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2. Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics

Author

Sinclair, James S., Welti, Ellen A. R., Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Aroviita, Jukka, Baker, Nathan J., Barešová, Libuše, Barquín, José, Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Goethals, Peter L. M., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jähnig, Sonja C., Johnson, Richard K., Kuglerová, Lenka, Kupilas, Benjamin, L’Hoste, Lionel, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, Lorenz, Armin W., McKie, Brendan G., Muotka, Timo, Osadčaja, Diana, Paavola, Riku, Palinauskas, Vaidas, Pařil, Petr, Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes J., Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Skuja, Agnija, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta, Tziortzis, Iakovos, Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vray, Sarah, and Haase, Peter

Published
2024
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7. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

Author

Haase, Peter, Bowler, Diana E., Baker, Nathan J., Bonada, Núria, Domisch, Sami, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Jähnig, Sonja C., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Stubbington, Rachel, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Jorrín, Iñaki Arrate, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Bañares, Iñaki, Ortiz, José Barquín, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A., England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., Graf, Wolfram, House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas C., Johnson, Richard K., Jones, J. Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Kuglerová, Lenka, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L’Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Helène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto Manzanos, McKie, Brendan G., Millán, Andrés, Monteith, Don, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas, Francisco J., Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes Jessen, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez-Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, and Welti, Ellen A. R.

Published
2023
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9. The faunal Ponto-Caspianization of central and western European waterways

Author

Soto, Ismael, Cuthbert, Ross N., Ricciardi, Anthony, Ahmed, Danish A., Altermatt, Florian, Schäfer, Ralf B., Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, Dick, Jaimie T. A., Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Forcellini, Maxence, Fruget, Jean-François, Goethals, Peter, Haase, Peter, Hudgins, Emma J., Jones, J. Iwan, Kouba, Antonín, Leitner, Patrick, Lizée, Marie-Helène, Maire, Anthony, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Rasmussen, Jes Jessen, Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Skuja, Agnija, Stubbington, Rachel, Van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, Haubrock, Phillip J., and Briski, Elizabeta

Published
2023
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13. Tracking a killer shrimp : Dikerogammarus villosus invasion dynamics across Europe

Author

Soto, Ismael, Cuthbert, Ross N., Ahmed, Danish A., Kouba, Antonín, Domisch, Sami, Marquez, Jaime R. G., Beidas, Ayah, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Kiesel, Jens, Shen, Longzhu Q., Florencio, Margarita, Lima, Herlander, Briski, Elizabeta, Altermatt, Florian, Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Borza, Peter, Csabai, Zoltan, Datry, Thibault, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Fruget, Jean-François, Leitner, Patrick, Lizée, Marie-Hélène, Maire, Anthony, Ricciardi, Anthony, Schäfer, Ralf B., Stubbington, Rachel, Van der Lee, Gea H., Várbíró, Gábor, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Haase, Peter, and Haubrock, Phillip J.

Published
2023

21. An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding

Author

Perry, William Bernard, primary, Seymour, Mathew, additional, Orsini, Luisa, additional, Jâms, Ifan Bryn, additional, Milner, Nigel, additional, Edwards, François, additional, Harvey, Rachel, additional, de Bruyn, Mark, additional, Bista, Iliana, additional, Walsh, Kerry, additional, Emmett, Bridget, additional, Blackman, Rosetta, additional, Altermatt, Florian, additional, Lawson Handley, Lori, additional, Mächler, Elvira, additional, Deiner, Kristy, additional, Bik, Holly M., additional, Carvalho, Gary, additional, Colbourne, John, additional, Cosby, Bernard Jack, additional, Durance, Isabelle, additional, and Creer, Simon, additional

Published
2024
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26. Riparian forests shape trophic interactions in detrital stream food webs.

Author

Oester, Rebecca, Altermatt, Florian, and Bruder, Andreas

Subjects
*RESOURCE availability (Ecology), *RIPARIAN forests, *FOREST litter, *FRESHWATER biodiversity, *RIPARIAN areas, *RIPARIAN plants
Abstract

Freshwater and terrestrial biodiversity are linked through spatial resource flows. Key examples are detrital subsidies from the riparian vegetation that form the base of food webs in small streams. Despite the central role of detritivores in these food webs, the consequences of altered riparian vegetation type and resource availability on their trophic strategies are less known.Therefore, we experimentally tested direct and indirect effects of riparian vegetation type (i.e. riparian forests present vs. absent) on trophic interactions and dietary imbalances of aquatic detritivores. To characterise trophic strategies, we used stoichiometric and isotopic differences between consumers and resources as functional measures of trophic link strength in leaf litter bags naturally colonised by stream decomposers and detritivores.Our results show that an absence of riparian forests affected stoichiometric and isotopic properties in stream detrital food webs. Where local riparian forests were absent, leaf litter showed lower C:N ratios, which only trichopteran detritivores mirrored, whereas plecopteran and crustacean detritivores showed differences in their isotopic signatures. Diverging patterns between resources and consumers could lead to a rewiring of energy flow paths and weaken the coupling between aquatic detritivores and terrestrial detritus.Consequently, our findings demonstrate that riparian forests are essential for aquatic food webs by not only influencing organisms themselves but also their trophic interactions and energy flow paths. Aquatic detritivores depending on terrestrial subsidies can be highly sensitive to local changes in their resource environment. Therefore, functionally divergent patterns between resources and consumers in recipient systems highlight how habitat properties of the donor system can affect food webs connected across ecosystem boundaries. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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27. Predicted community consequences of spatially explicit global change‐induced processes on plant–insect networks.

