Changes in Species Ratios from Ichthyofauna and Structure of Their Areas in the Process of Ecological Succession of Cuciurgan Reservoir
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J. Wetlands Biodiversity (2014) 4: 113-120 CHANGES IN SPECIES RATIOS FROM ICHTHYOFAUNA AND STRUCTURE OF THEIR AREAS IN THE PROCESS OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION OF CUCIURGAN RESERVOIR Marin Usatîi, Oleg Crepis, Adrian Usatîi, Nicolae Șaptefrați, Piotr Dermenji and Nadejda Usatîi Received: 16.07.2014 / Accepted: 10.11.2014 Abstract: Cuciurgan estuary, before the regulation of its flow, was a part of the ancient estuary of the Dniester and served as spawning area and feeding pond for phytophilic fishes of the river (common bream, roach, common carp, European pikeperch, northern pike etc). Construction of the dam contributed to its ecological succession and natural estuary turned into an artificial pond with inlet recycling water supply of MGRES (Moldavian State Regional Electric Station). The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the ratios of species from ichthyofauna and the structure of their areas in the process of ecological succession in Cuciurgan reservoir. Keywords: Cuciurgan reservoir, diversity ecosystem, ecological succession, fish, ichthyofauna, population density, storage reservoir, structure areas, thermal and hydrological regimes. Introduction:1 of the river (common bream, roach, common carp, European pikeperch, northern pike etc). Cuciurgan estuary, before the regulation of In addition, food migration of such rheophils its flow, was a part of the ancient estuary of as beluga, stellate sturgeon, sterlet, herring, the Dniester and served as a spawning area Black Sea roach, ide, asp, barb, vimba, and feeding pond for the phytophilic fishes common nase has occurred in Cuciurgan estuary. There were 46 species and subspecies of fish belonging to 13 families Marin Usatîi Oleg Crepis prior to the flow regulation in the pond, Adrian Usatîi (Egherman 1926; Zambriborsci 1960; Nicolae Șaptefrați and Cepurnov and Kubrak 1965). The Piotr Dermenji: construction of the dam contributed to its Institute of Zoology ecological succession and the natural estuary Academy of Sciences of Moldova turned into an artificial pond with inlet Str. Academiei 1, Chisinau recycling water supply of MGRES MD-2028, Republic of Moldova (Moldavian State Regional Electric Station). e-mail: [email protected] MGRES exploitation has influenced the environmental conditions of Cuciurgan Nadejda Usatîi: High School “Traian” reservoir, further contributed to its ecological Bd. Cuza-Voda 36, Chisinau succession and was accompanied by a MD-2060, Republic of Moldova, change in the number of different fish e-mail: [email protected] ecological groups. Istros – Museum of Braila 114 J. Wetlands Biodiversity (2014) 4: 113-120 The purpose of this study was to %), chub (0.1 %), vimba, sabre fish, Black investigate the changes in the ratios of Sea roach (single individuals) and others species from ichthyofauna and the structure (Tab. 1, Annexes). Limnophilic species of their areas in the process of ecological population maintained or increased their succession in Cuciurgan reservoir. number - roach (18.3 %), silver bream (11.3 %), crucian carp (9.1 %), perch (11.0 %). Materials and methods: During the weak thermofication of the reservoir in 1969-1970 were observed an Investigations regarding major fish species’ increase in food base for fish, which ratios and their spatial distribution in the contributed to an increase in the population ichthyofauna of Cuciurgan reservoirs were density of such species as bream (14.0 %), conducted in 2012-2013. There was analyzed roach (30.1 %) and smartweed (16.2 %). information from the specialty literature over However, the number of other species many years. A collection of ichthyological dwindled significantly – European pikeperch material was carried out on control fishing (1.0 %), tench (0.2 %), crucian carp (0.2 %), catches using fishing nets of differents sizes pike (0.6 %), common carp (0.1 %). Despite (218 occasion), fish traps and fishing lifts the large amounts of small fish, a reduction (10 occasion) and dragnet for whitebait 40м in the number of predators was observed, (39 occasion) in different parts of the owing to the location of its main spawning reservoir, as well as on catches of fishermen. areas in front of water intakes and for pike The volume of the collected ichthyological due to the modification of the sexual material amounted to 14 thousand product’s quality under the influence of individuals of different species, sex and age. higher temperatures. For 1421 fish individuals there were Changes in the environmental determined the age, gender and linear- conditions, which occurred due to the weighted indices. Ichthyologic analysis of reservoir’s intensive thermofication in 1981- the collected