Session 1 Cyprinid : ecology and constraints

Iberian cyprinids: requirements and vulnerabilities

2nd Stakeholder Workshop – Iberia – Lisboa, 20.03.2019

Francisco Godinho Hidroerg

20/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 1 Setting the scene

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 2 Relatively small river catchmentsIberian fluvial systems /Duero is the largest one, with 97 600 km2

Loire – 117 000 km2, Rhinne -185 000 km2, Vistula – 194 000 km2, Danube22/03/2018 – 817 000 km2, Volga –Francisco 1 380 Godinho 000 km2 3 Most Iberian rivers present a mediterranean hydrological regime (temporary rivers are common)

Vascão river, a tributary of the Guadiana river

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 4 are the characteristic fish taxa of Iberian fluvial ecosystems, occurring from mountain streams (up to 1000 m in altitude) to lowland rivers Natural lakes are rare in the and most natural freshwater bodies are rivers and streams

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 5 Six fish-based river types have been distinguished in Portugal (INAG and AFN, 2012)

Type 1 - Northern salmonid streams

Type 2 - Northern salmonid–cyprinid trans. streams

Type 3 - Northern-interior medium-sized cyprinid streams

Type 4 - Northern-interior medium-sized cyprinid streams

Type 5 - Southern medium-sized cyprinid streams Type 6 - Northern-coastal cyprinid streams

With the exception of assemblages in small northern, high altitude streams, native cyprinids dominate most unaltered fish assemblages, showing a high sucess in the hidrological singular 22/03/2018 Iberian streams and rivers 6 51 cyprinid species are present in the Iberian Peninsula, including 9 introduced

Achondrostoma arcasii Ruivaco/Bermejuela Parachondrostoma arrigonis Loina occidentale Ruivaco-do-Oeste Madrilla Ruivaco Parachondrostoma turiense Madrija Achondrostoma Sarda Phoxinus bigerri Piscardo; chipa salmantinum Alburnus alburnus Alburno Pseudochondrostoma duriense Boga do Norte/Boga del Duero Anaecypris hispanica Jarabugo haasi Barbo colirrojo Pseudochondrostoma polylepis Boga comúm/boga del Tajo Barbus meridionalis Barbo de montaña Blicca bjoerkna Brema blanca Pseudochondrostoma Boga do/del Guadiana Carassius auratus Pez rojo; Carpín wilkommii Cyprinus carpio Carpa Pseudorasbora parva Falsa rasbora Gobio lozanoi Gobio Rutilus rutilus Rutilo Iberochondrostoma almacai Boga do sudoeste Iberochondrostoma Pardilla Scardinius erythrophthalmus Gardí lemmingii alburnoides Bordalo/Calandino Iberochondrostoma Boga Portuguesa Squalius aradensis Escalo do Arade (n. portugués) lusitanicum Squalius carolitertii Escalo/Bordallo Iberochondrostoma Boga de boca arqueada de Lisboa Squalius castellanus Bordallo del Gallo olisiponensis Squalius cephalus Bagre Iberochondrostoma Pardilla oretana Squalius laietanus Bagre oretanum bocagei Barbo común Cacho malagueño Luciobarbus comizo Barbo comizo Squalius palaciosi Bogardilla Barbo de Graells Squalius pyrenaicus Escalo/Cacho Barbo mediterráneo Squalius torgalensis Escalo do Mira (n. portugués) Luciobarbus microcephalus Barbo cabecicorto Cacho valenciano Luciobarbus sclateri Barbo gitano 22/03/2018 Francisco TincaGodinho tinca Tenca 7 Luciobarbus steidnachneri Barbo de steidachner High level of endemicity in the cyprinid species occurring in the Iberian Peninsula. Several species are endangered Species with less than 10.0 cm long and species with more than 100 cm long

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 9 Species with longevity of 3 years and species with longevity > 10 years

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 10 Habitat requirements

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 11 Some plasticity is needed to survive in the variable Iberian rivers - habitat used by different species and size-classes often present a considerable amplitude

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 12 (Martinez-Capel et al., 2009) Nevertheless, patterns of habitat use and preference have showned differences bettween species and size-classes / life stages (e.g. Godinho et al., 1998, Ferreira et al., 2007; Ilhéu, 2008; Martinez-Capel et al., 2009; Santos et al., 2004; 2017)

Adults of larger species, such as the barbels, use deeper , whereas smaller size classes of the larger species and smaller sized species occurr at shallower habitats

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 13 occurrence in electrofishing samples in the portuguese part of the Douro/Duero river catchment – more frequent at larger rivers (deeper habitats)

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 14 Squalius carolitertii occurrence in electrofishing samples in the portuguese part of the Douro/Duero river catchment – more frequent at smaller rivers (shallower habitats)

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 15 Specific spawning habitats are needed by some species for sucessfull spawing

Luciobarbus bocagei spawning in shallow water with coarse substrate

Micro-habitat use usually change througout the year in response to changing conditions. Overlap in habitat use increases with reduced flows

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 16 Seasonal changes in fish habitat use in the upper Guadalete river (Guadalquivir river basin) (Encina et al., 2006)

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 17 Vulnerabilities

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 18 Changes in natural river flow

Upstream from dams in reservoirs

Guadiana river (before damming)

Direct effects on native cyprinids due to habitat change and fragmentation and Guadiana river indirect effects through mediated biotic (after damming) interactions with introduced fish species

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 19 Changes in natural river flow

Dowstream dams with bypassed flow (reduced flow in the bypassed reach)

Direct effects on native cyprinids due to habitat contraction and fragmentation, reduced water quality, increase vulnerability to predation, reduced connectivity

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 20 (fast) Changes in natural river flow

Dowstream hydropower plants (hydropeaking)

Direct effects on native cyprinids due to rapid changes in habitat (stranding) and indirect effects through decrease in habitat suitability

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 21 Interactions with introduced fish species Mostly mediated by habitat modifications resulting from transformation of rivers into reservoirs Many introduced species are adapted to more stable, lacustrine environments, and dwell sucessfully in reservoirs and in some regulated river reaches bellow dams. Gape-limited introduced piscivorous fish are a threat to small sized cyprinids

Ameiurus melas

Ictalurus punctatus Lepomis gibbosus Alburbus alburnus

Sander lucioperca Micropterus salmoides Cyprinus carpio Silurus glanis

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 22 Additional pressures upon Iberian cyprinids

Presence of dams and weirs that block fish movement

Increased water abstraction in already water stressed rivers

Deseases

Eutrophication (increase susceptibility to fish kills)

Climate change (less and more variable river flow)

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 23 Suggested topics for discussion

ß Can we successfully mitigate the effects of natural flow alteration upon native cyprinids caused by Hydropower in Iberian rivers?

ß Can we increase the compatibility of water uses, namely for hydropower, with sustainable native cyprinid populations in Iberian rivers?

22/03/2018 Francisco Godinho 24 FIThydro

Thank you! Francisco Godinho HIDROERG

Funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union

Francisco Godinho 25