Author

Ho, Hsi‐Cheng and Altermatt, Florian

Subjects
*BIOLOGICAL extinction, *PLANT competition, *FOOD chains, *TROPHIC cascades, *LEPIDOPTERA
Abstract

Plant–insect trophic systems should be particularly sensitive to processes altering species spatial co‐occurrences, as impacts on one level can cascade effectively through the strong trophic reliance to the other level. Here, we predicted the biogeography of Lepidoptera–plant communities under global‐change scenarios, exploiting spatially resolved data on 423 Lepidoptera species and their 848 food plants across the German state of Baden‐Württemberg (ca. 36,000 km2). We performed simulations of plant extinction and Lepidoptera expansion, and respectively assessed their cascading consequences—namely secondary extinction of Lepidoptera and change in functional distance of plants—on the interaction networks. Importantly, the simulations were spatially explicit, as we accounted for realistic landscape contexts of both processes: Plant extinctions were simulated as "regional" (a species goes extinct in the whole region at once) vs. "isolation‐driven" (a species gradually goes extinct from the peripheral or isolated localities according to its real regional distribution); Lepidoptera expansions were simulated with random, northward, and upward directions according to real topography. The consequences were assessed based on empirical community composition and trophic relationships. When evaluated by regional richness, the robustness of Lepidoptera assemblages against secondary extinctions was higher under isolation‐driven plant extinctions than regional plant extinction; however, this relationship was reversed when evaluated by averaged local richness. Also, with isolation‐driven plant extinctions, Lepidoptera at the central sub‐region of Baden‐Württemberg appeared to be especially vulnerable. With Lepidoptera expansions, plants' functional distances in local communities dropped, indicating a possible increase of competition among plants, yet to a lesser extent particularly with upward movements. Together, our results suggested that the communities' composition context at the landscape scale (i.e., how communities, with respective species composition, are arranged within the landscape) matters when assessing global‐change influences on interaction systems; spatially explicit consideration of such context can reveal localised consequences that are not necessarily captured via a spatially implicit, regional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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28. Pronounced changes of subterranean biodiversity patterns along a Late Pleistocene glaciation gradient.

Author

Knüsel, Mara, Alther, Roman, and Altermatt, Florian

Subjects
LAST Glacial Maximum, STATISTICAL sampling, ALPINE regions, GLACIATION, CLIMATE change
Abstract

Understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity within the context of long‐term climatic shifts is of high importance, particularly in the face of contemporary climate change. In comparison to aboveground taxa, subterranean organisms respond to changing climates with generally much lower dispersal and recolonization potential, yet possible persistence in refugial groundwater habitats under ice‐shields. However, knowledge on general and geographically large‐scale effects of glaciation on contemporary groundwater biodiversity patterns is still very limited. Here, we tested how Late Pleistocene glaciation influenced the diversity and distribution of 36 groundwater amphipod species in Alpine and peri‐Alpine regions, characterized by extensive glaciation cycles, and how its legacy explains contemporary diversity patterns. We based our analysis on an unprecedented density of ~ 1000 systematic sampling sites across Switzerland. Using presence–absence data, we assessed biodiversity and species' ranges, and calculated for each site within‐catchment distance to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) glacier extent. We then applied a sliding window approach along the obtained distance gradient from LGM ice‐covered to ice‐free sites to compute biodiversity indices reflecting local richness, regional richness, and differentiation, respectively. We found a strong signal of the LGM ice extent on the present‐day distribution of groundwater amphipods. Our findings revealed pronounced species turnover and spatial envelopes of individual species' occurrences in formerly ice‐covered, ice‐free, or transitional zones, respectively. While local richness remained constant and low along the LGM distance gradient, groundwater communities in LGM ice‐covered areas were more similar to each other and had lower gamma diversities and decreased occurrence probabilities per sliding window compared to communities in Pleistocene ice‐free areas. These results highlight the significant impact of Pleistocene glaciation on shaping biodiversity patterns of subterranean communities and imprinting contemporary distribution of groundwater organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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29. Habitat suitability models reveal the spatial signal of environmental DNA in riverine networks.

