http://hdl.handle.net/10256/7784 2025-09-28T07:18:16Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26041 The effect of shoreline habitats on native and non-native fish species in a set of Neotropical reservoirs Franco, Ana Clara Sampaio; Petry, Ana Cristina; García-Berthou, Emili; Santos, Luciano Neves dos Biodiversity is declining worldwide due to anthropogenic impacts, especially noxious for freshwater ecosystems, considering their close relationship with human activities. Damming is one of the most harmful human impacts that leads to the loss of several riverine fish through habitat loss or change. Herein, we aimed to assess the relationship between the composition of fish assemblages in reservoirs and the availability of littoral habitats, and whether these patterns differ between native and non-native species. Fish assemblages of fifteen reservoirs from up to downstream the Paraíba do Sul river basin were evaluated. Habitat availability was more important for native than for non-native species, after controlling for the influence of reservoir features. Local drivers were crucial for the occurrence of non-native species which thrived in the absence of complex habitats. Macrophytes seemed to play two key but quite antagonistic roles for fish species. They were positively related to native small characids, probably acting as shelter against predation, but they were also related to hypoxic conditions in eutrophic reservoirs. These findings stress the importance of preserving or restoring physically complex habitats as beneficial for native fish species through providing grounds for feeding (catfishes on leaves) and recruitment (juveniles of characids in macrophytes banks) 2024-10-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/25836 Assessing the potential impacts of floating Offshore Wind Farms on policy-relevant species: A case study in the Gulf of Roses, NW Mediterranean Wawrzynkowski, Paul; Molins, Climent; Lloret Romañach, Josep Our study investigates for the first time how floating Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) technologies could impact policy-relevant Mediterranean species, focusing on planned OWFs in the Cape Creus/Gulf of Roses (Spain, NW Mediterranean). Using the Generalized Impact Assessment framework, we identified pressure on diverse taxonomic groups. Our species selection prioritized species under European policy (Birds and Habitats Directives) and international/local conventions protecting flora and fauna, as they are vital biodiversity indicators. Our analysis identified 135 policy-relevant species susceptible to OWF-induced stressors, notably marine mammals, seabirds, elasmobranchs, and benthic macroinvertebrates at the highest risk. Among the different stressors, noise and vibration, along with habitat loss, pose the greatest potential impacts. While decarbonizing energy production is crucial for addressing climate change, preserving ocean biodiversity is equally vital. Our study pioneers the assessment of emerging OWFs potential impacts on Mediterranean species, offering valuable insights for decision-makers during OWF planning 2025-02-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/25830 Tilapia venturing into high-salinity environments: A cause for concern? Franco, Ana Clara Sampaio; Azevedo-Santos, Valter M.; Mattos de Paula Nogueira, Marluce Aparecida; Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Hauser-Davis, Rachel Ann; Guimarães, Erick Cristofore; Dalcin, Roger Henrique; Soeth, Marcelo; Oliveira Freitas, Matheus; Bertoncini, Áthila A.; Abilhoa, Vinícius; Cunico, Almir Manoel; Adelir-Alves, Johnatas; Bentes, Bianca; Costa Novaes, José Luís; Hostim-Silva, Mauricio; Rodrigues Leite, Jonas; Macêdo dos Santos, Vagner Leonardo; Simões Vitule, Jean Ricardo Invasive species are continuously introduced in several ecosystems from human activities. Aquaculture activities are noteworthy among the many different species introduction vectors currently in place, generating a pattern of constant, frequent or massive release of propagules into aquatic ecosystems, increasing species establishment success rates. Reported cases in marine or brackish ecosystems, however, are still scarce. As aquaculture constantly generate propagules with the ability to employ these facilities as corridors to further spread to interconnected brackish and freshwater ecosystems, colonising high salinity systems, this study aimed to compile evidence of Tilapiines detected in Brazilian coastal marine and brackish ecosystems. Nineteen records were obtained, with the presence of this invader suggested as higher following rainfall seasons. The widespread distribution of Tilapiines is relatively well-known in Brazilian freshwater ecosystems but, up to now, its potential to use brackish and marine ecosystems as ecological corridors has been described only experimentally. Our findings highlight the potential for a typically freshwater invader to spread through marine ecosystems, raising concerns regarding the licensing of aquaculture projects within rivers and estuaries, as tilapia may significantly affect native Brazilian biota 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/25817 Untangling the roles of centrality and environmental contribution in diversity patterns across spatial scales Tornero Pinilla, Irene; Gascón Garcia, Stéphanie; Cunillera-Montcusí, David; Sala Genoher, Jordi; Compte Ciurana, Jordi; Quintana Pou, Xavier; Boix Masafret, Dani The application of graph theory to metacommunity ecology allows a deeper analysis of the effect of network structure on diversity patterns. Here, we set out to test the role of network centrality metrics and environmental characteristics in diversity patterns of pond macroinvertebrate metacommunities. We tested two approaches to construct the networks: one used the percolation distance, whereas the other was based on a community-contingent distance. The role of each patch within the network was then analyzed using its centrality value. Later, we analyzed the relationships between the macroinvertebrate diversity and centrality metrics for four study sites. The calculated diversity metrics cover different facets of biodiversity at two scales: pond and pondscape. Environmental characteristics of the studied ponds were also included. All relationships were tested considering the entire macroinvertebrate dataset, but also differentiated by dispersal mode (i.e., active vs. passive) and considering the two types of network approaches analyzed. The results were mostly consistent when comparing the network approaches used. Centrality metrics tended to be positively related to alpha and negatively to beta diversity. Environmental uniqueness showed a positive effect on beta diversity metrics, regardless of the dispersal mode. We only observed a weak negative relationship between eutrophication and species richness of active dispersers. Pond size showed a positive effect on both alpha and beta diversity, but was detected more frequently on alpha diversity metrics. We could not find evidence for a clear negative effect of habitat degradation on diversity. We found a greater importance of environmental characteristics versus the centrality metrics for both alpha and beta diversity of active dispersers, while a combination of their contributions for passive dispersers. An unexpected importance of centrality was observed for alpha diversity of passive dispersers. Using empirical data, we demonstrate that the centrality of a patch in an undirected network affects diversity regardless of the approach used to construct the networks, with a higher influence at local scale regardless of the dispersal mode. This study broadens knowledge of the relationships between environmental features and network centrality, demonstrating the important role of centrality as a determinant of diversity in metacommunities 2024-04-21T00:00:00Z