28th May – 2nd June 2012 Vila Nova de Cerveira - Portugal - Book of abstracts ECFF2012 © ECFF2012 PRINTSETTING: © ECFF2012 Coordenador: Carlos Antunes Editor: Comissão Organizadora ECFF 2012 ISBN: 978-989-96062-3-4 Despósito Legal: 344663/12 Impressão: Candeias Artes Gráficas Maio de 2012 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Carlos Antunes (CIMAR/CIIMAR; CI-ESG, ESGallaecia; Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal) Eric Rochard (Cemagref, France) Javier Lobón-Cerviá (MNCN-CSIC, Spain) Mariana Correia (CI-ESG, Higher Education School Gallaecia, Portugal) Micaela Mota (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal) Ronaldo Sousa (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Minho, Portugal) Sérgia Costa-Dias (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal; MNCN-CSIC, Spain) SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Carlos Antunes (CIMAR/CIIMAR; CI-ESG, ESGallaecia; Aquamuseu do Rio Minho, Portugal) Eric Rochard (Cemagref, France) Javier Lobón-Cerviá (MNCN-CSIC, Spain) Fernando Cobo (Dept. of Animal Biology; University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) João Coimbra (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal) Jonathan Wilson (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal) Micaela Mota (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal) Pedro Raposo de Almeida (Center of Oceanography, Lisbon; University of Évora, Portugal) Ronaldo Sousa (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto; University of Minho, Portugal) Rui Cortes (Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal) Sérgia Costa-Dias (CIMAR/CIIMAR, University of Porto, Portugal; MNCN-CSIC, Spain) PROGRAMME Monday 28th Tuesday 29th Wednesday 30th 08:00h Secretariat opening Secretariat opening 08:30h T1 - Ecosystem T3 - Conservation functioning Invited Speaker: Invited Speaker: Collares Pereira, Ralf Thiel, DEU POR 09:15h T1 - Ecosystem T3 - Conservation functioning Oral communications Oral communications 10:45h Coffee break Coffee break 11:15h T1 - Ecosystem T3 - Conservation functioning Oral communications Oral communications 13:00h Lunch Lunch 14:30h T4 - Genetics T2 - Threats to Invited Speaker: systems and/or species A Vollestad, NOR Invited Speaker: Garcia-Berthou, ESP 15:15h T2 - Threats to T4 - Genetics Secretariat systems and/or species Oral communications opening Oral communications 16:45h Coffee break Coffee break 17:15h Opening session T2 - Threats to T4 - Genetics 17:30h systems and/or species Oral communications 17:45h Invited Speaker Oral communications 18:00h A Flecker, USA Poster session 18:30h 19:00h Welcome drink Art Exhibition - Thursday 31st Friday 01st Saturday 02nd Secretariat opening 08:00h 08:30h T5 - Diadromous fishes Invited Speaker: Eric Rochard, FRA T5 - Diadromous fishes 09:15h Oral communications Coffee break 10:45h T5 - Diadromous fishes 11:15h Oral communications Lunch 13:00h 14:30h T6 - Aquatic habitat Social VI Minho River restoration and Mitigation Programme basin Iberian measures Symposium Invited Speaker: I G Cowx, GBR T6 - Aquatic habitat 15:15h restoration and Mitigation measures Oral communications Coffee break 16:45h T6 - Aquatic habitat 17:15h restoration and Mitigation measures 17:30h Oral communications 17:45h 18:00h 18:30h 19:00h 1 CONTENTS OPENING LECTURE ........................................................................................... 3 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ............................................................................. 7 Theme 1 - Ecosystem Functioning .............................................................................. 9 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 11 Theme 2 - Threats to Systems and/or Species ........................................................... 25 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 27 Theme 3 - Conservation ............................................................................................ 41 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 43 Theme 4 – Genetics ................................................................................................... 57 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 59 Theme 5 - Diadromous Fish ...................................................................................... 69 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 71 Theme 6 - Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Mitigation Measures ............................ 85 Invited speaker ............................................................................................................ 87 POSTER COMMUNICATIONS ...................................................................... 99 Theme 1 - Ecosystem Functioning ...........................................................................101 Theme 2 - Threats to Systems and/or Species ..........................................................121 Theme 3 - Conservation ...........................................................................................147 Theme 4 – Genetics ..................................................................................................169 Theme 5 - Diadromous Fish .....................................................................................177 REMISSIVE INDEX ...............................................................................................199 ABSTRACT TITLE INDEX ....................................................................................203 2 OPENING LECTURE 4 5 Fishes as key drivers of ecosystem processes: insights from tropical streams Alexander S. Flecker Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 14853. [email protected] Abstract Fishes can play a fundamental role in shaping the structure and function of stream ecosystems. Here I provide a suite of examples of fishes influencing ecosystem processes in running waters, highlighting our studies in the New World tropics. First, I explore the significance of migratory species as key ecosystem subsidies, not only as material inputs but also as mobile modulators of ecosystem process (Flecker et al. 2010). I show that migratory species such as the flannelmouth characin, Prochilodus mariae, strongly modulate biogeochemical cycling of critical elements including carbon and nitrogen. I then address a very different process, seed dispersal, exploring the capacity of frugivorous species such as pacu, Colossoma macropomum and Piaractus brachypomus, to act as dispersal agents in vast flooded forests of South America. Indeed, we find that pacu can be extremely long-distance dispersal agents due to the abundance of fruit in their diet and slow gut passage time of viable seeds coupled with the high mobility of these fishes (Anderson et al. 2011). I close by discussing some key themes of a research agenda linking freshwater fishes to ecosystem processes. These include the potential for phenotypic variation within fish species to be of sufficient magnitude to be important from an ecosystem perspective, as well as the widespread ecosystem consequences of invasive species. Finally, ecological context is vital for understanding not only the suite of processes that freshwater fishes can control, but the ecological settings where we can expect fishes to be particularly strong ecosystem drivers. References ANDERSON, J.T., NUTTLE, T., SALDAÑA ROJAS, J.S., PENDERGAST, T.H. & FLECKER, A.S. 2011. Extremely long-distance seed dispersal by an overfished Amazonian frugivore. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 10.1098/rspb.2011.0155. FLECKER, A.S., MCINTYRE, P.B., MOORE, J.W., ANDERSON, J.T., TAYLOR, B.W. & HALL, R.O. 2010. Migratory fishes as material and process subsidies in riverine ecosystems. American Fisheries Society Symposium 73:559-592. 6 Opening lecture ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 8 Oral communications Theme 1 - Ecosystem Functioning 10 Oral communications Theme 1 ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING 11 Invited speaker Ecosystem functioning and fish assemblages in European estuaries: important patterns and open research questions Ralf Thiel University of Hamburg, Biocenter Grindel and Zoological Museum, Martin- Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany [email protected] Abstract To sustain functions and services of estuaries and the other aquatic ecosystems is important for a successful population development and survival of many species including humans. The basis for conserving functioning of estuarine ecosystems is to understand the fundamental set of their characteristics. The analysis of ecosystem functioning of estuaries is a complex issue, which has not been adequately resolved. Studies in European estuaries during the recent three decades have shown that they can support species-rich assemblages of fishes and fish populations with high abundances. These assemblages and populations have the potential to play an important functional role, e.g., within the estuarine food web. However, many European estuaries are degraded by various human impacts affecting their fish assemblages. In this context, fishes are sensitive indicators assessing the highly variable conditions of estuarine waters over space and time, estuarine habitat quality and loss. Firstly, the talk summarizes general fish-related aspects important for ecosystem functioning of European estuaries, especially fish species diversity, proportion of habitat use guilds, and fish-ecological