Author

Brantschen, Jeanine, Fopp, Fabian, Adde, Antoine, Keck, François, Guisan, Antoine, Pellissier, Loïc, and Altermatt, Florian

Subjects
AQUATIC biodiversity, FRESHWATER biodiversity, SPECIES distribution, ENVIRONMENTAL degradation, STONEFLIES
Abstract

The rapid loss of biodiversity in freshwater systems asks for a robust and spatially explicit understanding of species' occurrences. As two complementing approaches, habitat suitability models provide information about species' potential occurrence, while environmental DNA (eDNA) based assessments provide indication of species' actual occurrence. Individually, both approaches are used in ecological studies to characterize biodiversity, yet they are rarely combined. Here, we integrated high‐resolution habitat suitability models with eDNA‐based assessments of aquatic invertebrates in riverine networks to understand their individual and combined capacity to inform on species' occurrence. We used eDNA sampling data from 172 river sites and combined the detection of taxa from three insect orders (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera; hereafter EPT) with suitable habitat predictions at a subcatchment level (2 km2). Overall, we find congruence of habitat suitability and eDNA‐based detections. Yet, the models predicted suitable habitats beyond the number of detections by eDNA sampling, congruent with the suitable niche being larger than the realized niche. For local mismatches, where eDNA detected a species but the habitat was not predicted suitable, we calculated the minimal distance to upstream suitable habitat patches, indicating possible sources of eDNA signals from upstream sites subsequently being transported along the water flow. We estimated a median distance of 1.06 km (range 0.2–42 km) of DNA transport based on upstream habitat suitability, and this distance was significantly smaller than expected by null model predictions. This estimated transport distance is in the range of previously reported values and allows extrapolations of transport distances across many taxa and riverine systems. Together, the combination of eDNA and habitat suitability models allows larger scale and spatially integrative inferences about biodiversity, ultimately needed for the management and protection of biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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31. Environmental DNA: The next chapter

Author

Blackman, Rosetta, primary, Couton, Marjorie, additional, Keck, François, additional, Kirschner, Dominik, additional, Carraro, Luca, additional, Cereghetti, Eva, additional, Perrelet, Kilian, additional, Bossart, Raphael, additional, Brantschen, Jeanine, additional, Zhang, Yan, additional, and Altermatt, Florian, additional

Published
2024
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39. Demographic stochasticity and resource autocorrelation control biological invasions in heterogeneous landscapes

Author

Giometto, Andrea, Altermatt, Florian, and Rinaldo, Andrea

Subjects
Quantitative Biology - Populations and Evolution, Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics, Physics - Biological Physics
Abstract

Classical models of biological invasions assess species spread in homogeneous landscapes by assuming constant growth rates and random local movement. Mounting evidence suggests, however, that demographic stochasticity, environmental heterogeneity and non-random movement of individuals affect considerably the spread dynamics. Here, we show that the dynamics of biological invasions are controlled by the spatial heterogeneity of the resource distribution. We show theoretically that increasing the landscape resource autocorrelation length causes a reduction in the average speed of species spread. Demographic stochasticity plays a key role in the slowdown, which is streghtened when individuals can actively move towards resources. The reduction in the front propagation speed is verified in laboratory microcosm experiments with the flagellated protist Euglena gracilis by comparing spread in habitats characterized by different resource heterogeneity. Our theoretical and experimental findings highlight the need to account for the intrinsic stochasticity of population dynamics to describe spread in spatially extended landscapes, which are inevitably characterized by heterogeneous spatial distributions of resources controlling vital rates. Our work identifies the resource autocorrelation length as a key modulator and a simple measure of landscape susceptibility to biological invasions, with implications for predicting the characters of biological invasions within naturally heterogeneous environmental corridors.

Published
2016

40. An integrated spatio-temporal view of riverine biodiversity using environmental DNA metabarcoding

Author

Perry, William Bernard, Seymour, Mathew, Orsini, Luisa, Jâms, Ifan Bryn, Milner, Nigel, Edwards, François, Harvey, Rachel, de Bruyn, Mark, Bista, Iliana, Walsh, Kerry, Emmett, Bridget, Blackman, Rosetta, Altermatt, Florian, Lawson Handley, Lori, Mächler, Elvira, Deiner, Kristy, Bik, Holly M., Carvalho, Gary, Colbourne, John, Cosby, Bernard Jack, Durance, Isabelle, Creer, Simon, Perry, William Bernard, Seymour, Mathew, Orsini, Luisa, Jâms, Ifan Bryn, Milner, Nigel, Edwards, François, Harvey, Rachel, de Bruyn, Mark, Bista, Iliana, Walsh, Kerry, Emmett, Bridget, Blackman, Rosetta, Altermatt, Florian, Lawson Handley, Lori, Mächler, Elvira, Deiner, Kristy, Bik, Holly M., Carvalho, Gary, Colbourne, John, Cosby, Bernard Jack, Durance, Isabelle, and Creer, Simon

