Habitat use of an endangered cyprinodontid fish in a saline wetland of the Iberian Peninsula (SW Mediterranean Sea)
Published:
Sep 2, 2013
Keywords:
Littoral wetlands salt pond systems Cyprinodontidae Aphanius iberus habitat selection management.
Abstract
Aphanius iberus is an endemic fish restricted to a few populations along the Spanish Mediterranean coastline and included in international red lists. Information on its ecological requirements is needed to implement effective recovery and conservation measures. This two-year study aimed to analyse the effect of habitat changes, mainly in water salinity and refuge availability, on the life-history traits and microhabitat use of an A. iberus population inhabiting a littoral wetland managed for salt exploitation. The species was more abundant at the intake pond, which was characterised by lower water conductivity values and higher cover of the submerged macrophyte Ruppia cirrhosa. The pond with the highest values of water conductivity showed no presence of newborn individuals (< 10 mm), which probably indicates the reproduction failure of A. iberus or high mortality rates for younger individuals. Overall, the species’ selection of microhabitats was related to refuge presence (submerged vegetation and pond dykes). Juvenile individuals showed a strong dependence on sheltered microhabitats through the studied ponds, with R. cirrhosa meadows as important refuge areas for this age group. Results highlighted the importance of developing traditional maintenance and management measures for the conservation of such endangered fish species.
Article Details
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VERDIELL-CUBEDO, D., RUIZ-NAVARRO, A., TORRALVA, M., MORENO-VALCÁRCEL, R., & OLIVA-PATERNA, F. (2013). Habitat use of an endangered cyprinodontid fish in a saline wetland of the Iberian Peninsula (SW Mediterranean Sea). Mediterranean Marine Science, 15(1), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.432
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- Vol. 15 No. 1 (2014)
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- Research Article
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References
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Alcaraz, C., Pou-Rovira, Q., García-Berthou, E., 2008. Use of flooded salt marsh habitat by an endangered cyprinodontid fish (Aphanius iberus). Hydrobiologia, 600, 177-185.
Araguas, R.M., Roldán, M.I., García-Marín, J.L., Pla, C., 2007. Management of gene diversity in the endemic killifish Aphanius iberus: revising Operational Conservation Units. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 16, 257-266.
Bain, M.B., 1999. Substrate. pp 95-100. In: Aquatic habitat assesment: common methods. M.B. Bain, Stevenson, N.J. (Eds). American Fisheries Society, Bethesda.
Brown, J.H., Feldmeth, C.R., 1971. Evolution in constant and fluctuating environments: thermal tolerances of desert pupfish (Cyprinodon). Evolution, 25, 390-398.
Caiola, N., De Sostoa, A., 2005. Possible reasons for the decline of two native toothcarps in the Iberian Peninsula: evidence of competition with the introduced Eastern mosquitofish. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 21, 358-363.
Casas, J.J., Sánchez-Oliver, J.S., Sanz, A., Furné, M., Trenzado, C., Juan, M., Paracuellos, M., Suárez, M.D., Fuentes, F., Gallego, I., Gil, C., Ramos-Miras, J.J., 2011. The paradox of the conservation of an endangered fish species in a Mediterranean region under agricultural intensification. Biological Conservation, 144, 253-262.
Clavero, M., Blanco-Garrido, F., Zamora, L., Prenda, J., 2005. Size-related and diel variations in microhabitat use of three endangered small fishes in a Mediterranean coastal stream. Journal of Fish Biology, 67, 72-85.
Clavero, M., Blanco-Garrido, F., Prenda, J., 2007. Population and microhabitat effects of interspecific interactions on the endangered Andalusian toothcarp (Aphanius baeticus). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 78, 173-182.
Clavero, M., Hermoso, V., Levin, N., Kark, S., 2010. Geographical linkages between threats and imperilment in freshwater fish in the Mediterranean Basin. Diversity and Distributions, 16, 744-754.
Compte, J., Gascón, S., Quintana, X.D., Boix, D., 2012. The effects of small fish presence on a species-poor community dominated by omnivores: Example of a size-based trophic cascade. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 418-419, 1-11.
Cooke, S.J., Paukert, K., Hogan, Z., 2012. Endangered river fish: factors hindering conservation and restoration. Endangered Species Research, 17, 179-191.
Economou, A.N., Giakoumi, S., Vardakas, L., Barbieri, R., Stoumboudi, M., Zogaris, S., 2007. The freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece-an update based on a hydrographic basin survey. Mediterranean Marine Science 8(1), 91-166.
Freyhof, J., Brooks, E., 2011. European red list of freshwater fishes. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 72 pp.
