The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is one of the most invasive alien species in Europe and included in the list of invasive species of Union concern. We describe for the first time some life-history traits of a red swamp crayfish population in the Nature Reserve of the Lago di Candia (Italy). We investigated (1) preferences of this species for specific environmental...
Complex interactions between epiphytic fauna and microbial food webs in periphyton are vital to the ecosystem ecology of shallow lakes. However, little is known about how different types of macrophyte dominated lakes may influence microbial and metazoan communities. The goal of the present study was to examine the impact of metazoan on microbial food web in three different types...
Impacts of ineffective wastewater management on the biodiversity of receiving waters in developing countries are poorly documented. Using a before-after-control-impact methodology, we measured the effects of untreated wastewater release on the fish community in the Barnoi River, Bangladesh. In 2006, prior to untreated wastewater discharge, fish abundance, species richness and...
In Finland, massive signal crayfish introductions started towards the end of 1980s, with an estimated total of 2.2 million signal crayfish been stocked before year 2016. During that period, Finnish fisheries authorities have implemented three national management strategies setting guidelines for the crayfish introductions. The main aims of the strategies have been conservation of...
Epiphytic algae are an important group of organisms involved in primary productivity, nutrient cycling, and energy transfer in littoral food webs. However, multifactorial studies conducted on epiphyton on the same substrate across a spectrum of environmental parameters are very limited. Here, we present first complex field study on the role of abiotic and biotic factors in...
Microbial mats represent complex communities where cyanobacteria and diatoms as key organisms provide shelter for diverse assemblages of aquatic invertebrates, like the small stygophilous amphipod Synurella ambulans. Studies addressing such communities in the karst springs have rarely examined springheads, and have ignored intermittent springs. During high flow conditions the...
We studied macrophyte composition and 24 environmental variables in 69 ponds of both natural and artificial origin in Slovakia. We tested differences in α and γ diversity and β similarity between natural and artificial ponds for helophytes, hydrophytes, red list species and all species. We also assessed effects of environmental variables on species richness of studied ponds by...
This study investigated the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), a perfluorinated carboxylic chemical (PFC) that has broad applications and distribution in the environment in Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes. Micronucleus (MN) test and Comet assay were used for the toxicity study. Three groups of fish were exposed to 0.1 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L and 2.5 mg...
Interactions within the food chain are essential to ecosystem ecology. At the same time, very little is known of the trophic relationships between Heteroptera and zooplankton. The aim of this study was to examine the community structure of water bugs in the littoral zone of shallow lakes and their impact on crustacean zooplankton communities. A study on the effect of Heteroptera...
Individual identification of the endangered white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) can provide valuable information when assessing long-term survival of animals released into the wild; currently the most effective method is the use of passive integrated transponders (PIT) tags. A 360 days ex situ experiment was undertaken on 20-month, captive-born A. pallipes of...
We studied the variability of physico-chemical parameters in water, and heavy metal contents in water and sediment over time and along the Carpathian Biała Tarnowska River (southern Poland) and related them to catchment geology, human impact and the effect of barriers as a side aspect. The river water was well oxygenated, had pH 7.7–9.5 and was characterised by low and average...
Hainan Island is located within the Indo-Burma global biodiversity hotspot, however, the freshwater fish fauna on this island is poorly understood. Based on field investigations and literature review, we compiled a list of 154 freshwater fish species (138 native and 16 non-native) belonging to 10 orders, 31 families and 104 genera found on Hainan Island. Of these, 31 species are...
We studied the presence of possible Aphanomyces astaci infections in eight Turkish narrow-clawed crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) populations by analyzing the prevalence and genotypes of the disease agent A. astaci. The qPCR analyses revealed A. astaci infection in seven of the studied eight populations, with the agent level A2 or higher. The agent levels among the infected...
The Eurasian minnows of the genus Phoxinus are small cyprinid species, widely distributed across Europe and Asia. Currently, there are at least 15 species in Phoxinus, with preliminary data suggesting more to be described. Despite the discernible increase in research integrating molecular phylogenetic approaches with traditional taxonomy and systematics, inter- and intraspecific...
Research examining mayfly ecology in karst streams and rivers has increased in recent years, though microhabitat preferences remain poorly characterized. We examined mayfly assemblage taxonomy, functional feeding groups and microhabitat preferences in two contrasting lotic Dinaric karst catchments, one pristine and one anthropogenically impacted. At monthly intervals over a one...
Predicting alien speciesLa prévision de l'établissement d'espèces exotiques par la correspondance climatique peut éclairer les mesures de gestion visant à prévenir de futures invasions. L'objectif de la présente étude était d'évaluer la correspondnace climatique du molly voile (Poecilia latipinna) dans le monde entier, en mettant l'accent sur l'Europe et la Méditerranée. Une...
The information regarding the fish species occurrence in rivers and lakes depends on the quantity and quality of ichthyofaunal surveys. Non-native buffalo fishes, Ictiobus cyprinellus and I. niger (Catostomidae) were introduced to pond aquaculture in the 20th century but since that time they have never been recorded from the natural environment in Europe. Forensic analysis was...
We examined the environmental factors that characterize the habitats of two submerged macrophytes, Myriophyllum spicatum and Hydrilla verticillata, in South Korea using generalized additive models (GAMs). We performed a vegetation survey and measured water depth and water velocity from May to September, 2014–2015. Averaged water quality data from the Ministry of Environment's...
Crayfish are charismatic creatures of high interest to humans, among others playing key roles in freshwater ecosystems. Considering the significance of indigenous crayfish species (ICS) as well as the risks posed by non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) that may dissemite a crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci, astacological research has advanced particularly in Europe...
Eutrophication resulting from nutrient loading to freshwater habitats is a severe problem, leading to degradation of ecosystems, including deterioration of water quality, water clarity and loss of biodiversity. Measures enacted to restore degraded freshwater ecosystems often involve the reintroduction of submerged plants and aquatic animals with beneficial ecological functions...
Environmental niche conservatism defines a concept, stating that species could live in the same environmental condition in both native and invasive ranges. Niche modeling often used this as basis for the prediction of the range of invasive plants. However, it is debatable whether environmental niches of invasive plant species are conserved or shift between native and invasive...
The status of Pyrenean sculpin Cottus hispaniolensis was assessed in the Spanish part of the Garonne drainage on the basis of its distribution and abundance from 2001 to 2016. Population trends showed a progressive reduction in range extension and density, exacerbated by a severe spate occurred in 2013. However, C. hispaniolensis was resilient to this natural disturbance by...