Abstract

Anthropogenically forced changes in global freshwater biodiversity demand more efficient monitoring approaches. Consequently, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is enabling ecosystem-scale biodiversity assessment, yet the appropriate spatio-temporal resolution of robust biodiversity assessment remains ambiguous. Here, using intensive, spatio-temporal eDNA sampling across space (five rivers in Europe and North America, with an upper range of 20–35 km between samples), time (19 timepoints between 2017 and 2018) and environmental conditions (river flow, pH, conductivity, temperature and rainfall), we characterise the resolution at which information on diversity across the animal kingdom can be gathered from rivers using eDNA. In space, beta diversity was mainly dictated by turnover, on a scale of tens of kilometres, highlighting that diversity measures are not confounded by eDNA from upstream. Fish communities showed nested assemblages along some rivers, coinciding with habitat use. Across time, seasonal life history events, including salmon and eel migration, were detected. Finally, effects of environmental conditions were taxon-specific, reflecting habitat filtering of communities rather than effects on DNA molecules. We conclude that riverine eDNA metabarcoding can measure biodiversity at spatio-temporal scales relevant to species and community ecology, demonstrating its utility in delivering insights into river community ecology during a time of environmental change.

Published
2024
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41. Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics

Author

0000-0003-0787-7342, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0009-0006-6199-9200, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-4714-0305, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-5861-7551, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-7385-8302, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Sinclair, James S., Welti, Ellen A. R., Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Aroviita, Jukka, Baker, Nathan J., Barešová, Libuše, Barquín, José, Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Goethals, Peter L. M., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jähnig, Sonja C., Johnson, Richard K., Kuglerová, Lenka, Kupilas, Benjamin, L'Hoste, Lionel, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, Lorenz, Armin W., McKie, Brendan G., Muotka, Timo, Osadčaja, Diana, Paavola, Riku, Palinauskas, Vaidas, Pařil, Petr, Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes J., Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Skuja, Agnija, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta, Tziortzis, Iakovos, Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vray, Sarah, Haase, Peter, 0000-0003-0787-7342, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0009-0006-6199-9200, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-4714-0305, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-5861-7551, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-7385-8302, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Sinclair, James S., Welti, Ellen A. R., Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Aroviita, Jukka, Baker, Nathan J., Barešová, Libuše, Barquín, José, Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Goethals, Peter L. M., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jähnig, Sonja C., Johnson, Richard K., Kuglerová, Lenka, Kupilas, Benjamin, L'Hoste, Lionel, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, Lorenz, Armin W., McKie, Brendan G., Muotka, Timo, Osadčaja, Diana, Paavola, Riku, Palinauskas, Vaidas, Pařil, Petr, Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes J., Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Skuja, Agnija, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta, Tziortzis, Iakovos, Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vray, Sarah, and Haase, Peter

Abstract

Humans impact terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, yet many broad-scale studies have found no systematic, negative biodiversity changes (for example, decreasing abundance or taxon richness). Here we show that mixed biodiversity responses may arise because community metrics show variable responses to anthropogenic impacts across broad spatial scales. We first quantified temporal trends in anthropogenic impacts for 1,365 riverine invertebrate communities from 23 European countries, based on similarity to least-impacted reference communities. Reference comparisons provide necessary, but often missing, baselines for evaluating whether communities are negatively impacted or have improved (less or more similar, respectively). We then determined whether changing impacts were consistently reflected in metrics of community abundance, taxon richness, evenness and composition. Invertebrate communities improved, that is, became more similar to reference conditions, from 1992 until the 2010s, after which improvements plateaued. Improvements were generally reflected by higher taxon richness, providing evidence that certain community metrics can broadly indicate anthropogenic impacts. However, richness responses were highly variable among sites, and we found no consistent responses in community abundance, evenness or composition. These findings suggest that, without sufficient data and careful metric selection, many common community metrics cannot reliably reflect anthropogenic impacts, helping explain the prevalence of mixed biodiversity trends.

Published
2024

42. Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers

Author

European Commision, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-9493-2279, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1390-6736, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-0036-363X, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0001-5629-3007, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72], Welti, Ellen A. R., Bowler, Diana E., Sinclair, James S, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud, Gaït, Arrate Jorrín, Iñaki, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Baker, Nathan Jay, Bañares, Iñaki, Barquín Ortiz, José, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Domisch, Sami, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A, England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E, Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas Correll, Johnson, Richard K., Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Hélène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Manzanos Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto, Mckie, Brendan, Millán, Andrés, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas Silva, Francisco Jesús, Polasek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, Haase, Peter, European Commision, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-9493-2279, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1390-6736, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-0036-363X, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0001-5629-3007, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72], Welti, Ellen A. R., Bowler, Diana E., Sinclair, James S, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud, Gaït, Arrate Jorrín, Iñaki, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Baker, Nathan Jay, Bañares, Iñaki, Barquín Ortiz, José, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Domisch, Sami, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A, England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E, Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas Correll, Johnson, Richard K., Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Hélène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Manzanos Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto, Mckie, Brendan, Millán, Andrés, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas Silva, Francisco Jesús, Polasek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, and Haase, Peter

Abstract

Freshwater macroinvertebrates are a diverse group and play key ecological roles, including accelerating nutrient cycling, filtering water, controlling primary producers, and providing food for predators. Their differences in tolerances and short generation times manifest in rapid community responses to change. Macroinvertebrate community composition is an indicator of water quality. In Europe, efforts to improve water quality following environmental legislation, primarily starting in the 1980s, may have driven a recovery of macroinvertebrate communities. Towards understanding temporal and spatial variation of these organisms, we compiled the TREAM dataset (Time seRies of European freshwAter Macroinvertebrates), consisting of macroinvertebrate community time series from 1,816 river and stream sites (mean length of 19.2 years and 14.9 sampling years) of 22 European countries sampled between 1968 and 2020. In total, the data include >93 million sampled individuals of 2,648 taxa from 959 genera and 212 families. These data can be used to test questions ranging from identifying drivers of the population dynamics of specific taxa to assessing the success of legislative and management restoration efforts.