García-Alonso, J., Ruiz-Navarro, A., Chaves-Pozo, E., Torralva, M., García-Ayala, A., 2009. Gonad plasticity and gametogenesis in the endangered Spanish toothcarp Aphanius iberus (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae). Tissue and Cell, 42, 206-213.
Gutiérrez-Estrada, J.C., Prenda, J., Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Fernández-Delgado, C., 1998. Distribution and habitat preferences of the introduced mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus (Linneaus) in the south-western Spain. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 46, 827-835.
Harrison, T.D., Ramm, A.E.L., Cerff, E.C., 1986. A low-cost effective trap for use in sampling aquatic fauna. Aquaculture, 58, 145-149.
Holliday, F.G.T., 1969. The effects of salinity on the eggs and larvae of teleosts. pp 293-309. In: Fish Physiology. W.S. Hoas, Randall, D.J. (Eds). Acamedic Press Inc., New York.
IUCN., 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012. www.iucnredlist.org (Accessed in 31 October 2012).
Jacobs, J., 1974. Quantitative measurement of food selection. Oecologia 14: 413-417.
Jordan, F., Coyne, S., Trexler, J.C., 1997. Sampling fishes in vegetated habitats: effects of habitat structure on sampling characteristics of the 1-m2 throw trap. Transactions of American Fisheries Society, 126, 1012–1020
Kodric-Brown, A., 1977. Reproductive success traits of the Pecos pupfish, Cyprinodon pecosensis. The American Midland Naturalist, 108, 355-363.
Leonardos, I., Sinis, A., Petridis, D., 1996. Influence of environmental factors on the population dynamics of Aphanius fasciatus (Nardo, 1827) (Pisces: Cyprinodontidae) in the lagoons Messolongi and Etolikon (W. Greece). Israel Journal of Zoology, 42, 231-249.
Leonardos, I., 2008. The feeding ecology of Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821) in the lagoonal system of Messolongi (western Greece). Scientia Marina, 72, 393-401.
López, E., Aguilera, P.A., Schmitz, M.F., Castro, H., Pineda, F.D., 2010. Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas. Environmental Monitoring and Assessement, 16, 241-256.
Maltagliati, F., 1999. Genetic divergence in natural populations of the Mediterranean brackish-water killifish Aphanius fasciatus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 179, 155-162.
McMahon, T.E., Matter, W.J., 2006. Linking habitat selection, emigration and population dynamics of freshwater fishes: a synthesis of ideas and approaches. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 15, 200-210.
Martin, B.A., Saiki, M.K., 2005. Relation of desert pupfish abundance to selected environmental variables in natural and manmade habitats in the Salton Sea basin. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 73, 97-107.
Millidine, K.J., Armstrong, J.D., Metcalfe, N.B., 2006. Presence of shelter reduces maintenance metabolism of juvenile salmon. Functional Ecology, 20, 839-845.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Torralva, A., Fernández-Delgado, C., 2006. Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius iberus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846) (Cyprinodontidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 75, 307-309.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., García-Alonso, J., Cardozo, V., Torralva, M., 2007. Field studies of ammonia excretion in Aphanius iberus (Pisces; Cyprinodontidae): body size and habitat effects. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 23, 93-98.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Ruiz-Navarro, A., Torralva, A., Fernández-Delgado, C., 2009. Biology of the endangered cyprinodontid Aphanius iberus in a saline wetland (SE Iberian Peninsula). Italian Journal of Zoology, 76, 316-329.
Oltra, R., Todolí, R., 2000. Reproduction of the endangered killifish Aphanius iberus at different salinities. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 57, 113-115.
Ortega, M., Velasco, J., Millán, A., Guerrero, C., 2004. An ecological integrity index for littoral wetlands in agricultural catchments of semiarid Mediterranean regions. Environmental Management, 33, 412-430.
Plaut, I., 2000. Resting metabolic rate, critical swimming speed, and routine activity of the euryhaline Cyprinodontid, Aphanius dispar, acclimated to a wide range of salinities. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 73, 590-596.
Quinn, G.P., Keough, M.J., 2002. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 537 pp.
Rincón, P.A., Correas, A.M., Morcillo, F., Risueño, P., Lobón-Cerviá, J., 2002. Interaction between the introduced eastern mosquitofish and two autochthonous Spanish toothcarps. Journal of Fish Biology, 61. 1560-1585.
Sim, L.L., Davis, J.A., Chambers, J.M., 2006. Ecological regime shifts in salinised wetland systems. II. Factors affecting the dominance of benthic communities. Hydrobiologia, 573, 109-131.
Smith, K., Darwall, W.R.T., 2006. The status and distribution of the freshwater fish endemic to the Mediterranean basin. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 44 pp.
