12 research outputs found
Off-centring empire in the Anthropocene: towards multispecies intimacies and nonhuman agents of survival
The Significance of Alien and Invasive Slug Species for Plant Communities in Agrocenoses
This paper lists alien invasive species of slugs occurring on crops grown in the ground and under covers, as well as in adjacent habitats. It gives a description of their origin, distribution within Poland, frequency of occurrence in different habitats, and an evaluation of the danger to cultivated plants posed by particular slug species. Based on reports in the literature and the results of original research, basic data is presented concerning the biology and harmfulness of these slugs on crops. The potential risk of the spreading of invasive slug species is evaluated, as well as their adverse impact on crop plants. It has been concluded that a major risk to the biodiversity of agrocenoses and to cultivated plants is currently posed by the slugs Arion lusitanicus, A. rufus and A. distinctus. These slugs are spreading rapidly within Poland, often occur in large numbers, and do significant damage to various species of plant
A faunistic review of the modern and fossil molluscan fauna from Lake Pamvotis, Ioannina, an ancient lake in NW Greece: implications for endemism in the Balkans
The Balkans are justifiably famous for being natural hotspots of floral and faunal biodiversity and endemism. Much of this biological diversity is witnessed in the ancient lakes that exist (or previously existed) in the region, which have provided stable, long-lived arenas within which evolutionary processes have been able to operate. One group that ably demonstrate such diversity are the gastropod molluscs. Their wide dispersal, morphological variability and relative ease of identification make them ideal candidates for addressing questions concerning patterns and processes of biodiversity and evolution over time (e.g. Michel, 1996). Furthermore, the fact that they are often well preserved in fossil sequences means that they can provide a temporal dimension to evolutionary investigation, something that is often difficult to resolve when using groups more traditionally associated with this kind of work, such as the cichlid fishes. The molluscan faunas of the Balkans (and Greece in particular) have been the subject of study for at least the last two centuries (e.g. Butot & Welter-Schultes 1994). Isolated ancient lakes from the region, and in particular Ohrid, have often been a focus for detailed investigation, because of their remarkable endemic faunas (e.g. Hadzisce, 1956; Hubendick & Radoman, 1959; Stankovic, 1960; Meier-Brook, 1983; Stankovic, 1985; Schtt, 1987; Sattmann & Reischtz, 1988; Dhora & Welter-Schultes, 1996). Despite this, the malacology of many other key localities from the area still remains poorly documented. In this paper we first briefly review the main controls thought to influence the radiation of gastropods in ancient lakes and then present the modern and fossil aquatic molluscan fauna from a typical but previously poorly known site: Lake Pamvotis, located in the Ioannina Basin in NW Greece. Comparisons are then drawn with the gastropod fauna derived from other extant and fossil ancient lakes from across the Balkan region (bivalves are considered by Korniushin elsewhere in this volume), before highlighting some common patterns and providing some thoughts on the implications for speciation in ancient Balkan lake systems
The Bivalve Mollusc Fauna of Ancient Lakes in the Context of the Historical Biogeography of the Balkan Region
Lifting the curtain on the freshwater mussel diversity of the Italian Peninsula and Croatian Adriatic coast
Freshwater mussels of the order Unionida have been dramatically declining
globally. Despite their ecological importance, conservation of these animals has been
hindered by unresolved taxonomy and a lack of data on the distribution and status of
populations, especially in southern Europe. Although the Italian Peninsula has been noted
as a centre of endemism and one of the major refugia of the glacial ages for several taxa,
few studies have been performed on the genetic diversity of Unionida. Most importantly,
the taxonomic status of several freshwater mussel populations of the Italian Peninsula is
still unresolved. Here we present the first comprehensive dataset for the Unionida of the
region spanning Italy and the coastal Croatian region (west of the Dinaric Alps). In total, 191 specimens were collected (85 Anodonta, 64 Unio, 17 Microcondylaea bonellii and 25
Sinanodonta woodiana) from 34 sites across the Italian Peninsula and coastal Croatian
river basins for molecular identification (COI, 16S and 28S). Genetic analyses were performed
to understand major phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns. Seven species
were detected: three Anodonta species (A. anatina, A. cygnea and A. exulcerata), two Unio
species (U. mancus and U. elongatulus), Microcondylaea bonellii, and the invasive Sinanodonta
woodiana. The presence of three endemic species (A. exulcerata, U. elongatulus
and M. bonellii) confirms the importance of the region as a centre of endemism for
freshwater mussels. The Apennine Mountains act as an important biogeographic barrier.This work was partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and
Technology (FCT) under grants SFRH/BPD/108445/2015 (EF) and SFRH/BD/115728/2016 (MLL). Cindy
Bogan reviewed a draft of this manuscript. We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful
remarks and suggestions that improved the quality of the manuscript; and to the Go¨teborg Natural History
Museum for the loan of Swedish tissue samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio