Hellenic Economic Library Network (H.E.LI.N.): A partnership against the economic crisis

The Hellenic Economic Library Network (H.E.LI.N.) was established in 2012 as a result of the cooperation among libraries providing resources and information services in the field of economics. Currently, the network includes ten libraries in the public and private sectors: three public universities, the Ministry of Economics and Development, the Bank of Greece, three private banks, and two public institutions. This is the challenge of the Network: the diversity of its organizations. The idea on the networking was born in the context of the economic crisis and the efforts of libraries to enlarge knowledge resources while minimizing funding. The principal objective of its members was to establish a partnership for sharing knowledge, ideas, best practices and resources in order to continue offering value-added services to their users’ communities despite the difficult economic conditions in Greece. The H.E.LI.N. Network operates under a horizontal administrative scheme with no financial contribution from its members while all the staff work on a voluntary base. Although the participating libraries come from diverse organizational structures, private and public institutions, they manage to create a strong collaborative network which provides interlibrary loan facilities, organizes meetings, conferences, lectures, informative and educational materials, book presentations, etc., concerning the socioeconomic and financial sciences targeted to approach the users of economic libraries or the general public. H.E.LI.N. is a dialogue for change and action! The purpose of this paper is to present the Network’s current actions and to highlight the impact of its activity on both information professionals and library users. Moreover, as the network supports synergies, it is open to discuss further cooperation with other networks worldwide

Biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of freshwater fishes of the Balkan Peninsula