Takekawa, J.Y., Miles, A.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., Athearn, N.D., Saiki, M.K., Duffy, W.D., Kleinschmidt, S., Shellenbarger, G.G., Jannusch, S.A., 2006. Trophic structure and avian communities across a salinity gradient in evaporation ponds of the San Francisco Bay estuary. Hydrobiologia, 567, 307-327.
Valdimarsson, S.K., Metcalfe, N.B., 1998. Shelter selection in juvenile Atlantic salmon, or why do salmon seek shelter in winter? Journal of Fish Biology, 52, 42-49.
Yildirim, Ö., Karacuha, A., 2008. Effects of salinity on growth performance and survival rate of Aphanius chantrei (Galliard, 1895). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 24, 345-347.
Zammit-Mangion, M., Deidun, A., 2010. Management recommendations for the conservation of threatened Aphanius fasciatus Nardo populations from two wetlands in the Maltese islands. Biologia Marina Mediterranea, 17(1), 356-357.
Alcaraz, C., Pou-Rovira, Q., García-Berthou, E., 2008. Use of flooded salt marsh habitat by an endangered cyprinodontid fish (Aphanius iberus). Hydrobiologia, 600, 177-185.
Araguas, R.M., Roldán, M.I., García-Marín, J.L., Pla, C., 2007. Management of gene diversity in the endemic killifish Aphanius iberus: revising Operational Conservation Units. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 16, 257-266.
Bain, M.B., 1999. Substrate. pp 95-100. In: Aquatic habitat assesment: common methods. M.B. Bain, Stevenson, N.J. (Eds). American Fisheries Society, Bethesda.
Brown, J.H., Feldmeth, C.R., 1971. Evolution in constant and fluctuating environments: thermal tolerances of desert pupfish (Cyprinodon). Evolution, 25, 390-398.
Caiola, N., De Sostoa, A., 2005. Possible reasons for the decline of two native toothcarps in the Iberian Peninsula: evidence of competition with the introduced Eastern mosquitofish. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 21, 358-363.
Casas, J.J., Sánchez-Oliver, J.S., Sanz, A., Furné, M., Trenzado, C., Juan, M., Paracuellos, M., Suárez, M.D., Fuentes, F., Gallego, I., Gil, C., Ramos-Miras, J.J., 2011. The paradox of the conservation of an endangered fish species in a Mediterranean region under agricultural intensification. Biological Conservation, 144, 253-262.
Clavero, M., Blanco-Garrido, F., Zamora, L., Prenda, J., 2005. Size-related and diel variations in microhabitat use of three endangered small fishes in a Mediterranean coastal stream. Journal of Fish Biology, 67, 72-85.
Clavero, M., Blanco-Garrido, F., Prenda, J., 2007. Population and microhabitat effects of interspecific interactions on the endangered Andalusian toothcarp (Aphanius baeticus). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 78, 173-182.
Clavero, M., Hermoso, V., Levin, N., Kark, S., 2010. Geographical linkages between threats and imperilment in freshwater fish in the Mediterranean Basin. Diversity and Distributions, 16, 744-754.
Compte, J., Gascón, S., Quintana, X.D., Boix, D., 2012. The effects of small fish presence on a species-poor community dominated by omnivores: Example of a size-based trophic cascade. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 418-419, 1-11.
Cooke, S.J., Paukert, K., Hogan, Z., 2012. Endangered river fish: factors hindering conservation and restoration. Endangered Species Research, 17, 179-191.
Economou, A.N., Giakoumi, S., Vardakas, L., Barbieri, R., Stoumboudi, M., Zogaris, S., 2007. The freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece-an update based on a hydrographic basin survey. Mediterranean Marine Science 8(1), 91-166.
Freyhof, J., Brooks, E., 2011. European red list of freshwater fishes. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 72 pp.
García-Alonso, J., Ruiz-Navarro, A., Chaves-Pozo, E., Torralva, M., García-Ayala, A., 2009. Gonad plasticity and gametogenesis in the endangered Spanish toothcarp Aphanius iberus (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae). Tissue and Cell, 42, 206-213.
Gutiérrez-Estrada, J.C., Prenda, J., Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Fernández-Delgado, C., 1998. Distribution and habitat preferences of the introduced mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus (Linneaus) in the south-western Spain. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 46, 827-835.
Harrison, T.D., Ramm, A.E.L., Cerff, E.C., 1986. A low-cost effective trap for use in sampling aquatic fauna. Aquaculture, 58, 145-149.
Holliday, F.G.T., 1969. The effects of salinity on the eggs and larvae of teleosts. pp 293-309. In: Fish Physiology. W.S. Hoas, Randall, D.J. (Eds). Acamedic Press Inc., New York.
IUCN., 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012. www.iucnredlist.org (Accessed in 31 October 2012).
Jacobs, J., 1974. Quantitative measurement of food selection. Oecologia 14: 413-417.
