30 research outputs found

    Non-native freshwater fauna in Portugal: a review

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    We present the most updated list of non-native freshwater fauna established in Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. This list includes 67 species at national level but corresponds to 84 species records, of which 53 are in the mainland, 23 in the Azores and 8 in Madeira archipelagos. We also discuss the progression of the cumulative number of introductions since 1800 and identify the most probable vectors of introduction, main taxonomic groups and their regions of origin. Furthermore, we review the existing knowledge about ecological and economic impacts, invasion risk and potential distribution of invaders, under present and future climatic conditions, and the applied management actions, including the production of legislation. Along the 20th century the number of successful introductions increased at an approximate rate of two new species per decade until the beginning of 1970s. Since then, this rate increased to about 14 new species per decade. These introductions were mainly a result of fisheries, as contaminants or for ornamental purposes. Fish and mollusks are the taxonomic groups with more established species, representing more than half of the total. Most species (>70%) are native from other regions of Europe and North America. Studies about ecological or socioeconomic impacts are more common for fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Impacts for most amphibians, reptiles and mammals are not thoroughly studied. A few studies on the impacts and management actions of health-threatening mosquitoes are also available. The potential distribution in the Portuguese territory was modelled for 26 species. Only a minority of these models provides projections of distributions under scenarios of future climate change. A comparison of the Portuguese and EU legislation shows large discrepancies in the invasive species lists. Using the EU list and a ranking procedure for the national context, we identify freshwater species of high national concern for which actions are urgently needed.This work was supported by the FRISK Project (Ref. PTDC/AAG-MAA/0350/2014) to F. Ribeiro and by the strategic plan of MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (UID/MAR/04292/2013) to F. Banha with a short term post-doc grant on the University of Evora and a small project. A. F. Filipe was supported by the FRESHING project funded by FCT and COMPETE (PTDC/AAG-MAA/2261/2014 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-356 016824). R. Sousa was supported by FRESHCO project (contract: PTDC/AGRFOR/1627/2014) funded by FCT

    Origin and history of Phoxinus (Cyprinidae) introductions in the Douro basin (Iberian Peninsula): an update inferred from genetic data

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    The number of non-native freshwater fishes in the Iberian Peninsula has been greatly increasing. In this study, individuals of the genus Phoxinus were detected in 18 out of 138 stream sites sampled across the Douro Basin in 2017 and 2018. A total of 26 individuals were barcoded using partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (cytb) genes for species identification and determination of geographical origin. Molecular data provided the first record of a second Phoxinus species in western Douro (Portugal, Iberian Peninsula), with haplotypes closely matching those found in the Charente River (southern France). This species is suspected to be a recent introduction associated with the use of minnows as live bait by freshwater anglers, which was facilitated by human movements between France and Portugal. Individuals from watercourses in eastern Douro (Spain) were genetically assigned to Phoxinus bigerri, an introduced species previously known for that region, which confirms reports of introduction events from Ebro to Douro Basin probably also related to freshwater angling and facilitated by geographic proximity. The potential ecological impacts of this genus in the region are unknown and need further investigation.We acknowledge Fernando Teixeira, Fernando Miranda, Mario Ferreira, Sara Carona, Jose Pedro RamiAo and Francisco Carvalho for the valuable assistance during fieldwork. We specially thank Maria Filomena MagalhAes for previous fruitful discussions and logistic support. We are grateful to Matthias F. Geiger and Andrea Corral Lou for facilitating genetic data and coordinates of sampling sites. Finally, we appreciate the comments of the three anonymous reviewers that improved the quality of the manuscript. AFF and AGR were supported by the project FRESHING founded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and COMPETE (PTDC/AAGMAA/2261/2014 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-356016824). FMSM was supported by the FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/104703/2014. This study was conducted as part of the projects FRESHING and FRESHCO. The latter is also supported by FCT and COMPETE (PTDC/AGR-FOR/1627/2014 - 04/SAICT/2015) and UID/AGR/04033/2019. Logistic support was also facilitated by the ENVMETAGEN - Capacity Building at InBIO for Research and Innovation Using Environmental Metagenomics project at CIBIO laboratories (668981; EUH2020-WIDESPREAD-2014-2)

    Código de conduta. Prevenção da introdução e dispersão de flora e fauna exótica invasora: agentes ambientais

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    De forma intencional ou involuntária, o ser humano transporta espécies entre locais desde tempos imemoriais. No entanto, nos últimos 50 anos, o ritmo de introdução de espécies exóticas no meio natural acelerou de forma alarmante, tornando-se numa das principais causas de perda de biodiversidade. A globalização, juntamente com as alterações climáticas, a destruição de habitats, o aumento do trânsito de pessoas e o comércio, são hoje os principais responsáveis pela perda de biodiversidade a nível global, acarretando também graves prejuízos para a economia e a saúde humana
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