Τhe present dissertation is the first effort of the parallel study of fish fauna diversity patterns and theirdriving mechanisms at multiple spatial scales; the regional level (Balkan peninsula), the local level(Greece) and the ecosystem level (Louros River).At the regional level, a database was built containing 193 fish distributions in 78 river basins and 19lakes at the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkans are characterized by high levels of endemism and highpercentages of threatened species. Cyprinids are the dominant family. Based on the beta diversityindex (βjtu), eight main biogeographical regions are identified: 1.Ionian Sea, 2.South Adriatic Sea,3.North Adriatic Sea. 4. Neretva watershed, 5.Attikobeotia, 6.Aegean Sea, 7.Pontic province and8.Prespes Lakes. The biogeographic history related to the major geological events, the connectivityand the area of ecosystems are amongst the most important factors determining the patterns ofspecies richness, composition and endemism of the Balkan freshwater fish fauna.The Greek freshwater fish fauna is the most speciose in Europe and is characterized by high levels ofendemism and a relatively small number of families, with most species belonging to Cyprinidae. InGreek lakes, fish species richness decreases with increasing altitude and increases with increasingecosystem area. Fish species’ body size increases with latitude, due to species’ different dispersalability and the different geological history of the studied systems (geographical barrier of Pindosmountain range).At the ecosystem level, Louros riverine habitats are characterized by increased mean depth, loweraltitude and substrate of finer sediment from the river source to river mouth. Among the environmentalvariables studied, width, mean depth and substrate type (rocky) explain most of fish abundances’variation. Fish species in Louros river are separated mainly by the aspect ratio of the caudal fin,pectoral fin position, body transversal shape and oral gape position. The stations upstream arecharacterized by fish species with a more streamlined body shape, swimming endurance and a forkedcaudal fin. On the other hand, downstream stations are characterized by increased functional space;they host fish species from a wide range of families and with extreme values of their eco-morphologicaltraits.The endangered species Valencia letourneuxi (Zournas) and Cobitis hellenica (Lourovelonitsa) showthe highest functional uniqueness among Louros fish fauna and require immediate managementactions. Upstream fish communities are characterized by high levels of trait redundancy and species’traits are ‘packed’ compared to fish communities drawn randomly from the regional species pool. Thispattern shows that environmental filtering is the dominant mechanism structuring Louros riverine fishfauna upstream.The methodological approaches and the results of the current study can contribute to biodiversitystudies at multiple spatial levels, aiming at a holistic understanding of biodiversity, especially in theunderstudied Balkan Peninsula.Η παρούσα διατριβή αποτελεί την πρώτη προσέγγιση παράλληλης διερεύνησης των προτύπων τηςποικιλότητας της ιχθυοπανίδας και των μηχανισμών διαμόρφωσής της, σε πολλαπλά χωρικά επίπεδα:στο περιφερειακό (Βαλκανική χερσόνησος), στο τοπικό (Ελλάδα) και στο οικοσυστημικό (Λούροςποταμός).Στο περιφερειακό επίπεδο, δημιουργήθηκε βάση δεδομένων για 193 είδη ψαριών σε 78 λεκάνεςαπορροής ποταμών και 19 λίμνες της Βαλκανικής. Η Βαλκανική χαρακτηρίζεται από υψηλά επίπεδαενδημισμού και υψηλά ποσοστά απειλούμενων ειδών. Τα κυπρινοειδή είναι η επικρατέστερηοικογένεια. Με βάση την μετρική β-ποικιλότητας (βjtu), προσδιορίστηκαν οκτώ κύριες βιογεωγραφικέςπεριοχές: 1.Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, 2.Νότια Αδριατική θάλασσα, 3.Βόρεια Αδριατική θάλασσα. 4.Λεκάνηαπορροής του ποταμού Neretva, 5.Αττικοβοιωτία, 6.Αιγαίο Πέλαγος, 7.Ποντιακή επαρχία και8.Πρέσπες. Η βιογεωγραφική ιστορία, η γεωλογική εξέλιξη, η συνδεσιμότητα και η έκταση τωνοικοσυστημάτων είναι από τους πιο σημαντικούς παράγοντες καθορισμού των προτύπων τηςσύνθεσης και του αριθμού των αυτόχθονων και ενδημικών ειδών.Στο τοπικό επίπεδο, η Ελληνική ιχθυοπανίδα των εσωτερικών υδάτων είναι η πιο πλούσια τηςΕυρώπης, χαρακτηρίζεται από υψηλά επίπεδα ενδημισμού και συγκροτείται από ένα σχετικά μικρόαριθμό οικογενειών με τα Κυπρινοειδή να είναι κυρίαρχα. Στα ελληνικά λιμναία οικοσυστήματα, οαριθμός των ψαριών μειώνεται με την αύξηση του υψομέτρου και αυξάνεται με την αύξηση της έκτασηςτου οικοσυστήματος. Το μέγεθος του σώματος των ψαριών αυξάνεται με το γεωγραφικό πλάτος,εξαιτίας της διαφορετικής ικανότητας διασποράς των ειδών και της διαφορετικής γεωλογικής ιστορίαςτων υπό μελέτη συστημάτων (γεωγραφικό εμπόδιο της Πίνδου).Στο οικοσυστημικό επίπεδο, τα ενδιαιτήματα του Λούρου χαρακτηρίζονται από χαμηλότερο υψόμετρο,αυξανόμενο μέσο βάθος και υπόστρωμα λεπτόκοκκου ιζήματος, από τις πηγές προς τις εκβολές. Τοπλάτος, το μέσο βάθος και ο τύπος υποστρώματος (χονδρόκοκκο), ερμηνεύουν τη μεγαλύτερημεταβλητότητα της αφθονίας των ιχθυοκοινοτήτων. Με βάση τη λειτουργική ποικιλότητα, τα ψάρια τουΛούρου διαχωρίστηκαν κυρίως ως προς το σχήμα του ουραίου πτερυγίου, τη θέση των θωρακικώνπτερυγίων, το σχήμα του σώματος και τη σχετική θέση του στόματος. Οι σταθμοί ανάντη φιλοξενούνείδη με πιο υδροδυναμικό σχήμα σώματος, μεγαλύτερη κολυμβητική αντοχή και διχαλωτή ουρά. Αντίθετα, οι σταθμοί κατάντη χαρακτηρίζονται από αυξημένο λειτουργικό χώρο, καθώς φιλοξενούν είδηαπό ένα ευρύ φάσμα οικογενειών και με ακραίες τιμές των οικο-μορφολογικών χαρακτηριστικών τους.Τα απειλούμενα είδη Valencia letourneuxi (Ζουρνάς) και Cobitis hellenica (Λουροβελονίτσα)χαρακτηρίζονται από την υψηλότερη λειτουργική μοναδικότητα μεταξύ των ειδών του Λούρου καιχρήζουν άμεσων διαχειριστικών ενεργειών. Οι ιχθυοκοινότητες ανάντη εμφανίζουν υψηλά επίπεδαπλεονασμού ως προς τη σύνθεση των ειδών και είναι λειτουργικά ομαδοποιημένες σε σύγκριση μετυχαίες ιχθυοκοινότητες που θα προέκυπταν τυχαία από το περιφερειακό αποθεματικό των ειδών.Αυτό το πρότυπο αναδεικνύει το περιβαλλοντικό φιλτράρισμα ως το κυρίαρχο μηχανισμό συγκρότησηςτων ιχθυοκοινοτήτων στον ποταμό Λούρο.Οι μεθοδολογικές προσεγγίσεις και τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας διατριβής μπορούν νασυνεισφέρουν σε μελέτες της βιοποικιλότητας σε πολλαπλά χωρικά επίπεδα, με στόχο μια ολιστικήκατανόηση της βιοποικιλότητας, κυρίως στη λιγότερο μελετημένη Βαλκανική Χερσόνησο