Published
2024

43. Reviving Europe's rivers: Seven challenges in the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law to restore free-flowing rivers

Author

Stoffers, Twan, Altermatt, Florian, Baldan, Damiano, Bilous, Olena, Borgwardt, Florian, Buijse, Anthonie D., Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth, Cid, Nuria, Erős, Tibor, Ferreira, Maria Teresa, Funk, Andrea, Haidvogl, Gertrud, Hohensinner, Severin, Kowal, Johannes, Nagelkerke, Leopold A.J., Neuburg, Jakob, Peller, Tianna, Schmutz, Stefan, Singer, Gabriel A., Unfer, Günther, Vitecek, Simon, Jähnig, Sonja C., Hein, Thomas, Stoffers, Twan, Altermatt, Florian, Baldan, Damiano, Bilous, Olena, Borgwardt, Florian, Buijse, Anthonie D., Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth, Cid, Nuria, Erős, Tibor, Ferreira, Maria Teresa, Funk, Andrea, Haidvogl, Gertrud, Hohensinner, Severin, Kowal, Johannes, Nagelkerke, Leopold A.J., Neuburg, Jakob, Peller, Tianna, Schmutz, Stefan, Singer, Gabriel A., Unfer, Günther, Vitecek, Simon, Jähnig, Sonja C., and Hein, Thomas

Abstract

The EU Nature Restoration Law represents an important opportunity for freshwater habitat restoration and, consequently, freshwater biodiversity protection. However, a number of challenges must be anticipated in its implementation, which may compromise its success. Some aspects, particularly those relating to freshwater ecosystems, require more clarification. We use riverine ecosystems to illustrate existing ambiguities in the proposed legislation and the potential consequences of leaving these aspects open to interpretation during the implementation process. We also discuss potential solutions to these problems which could help ensure that the law's objectives are met. We argue that river network structure and connectivity dimensions, which result into river meta-ecosystems, must be explicitly considered. For that purpose, we ask for clear definitions of the critical terms “free-flowing rivers,” “barriers,” and “reference areas.” In addition, we recommend developing methods for integrated assessment of connectivity across river networks. As a key property of river ecosystems, this must be used to prioritize actions to increase the length and number of free-flowing rivers. Adequate restoration planning at larger spatial scales will benefit from a meta-ecosystem perspective and accurate representation of aquatic-terrestrial linkages, which will significantly improve the efficacy of restoration efforts. Furthermore, stakeholder and citizen engagement offer important opportunities at local, national, and European scales, and should be fostered to ensure inclusive decision-making. The conservation challenges outlined here are particularly important for rivers, but they also have implications for other ecosystems. These considerations are useful for policymakers, conservationists, and other stakeholders involved in the Nature Restoration Law and related policy initiatives. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems Water and L

Published
2024

44. Diversity–functioning relationships across hierarchies of biological organization

Author

Mayor, Sarah; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2367-748X, Allan, Eric; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9641-9436, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Isbell, Forest; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9689-769X, Schaepman, Michael E; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9627-9565, Schmid, Bernhard; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3214, Niklaus, Pascal A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2360-1357, Mayor, Sarah; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2367-748X, Allan, Eric; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9641-9436, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Isbell, Forest; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9689-769X, Schaepman, Michael E; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9627-9565, Schmid, Bernhard; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3214, and Niklaus, Pascal A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2360-1357

Abstract

Numerous biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments have shown that plant community productivity typically increases with species diversity. In these studies, diversity is generally quantified using metrics of taxonomic, phylogenetic, or functional differences among community members. Research has also shown that the relationships between species diversity and functioning depends on the spatial scale considered, primarily because larger areas may contain different ecosystem types and span gradients in environmental conditions, which result in a turnover of the species set present locally. A fact that has received little attention, however, is that ecological systems are hierarchically structured, from genes to individuals to communities to entire landscapes, and that additional biological variation occurs at levels of organization above and below those typically considered in BEF research. Here, we present cases of diversity effects at different hierarchical levels of organization and compare these to the species‐diversity effects traditionally studied. We argue that when this evidence is combined across levels, a general framework emerges that allows the transfer of insights and concepts between traditionally disparate disciplines. Such a framework presents an important step towards a better understanding of the functional importance of diversity in complex, real‐world systems.