material was performed using 1985, led to a decrease in primary conventional standard methods in bioproduction and had negative influence on ichthyology (Tipovye metodik 1974-1976; the populations of some native fish species. Metodika prognozirovania 1982). The bream population depleted to 2.2 %, Identification of fish species was done using roach - tо 9.3 %, perch - tо 2.2 %. However, determinators (Koblitskaya 1981; Kottelat in general, changes in environmental and Freyhof 2007). Systematics and conditions in Cuciurgan reservoir in a period nomenclature of fishes used in these work of station intense work had positive impact have taxonomic status, which is considered on its ichthyofauna. Rapid water exchange valid at the present stage of ichthyological and increase of the average water research (Bogutschaia and Naseka 2004; temperature contributed to the extension of California Academy of Sciences. the period of intensive growth to 2 months, Ichthyology 2008: inhabitation of the reservoir with new fish www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology). species (silver carp, bighead, grass carp and black carp) and allowed to form a new ichthyocomplex with high bioproduction. Results and discussion: Silver carp (29.0 %) and bighead (10.0 %) took the leading position in the fish fauna, At the beginning of the exploitation of and accounted for over 90 % from the MGRES (1964-1965), sturgeons disappeared fishery reserve of the pond. Any significant from ichthyofauna and there was a fast change in its ichthyofauna had not been depletion in the population density of observed until mid-90s. Silver carp and reophilus species - asp (0.4 %), ide (0.1 %), bighead (26 %) still dominated by number. herring (0.1 %), nase (0.1 %), minnow (0.1 The number of perch (10.9 %) and gobies Istros – Museum of Braila J. Wetlands Biodiversity (2014) 4: 113-120 115 (9.1 %) was increased. Other species (roach, (3.7 %) and sunfish (1.6 %) populations bream, silver roach, European pikeperch, increased significantly. pike) showed a tendency to decrease the Currently, regarding fish fauna the number. In the period of 1991-1995 in the highest population density was observed for pond, new invasive noncommercial species – bleak (12.9 %), rudd (11.6 %), perch (9.0 Black Sea silverside appeared. Its population %), crucian carp (8.3 %), belica (7.8 %) and became numerous (14.2 %) due to silver bream (7.1 %). Over the past three euribiontic characteristics and high rate of years the number of sunfish (13.5 %) reproduction. increased significantly and it represents Since the mid-1990s, as a result of serious competition to native species now. MGRES work intensity reduction, in the However, it was a marked tendency to Cuciurgan reservoir occurred disturbance in restore populations of Azov roach (0.7 %), regulation of abiotic and biotic European pikeperch, chub, asp, catfish (0.1 environmental conditions. This led to a % each) and a number of other valuable further reduction in the number of species that indicates the beginning of the commercial fish populations. Vimba, normalization of the reservoir environmental herring, Black Sea roach, sabre fish, crucian conditions. carp, gobio and needlefish, completely According to the purpose of this research disappeared from the catches. Catfish, asp, there were studied particularities of spatial tench, grass carp were found in single copies distribution changes and the structure of the in catches, and populations density of other population ranges of the main species from species such as – silver carp (0.8 %), Azov Cuciurgan reservoir during its ecological roach (0.5 %), bighead (0.3 %), bream, pike, succession. Analysis of the literature showed European pikeperch (0.1 % each) decreased that before the regulation of Cuciurgan significantly. Conversely, silverside (21.2 estuary water flow and in the first years after %), bleak (20.1 %), gobies (16.4 %), perch the construction of the dam, the population (11.7 %) were the most adapted species to areas of major fish species had been changing environmental conditions. uniformly distributed, and the numerical Further changes in thermal and density would vary during the spawning and hydrological regimes of the reservoir in feeding migrations from the Dniester river 2004-2006 led to mass overgrowing of (Yaroshenko 1973; Karlov and Krepis 1988). macrophytes. As a result, there occurred After the start of the active exploitation another ecological succession and the pond of the MGRES, in the reservoir were noted turned into an overgrown lake with poor specific changes in the spatial distribution of water exchange. During this period, there some fish species and the structure of their was observed successful reproduction of pike areas. For example, bream, European (2.1 %), perch (16.9 %), crucian carp (13.2 pikeperch, crucian carp and silver bream %), rudd (13.8 %), tench