Freshwater fishes in Greek lakes: Species richness and body size patterns

Freshwater ecosystems are widely recognised as hotspots of biodiversity and endemism; thus they are of great value for conservation biogeography. Amongst the taxa found in freshwater ecosystems, fish are the ideal biological model for testing biogeographical patterns and have often been used in large-scale ecological and biogeographical analyses. Lakes of Greece provide a unique opportunity to test biogeographical theories, however, biogeographical studies in Greece at broader, regional, scales, based on the distribution of freshwater species, species richness and endemism, are scarce. The aim of the current study is to test the effect of key environmental factors and spatial variables on species richness of lacustrine fishes and to test their effect on species’ size distributions. We assembled datasets of species richness and body size and environmental (predictor) factors for 13 Greek lakes. Model selection procedures revealed that fish species richness increased with ecosystem area and decreased with altitude. In addition, our results showed that latitude per se is a good predictor of body size. Indeed, the mean size of lacustrine communities in the northern and southern lake ecosystems differed significantly. These patterns reflect the biogeographical history of these areas and highlight the crucial role connectivity plays in communities’ species composition

Length weight relationships, relative weight and relative condition factor of three freshwater shrimps from Greece

Length-weight relationships (LWR), relative weight and relative condition factor were studied for three freshwater carideans (Atyaephyra acheronensis, Atyaephyra thyamisensis and Palaemon antennarius) from lotic and lentic habitats of northwestern Greece. The two atyids are Adriatic-Ionian endemics while the palaemonid is distributed in the Apennine Peninsula, Sardinia, Sicily and Adriatic-Ionian eco regions. Data were collected from 760 individuals and LWR parameters were estimated by the least-squares method. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Levene tests were used to analyse data normality and homogeneity of variances. The b values ranged from 2.908 to 4.134. More specifically, in A. acheronensis, R2 ranged from 0.93 to 0.96, (b values = 2.983 - 3.673), in A. thyamisensis, R2 ranged from 0.61 to 0.91, (b values = 3.489 - 3,714), and in P. antennarius populations, R2 ranged from 0.47 to 0.95 (b values= 2.908 - 4.135). The relative weight showed no significant differences between sexes and species for both A. thyamisensis and A. acheronensis while for P. antennarius ranged from 53.07% to 93.56% for males and from 66.78% to 85.82 for females among the studied sites. The relative condition factor in A. thyamisensis males found 0.9 ± 0.02 and in females 1 ± 0.02 (P < 0.05) while in A. acheronensis, showed no differences between sexes. The same parameter ranged from 0.84 ± 0.02 to 1.06 ± 0.02 and from 0.79 ± 0.02 to 1.06 ± 0.02 for P. antennarius males and females, respectively. The present study contributes to the first recording on the LWR for the studied species, providing basic and valuable information for shrimp fisheries management

Multilevel visualization using enhanced social network analysis with smartphone data

While technology matures and becomes more productive, mobile devices can be affordable and, consequently, fully integrated in peopleàs lives. After their unexpected bloom and acceptance, Online Social Networks are now sources of valuable information. The authors therefore use them for tasks varying from direct marketing to forensic analysis. The authors have already seen Social Network Forensics techniques focused on particular networks implementing methods that collect data from user accounts. During the forensic analysis it is common to aggregate information from different sources but, usually, this procedure causes correlation problems. Here, the authors present their method to correlate data gathered from various social networks in combination with smartphones creating a new form of social map of the user under investigation. In addition, the authors introduce a multi level graph that utilises the correlated information from the smartphone and the social networks and demonstrates in three dimensions the relevance of each contact with the suspect. Copyright © 2013, IGI Global