Published
2024

45. Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem

Author

Saccò, Mattia; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6535-764X, Mammola, Stefano; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4471-9055, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Alther, Roman; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-3966, Bolpagni, Rossano; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9283-2821, Brancelj, Anton; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8767-3894, Brankovits, David; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9195-8115, Fišer, Cene; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1982-8724, Gerovasileiou, Vasilis; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9143-7480, Griebler, Christian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8602-581X, Guareschi, Simone; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2962-0863, Hose, Grant C; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2106-5543, Korbel, Kathryn; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4376-787X, Lictevout, Elisabeth; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4983-5650, Malard, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-4464, Martínez, Alejandro; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0073-3688, Niemiller, Matthew L; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6353-8797, Robertson, Anne; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8398-3556, Tanalgo, Krizler C; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4140-336X, Bichuette, Maria Elina; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9515-4832, Borko, Špela; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8383-8778, Brad, Traian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6749-4338, Campbell, Matthew A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0353-8389, Cardoso, Pedro; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-9960, Celico, Fulvio; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-5924, Cooper, Steven J B; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-8438, Culver, David; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8866-9053, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3131-7049, Galassi, Diana M P; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6448-2710, Guzik, Michelle T; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4947-9353, et al, Saccò, Mattia; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6535-764X, Mammola, Stefano; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4471-9055, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Alther, Roman; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-3966, Bolpagni, Rossano; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9283-2821, Brancelj, Anton; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8767-3894, Brankovits, David; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9195-8115, Fišer, Cene; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1982-8724, Gerovasileiou, Vasilis; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9143-7480, Griebler, Christian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8602-581X, Guareschi, Simone; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2962-0863, Hose, Grant C; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2106-5543, Korbel, Kathryn; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4376-787X, Lictevout, Elisabeth; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4983-5650, Malard, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8037-4464, Martínez, Alejandro; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0073-3688, Niemiller, Matthew L; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6353-8797, Robertson, Anne; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8398-3556, Tanalgo, Krizler C; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4140-336X, Bichuette, Maria Elina; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9515-4832, Borko, Špela; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8383-8778, Brad, Traian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6749-4338, Campbell, Matthew A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0353-8389, Cardoso, Pedro; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-9960, Celico, Fulvio; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-5924, Cooper, Steven J B; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7843-8438, Culver, David; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8866-9053, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3131-7049, Galassi, Diana M P; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6448-2710, Guzik, Michelle T; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4947-9353, and et al

Abstract

Groundwater is a vital ecosystem of the global water cycle, hosting unique biodiversity and providing essential services to societies. Despite being the largest unfrozen freshwater resource, in a period of depletion by extraction and pollution, groundwater environments have been repeatedly overlooked in global biodiversity conservation agendas. Disregarding the importance of groundwater as an ecosystem ignores its critical role in preserving surface biomes. To foster timely global conservation of groundwater, we propose elevating the concept of keystone species into the realm of ecosystems, claiming groundwater as a keystone ecosystem that influences the integrity of many dependent ecosystems. Our global analysis shows that over half of land surface areas (52.6%) has a medium‐to‐high interaction with groundwater, reaching up to 74.9% when deserts and high mountains are excluded. We postulate that the intrinsic transboundary features of groundwater are critical for shifting perspectives towards more holistic approaches in aquatic ecology and beyond. Furthermore, we propose eight key themes to develop a science‐policy integrated groundwater conservation agenda. Given ecosystems above and below the ground intersect at many levels, considering groundwater as an essential component of planetary health is pivotal to reduce biodiversity loss and buffer against climate change.

Published
2024

46. The shape of density dependence and the relationship between population growth, intraspecific competition and equilibrium population density

Author

Fronhofer, Emanuel A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2219-784X, Govaert, Lynn; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8326-3591, O'Connor, Mary I, Schreiber, Sebastian J, Altermatt, Florian, Fronhofer, Emanuel A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2219-784X, Govaert, Lynn; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8326-3591, O'Connor, Mary I, Schreiber, Sebastian J, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

The logistic growth model is one of the most frequently used formalizations of density dependence affecting population growth, persistence and evolution. Ecological and evolutionary theory, and applications to understand population change over time often include this model. However, the assumptions and limitations of this popular model are often not well appreciated. Here, we briefly review past use of the logistic growth model and highlight limitations by deriving population growth models from underlying consumer–resource dynamics. We show that the logistic equation likely is not applicable to many biological systems. Rather, density‐regulation functions are usually non‐linear and may exhibit convex or concave curvatures depending on the biology of resources and consumers. In simple cases, the dynamics can be fully described by the Schoener model. More complex consumer dynamics show similarities to a Maynard Smith–Slatkin model. We show how population‐level parameters, such as intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities are not independent, as often assumed. Rather, they are functions of the same underlying parameters. The commonly assumed positive relationship between equilibrium population density and competitive ability is typically invalid. We propose simple relationships between intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities that capture the essence of different consumer–resource systems. Relating population level models to underlying mechanisms allows us to discuss applications to evolutionary outcomes and how these models depend on environmental conditions, like temperature via metabolic scaling. Finally, we use time‐series from microbial food chains to fit population growth models as a test case for our theoretical predictions. Our results show that density‐regulation functions need to be chosen carefully as their shapes will depend on the study system's biology. Importantly, we provide a mechanistic understanding of r

Published
2024

47. Combining environmental DNA with remote sensing variables to map fish species distributions along a large river

Author

Zong, Shuo; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7458-3291, Brantschen, Jeanine, Zhang, Xiaowei; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8974-9963, Albouy, Camille; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1629-2389, Valentini, Alice, Zhang, Heng; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3139-9566, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259, Zong, Shuo; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7458-3291, Brantschen, Jeanine, Zhang, Xiaowei; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8974-9963, Albouy, Camille; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1629-2389, Valentini, Alice, Zhang, Heng; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3139-9566, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, and Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259

Abstract

Biodiversity loss in river ecosystems is much faster and more severe than in terrestrial systems, and spatial conservation and restoration plans are needed to halt this erosion. Reliable and highly resolved data on the state of and change in biodiversity and species distributions are critical for effective measures. However, high‐resolution maps of fish distribution remain limited for large riverine systems. Coupling data from global satellite sensors with broad‐scale environmental DNA (eDNA) and machine learning could enable rapid and precise mapping of the distribution of river organisms. Here, we investigated the potential for combining these methods using a fish eDNA dataset from 110 sites sampled along the full length of the Rhone River in Switzerland and France. Using Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 images, we generated a set of ecological variables describing both the aquatic and the terrestrial habitats surrounding the river corridor. We combined these variables with eDNA‐based presence and absence data on 29 fish species and used three machine‐learning models to assess environmental suitability for these species. Most models showed good performance, indicating that ecological variables derived from remote sensing can approximate the ecological determinants of fish species distributions, but water‐derived variables had stronger associations than the terrestrial variables surrounding the river. The species range mapping indicated a significant transition in the species occupancy along the Rhone, from its source in the Swiss Alps to outlet into the Mediterranean Sea in southern France. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of combining remote sensing and eDNA to map species distributions in a large river. This method can be expanded to any large river to support conservation schemes.

Published
2024

48. Contrasting strengths of eDNA and electrofishing compared to historic records for assessing fish community diversity and composition

Author

Brantschen, Jeanine; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-3607, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Brantschen, Jeanine; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-3607, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

In times of rapid environmental changes, baseline biodiversity data are crucial for management. In freshwaters, fish inventories are commonly based on the capture and morphological identification of specimens. The sampling of environmental DNA (eDNA) provides an alternative to assess diversity across large catchments. Here, we used extensive historic data of fish communities collected across 89 river sites in all major catchments of Switzerland and compared their diversity and community composition to a single campaign of eDNA and electrofishing, respectively. Locally, we found that eDNA provided diversity estimates similar to the integrated historic richness, while the electrofishing campaign captured a significantly lower local richness. Fish species locally recorded by electrofishing were nested (Jaccard’s dissimilarity index) within the respective eDNA community for most sites. Finally, eDNA sequence reads positively correlated with the overall electrofishing biomass. Despite the congruences, the eDNA data did not correlate well with the electrofishing water quality index. Overall, eDNA was more accurately assessing overall diversity than a simultaneous electrofishing campaign, but yet cannot be directly used to calculate fish-based water quality indices.

Published
2024

49. Perspectives and pitfalls in preserving subterranean biodiversity through protected areas

Author

Mammola, Stefano, Altermatt, Florian, Alther, Roman, Amorim, Isabel, Băncilă, Raluca, Borges, Paulo A. V., Brad, Traian, Brankovits, David, Cardoso, Pedro, Cerasoli, Francesco, Chauveau, Claire, Delić, Teo, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana, Faille, Arnaud, Fišer, Cene, Flot, Jean-François, Gabriel, Rosalina Maria de Almeida, Galassi, Diana, Garzoli, Laura, Griebler, Christian, Konecny-Dupré, Lara, Martínez, Alejandro, Mori, Nataša, Nanni, Veronica, Ogorelec, Žiga, Pallarés, Susana, Salussolia, Alice, Saccò, Mattia, Stoch, Fabio, Vaccarelli, Ilaria, Zagmajster, Maja, Zittra, Carina, Meierhofer, Melissa B., Sánchez-Fernández, David, Malard, Florian, Mammola, Stefano, Altermatt, Florian, Alther, Roman, Amorim, Isabel, Băncilă, Raluca, Borges, Paulo A. V., Brad, Traian, Brankovits, David, Cardoso, Pedro, Cerasoli, Francesco, Chauveau, Claire, Delić, Teo, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana, Faille, Arnaud, Fišer, Cene, Flot, Jean-François, Gabriel, Rosalina Maria de Almeida, Galassi, Diana, Garzoli, Laura, Griebler, Christian, Konecny-Dupré, Lara, Martínez, Alejandro, Mori, Nataša, Nanni, Veronica, Ogorelec, Žiga, Pallarés, Susana, Salussolia, Alice, Saccò, Mattia, Stoch, Fabio, Vaccarelli, Ilaria, Zagmajster, Maja, Zittra, Carina, Meierhofer, Melissa B., Sánchez-Fernández, David, and Malard, Florian