Jordan, F., Coyne, S., Trexler, J.C., 1997. Sampling fishes in vegetated habitats: effects of habitat structure on sampling characteristics of the 1-m2 throw trap. Transactions of American Fisheries Society, 126, 1012–1020
Kodric-Brown, A., 1977. Reproductive success traits of the Pecos pupfish, Cyprinodon pecosensis. The American Midland Naturalist, 108, 355-363.
Leonardos, I., Sinis, A., Petridis, D., 1996. Influence of environmental factors on the population dynamics of Aphanius fasciatus (Nardo, 1827) (Pisces: Cyprinodontidae) in the lagoons Messolongi and Etolikon (W. Greece). Israel Journal of Zoology, 42, 231-249.
Leonardos, I., 2008. The feeding ecology of Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821) in the lagoonal system of Messolongi (western Greece). Scientia Marina, 72, 393-401.
López, E., Aguilera, P.A., Schmitz, M.F., Castro, H., Pineda, F.D., 2010. Selection of ecological indicators for the conservation, management and monitoring of Mediterranean coastal salinas. Environmental Monitoring and Assessement, 16, 241-256.
Maltagliati, F., 1999. Genetic divergence in natural populations of the Mediterranean brackish-water killifish Aphanius fasciatus. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 179, 155-162.
McMahon, T.E., Matter, W.J., 2006. Linking habitat selection, emigration and population dynamics of freshwater fishes: a synthesis of ideas and approaches. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 15, 200-210.
Martin, B.A., Saiki, M.K., 2005. Relation of desert pupfish abundance to selected environmental variables in natural and manmade habitats in the Salton Sea basin. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 73, 97-107.
Millidine, K.J., Armstrong, J.D., Metcalfe, N.B., 2006. Presence of shelter reduces maintenance metabolism of juvenile salmon. Functional Ecology, 20, 839-845.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Torralva, A., Fernández-Delgado, C., 2006. Threatened fishes of the world: Aphanius iberus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1846) (Cyprinodontidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 75, 307-309.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., García-Alonso, J., Cardozo, V., Torralva, M., 2007. Field studies of ammonia excretion in Aphanius iberus (Pisces; Cyprinodontidae): body size and habitat effects. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 23, 93-98.
Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Ruiz-Navarro, A., Torralva, A., Fernández-Delgado, C., 2009. Biology of the endangered cyprinodontid Aphanius iberus in a saline wetland (SE Iberian Peninsula). Italian Journal of Zoology, 76, 316-329.
Oltra, R., Todolí, R., 2000. Reproduction of the endangered killifish Aphanius iberus at different salinities. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 57, 113-115.
Ortega, M., Velasco, J., Millán, A., Guerrero, C., 2004. An ecological integrity index for littoral wetlands in agricultural catchments of semiarid Mediterranean regions. Environmental Management, 33, 412-430.
Plaut, I., 2000. Resting metabolic rate, critical swimming speed, and routine activity of the euryhaline Cyprinodontid, Aphanius dispar, acclimated to a wide range of salinities. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, 73, 590-596.
Quinn, G.P., Keough, M.J., 2002. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 537 pp.
Rincón, P.A., Correas, A.M., Morcillo, F., Risueño, P., Lobón-Cerviá, J., 2002. Interaction between the introduced eastern mosquitofish and two autochthonous Spanish toothcarps. Journal of Fish Biology, 61. 1560-1585.
Sim, L.L., Davis, J.A., Chambers, J.M., 2006. Ecological regime shifts in salinised wetland systems. II. Factors affecting the dominance of benthic communities. Hydrobiologia, 573, 109-131.
Smith, K., Darwall, W.R.T., 2006. The status and distribution of the freshwater fish endemic to the Mediterranean basin. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 44 pp.
Takekawa, J.Y., Miles, A.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., Athearn, N.D., Saiki, M.K., Duffy, W.D., Kleinschmidt, S., Shellenbarger, G.G., Jannusch, S.A., 2006. Trophic structure and avian communities across a salinity gradient in evaporation ponds of the San Francisco Bay estuary. Hydrobiologia, 567, 307-327.
Valdimarsson, S.K., Metcalfe, N.B., 1998. Shelter selection in juvenile Atlantic salmon, or why do salmon seek shelter in winter? Journal of Fish Biology, 52, 42-49.
Yildirim, Ö., Karacuha, A., 2008. Effects of salinity on growth performance and survival rate of Aphanius chantrei (Galliard, 1895). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 24, 345-347.
Zammit-Mangion, M., Deidun, A., 2010. Management recommendations for the conservation of threatened Aphanius fasciatus Nardo populations from two wetlands in the Maltese islands. Biologia Marina Mediterranea, 17(1), 356-357.