Relationships between Environmental Factors and Functional Traits of Macrophyte Assemblages in Running Waters of Greece

The analysis of plant trait composition has raised significant interest among freshwater ecologists as a complementary approach for assessing the effects of environmental change on ecosystem functions. In this study, we investigated patterns of functional traits of the aquatic macrophyte assemblages of 74 lotic ecosystems of Greece, and we identified associations between species traits and environmental variables (hydromorphological and physicochemical parameters) through testing the hypothesis that the environmental features determine the spatial structure of traits. We allocated 12 traits to a total of 39 hydrophyte species, and we conducted RLQ and fourth corner analysis to explore relationships between species, trait composition, and environmental gradients. Based on the results of the RLQ, a hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted to identify groups of plants that share common trait characteristics. Plants were discriminated into five discrete groups based mostly on their life form (e.g., free-floating, rooted submerged etc.) and their ecological preference for nitrogen levels. Hydromorphological parameters had a higher contribution than physicochemical variables in explaining the total variance of the trait data, with water abstraction, channel substrate, and hydrologic alteration being the most important. Our analysis did not reveal significant bivariate relationships between single traits and environmental parameters, although the five groups of macrophyte assemblages appeared to associate with certain environmental gradients. Free-floating and emergent plants were related to higher concentrations of nutrients, whereas rooted submerged plants were related to higher oxygen concentration and increased pH. In addition, free-floating plants were highly associated with metrics of hydromorphological change. Our findings showed clear discrimination of macrophytes based on their functional composition and association of traits with environmental gradients. Thus, further research could explore whether macrophyte functional groups can serve as indicators of environmental change and the overall ecosystem health

Decoding the spread of non-indigenous fishes in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract The ocean is dynamically changing due to the influence of climate processes and human activities. The construction of the Suez Canal in the late nineteenth century opened the Pandora’s box by facilitating the dispersal of Red Sea species in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we developed an open-source spatio-temporal numerical analysis framework to decodify the complex spread of Mediterranean non-indigenous fish species (NIS) that entered through the Suez Canal. We utilized 772 historical detection records of 130 NIS to disentangle their dynamic spread through space and time. The results indicated that species follow a north-westward trajectory with an average expansion time step of 2.5 years. Additionally, we estimated the overall time for a NIS to reach the Central Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal at approximately 22 years. Based on the analysis, more than half of the introduced fishes have been established in less than 10 years. Finally, we proceeded in the cross-validation of our results using actual spread patterns of invasive fishes of the Mediterranean Sea, resulting up to 90% of temporal and spatial agreement. The methodology and the findings presented herein may contribute to management initiatives in highly invaded regions around the globe

Can Biological Traits Serve as Predictors for Fishes&rsquo; Introductions, Establishment, and Interactions? The Mediterranean Sea as a Case Study

The Mediterranean Sea (MED) is prone to species&rsquo; introductions, induced by human activities and/or climate change. Recent studies focus on the biological traits that result in such introductions, yet on a single-area-type approach. Here, we used, analyzed, and compared biological traits derived from FishBase for MED, non-indigenous (NIS) and neonative (NEO) in the Mediterranean, and adjacent Atlantic (ATL) and Red Sea (RS) species. A quantitative trait-based analysis was performed using random forest to determine the importance of traits in the successful establishment in the Mediterranean. MED fishes were mainly demersal, slow growing and small-medium sized, preferring intermediate temperatures. Conversely, ATL were mainly deep-dwelling species, preferring low temperatures. RS and NIS were predominantly reef-associated, thermophilus, and stenothermic. NEO species were stenothermic with preference to intermediate-high temperatures. Omnivores with preference to animals was the most common trophic group among regions. MED species exhibited higher phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50) compared to RS and NIS, indicating that they have long ancestral branches and few descendants. Preferred temperature, habitat type preference and maximum reported length (Lmax) and infinite length (Linf) were the most important predictors in the establishment process. Overall, the results presented here could serve as a baseline for future research, especially by using more refined and/or additional biological trail estimates