Abstract

Subterranean ecosystems (comprising terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic components) are increasingly threatened by human activities; however, the current network of surface-protected areas is inadequate to safeguard subterranean biodiversity. Establishing protected areas for subterranean ecosystems is challenging. First, there are technical obstacles in mapping three-dimensional ecosystems with uncertain boundaries. Second, the rarity and endemism of subterranean organisms, combined with a scarcity of taxonomists, delays the accumulation of essential biodiversity knowledge. Third, establishing agreements to preserve subterranean ecosystems requires collaboration among multiple actors with often competing interests. This perspective addresses the challenges of preserving subterranean biodiversity through protected areas. Even in the face of uncertainties, we suggest it is both timely and critical to assess general criteria for subterranean biodiversity protection and implement them based on precautionary principles. To this end, we examine the current status of European protected areas and discuss solutions to improve their coverage of subterranean ecosystems., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Published
2024

50. Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem

Author

Saccò, Mattia, Mammola, Stefano, Altermatt, Florian, Alther, Roman, Bolpagni, Rossano, Brancelj, Anton, Brankovits, David, Fišer, Cene, Gerovasileiou, Vasilis, Griebler, Christian, Guareschi, Simone, Hose, Grant C., Korbel, Kathryn, Lictevout, Elisabeth, Malard, Florian, Martínez, Alejandro, Niemiller, Matthew L., Robertson, Anne, Tanalgo, Krizler C., Bichuette, Maria Elina, Borko, Špela, Brad, Traian, Campbell, Matthew A., Cardoso, Pedro, Celico, Fulvio, Cooper, Steven J. B., Culver, David, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana, Galassi, Diana M. P., Guzik, Michelle T., Hartland, Adam, Humphreys, William F., Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, Lunghi, Enrico, Nizzoli, Daniele, Perina, Giulia, Raghavan, Rajeev, Richards, Zoe, Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S., Rohde, Melissa M., Fernández, David Sánchez, Schmidt, Susanne I., van der Heyde, Mieke, Weaver, Louise, White, Nicole E., Zagmajster, Maja, Hogg, Ian, Ruhi, Albert, Gagnon, Marthe M., Allentoft, Morten E., Reinecke, Robert, Saccò, Mattia, Mammola, Stefano, Altermatt, Florian, Alther, Roman, Bolpagni, Rossano, Brancelj, Anton, Brankovits, David, Fišer, Cene, Gerovasileiou, Vasilis, Griebler, Christian, Guareschi, Simone, Hose, Grant C., Korbel, Kathryn, Lictevout, Elisabeth, Malard, Florian, Martínez, Alejandro, Niemiller, Matthew L., Robertson, Anne, Tanalgo, Krizler C., Bichuette, Maria Elina, Borko, Špela, Brad, Traian, Campbell, Matthew A., Cardoso, Pedro, Celico, Fulvio, Cooper, Steven J. B., Culver, David, Di Lorenzo, Tiziana, Galassi, Diana M. P., Guzik, Michelle T., Hartland, Adam, Humphreys, William F., Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, Lunghi, Enrico, Nizzoli, Daniele, Perina, Giulia, Raghavan, Rajeev, Richards, Zoe, Reboleira, Ana Sofia P. S., Rohde, Melissa M., Fernández, David Sánchez, Schmidt, Susanne I., van der Heyde, Mieke, Weaver, Louise, White, Nicole E., Zagmajster, Maja, Hogg, Ian, Ruhi, Albert, Gagnon, Marthe M., Allentoft, Morten E., and Reinecke, Robert

Abstract

Groundwater is a vital ecosystem of the global water cycle, hosting unique biodiversity and providing essential services to societies. Despite being the largest unfrozen freshwater resource, in a period of depletion by extraction and pollution, groundwater environments have been repeatedly overlooked in global biodiversity conservation agendas. Disregarding the importance of groundwater as an ecosystem ignores its critical role in preserving surface biomes. To foster timely global conservation of groundwater, we propose elevating the concept of keystone species into the realm of ecosystems, claiming groundwater as a keystone ecosystem that influences the integrity of many dependent ecosystems. Our global analysis shows that over half of land surface areas (52.6%) has a medium-to-high interaction with groundwater, reaching up to 74.9% when deserts and high mountains are excluded. We postulate that the intrinsic transboundary features of groundwater are critical for shifting perspectives towards more holistic approaches in aquatic ecology and beyond. Furthermore, we propose eight key themes to develop a science-policy integrated groundwater conservation agenda. Given ecosystems above and below the ground intersect at many levels, considering groundwater as an essential component of planetary health is pivotal to reduce biodiversity loss and buffer against climate change.

Published
2024

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