii (chub) and Phoxinus phoxinus (minnow), are expanding in running waters. Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) was also detected and is likely to have been introduced for angling or from fish farm escapes. The results suggest that sustained illegal stocking contributed to the increase of the three NISs. In contrast, Salmo trutta (brown trout) of northern European lineages, identified from *90 alleles at the LDH‐C1 locus, and formerly legally stocked for angling, is decreasing, most likely as a result of climate change. Climate change could also contribute to the expansion of the two non‐indigenous cyprinids to colder upstream areas. Through the application of a social survey, it was found that unlike other population groups, anglers in the region significantly preferred stocking over environmental improvement for the management of fish populations. The results obtained suggest that raising the awareness of anglers about the importance of safeguarding native fish species could help to prevent the spread of NISs in protected areas.

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Fish-habitat relationships and fish conservation in small coastal streams in southern Spain

Clavero

Blanco

Prenda

2005

Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst.

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ABSTRACT1. Studies dealing with the fish fauna of coastal streams are scarce in the scientific literature, particularly those from Mediterranean climates. Owing to their small size, these systems suffer extreme seasonal fluctuations, following the typical Mediterranean flood-drought cycle and leading to a high risk of extinction to freshwater fish.2. This work analyses fish distribution in 14 stream stretches belonging to eight basins in the northern sector of the Strait of Gibraltar (southern Spain). Fish-habitat relationships were studied through multivariate ordination techniques at two scales: basin and stretch.3. A principal components analysis clearly discriminated larger and more sinuous basins from smaller and steeper ones. This ordination was related to the non-migratory freshwater fish species richness and to the total number of fish species present in the middle reaches of each basin.4. The main sources of variation in community composition and habitat characteristics in the different stretches were related to a clear upstream-downstream gradient, along which total species richness increased. 5. These small coastal basins are inhabited by two highly endangered species, Andalusian toothcarp (Aphanius baeticus) and Iberian chub (Squalius pyrenaicus), and have similar or higher overall freshwater species richness than larger adjacent basins. The near absences of flow regulation and introduced species make these streams one of the few types of Iberian aquatic system where unaltered fish-habitat relationships can be studied.

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Fish assemblages in small streams in western Spain: The influence of an introduced predator

Cited by 36 publications

References 0 publications

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of water samples as a tool for monitoring Iberian freshwater fish composition

Environmental DNA metabarcoding of water samples as a tool for monitoring Iberian freshwater fish composition

Non‐indigenous fish in protected spaces: Trends in species distribution mediated by illegal stocking

Fish-habitat relationships and fish conservation in small coastal streams in southern Spain

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