https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2024.2194
Distribution of fish species in the upper Po River Basin (NW Italy): a synthesis of 30 years of data
Submitted: 16 May 2024
Accepted: 6 August 2024
Published: 10 September 2024
Accepted: 6 August 2024
Abstract Views: 1274
PDF: 193
HTML: 42
HTML: 42
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Freshwater fish is the most diverse group of vertebrates but, unfortunately, also one of the most threatened. While some well-known, charismatic species have been subject to important conservation efforts, many others have long been neglected. This paper aims to analyse the distribution over time of seven freshwater fish species and one lamprey in the upper Po River basin (NW Italy), an important biodiversity hotspot. Six of them are native species listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive (Lampetra zanandreai, Protochondrostoma genei, Chondrostoma soetta, Telestes muticellus, Sabanejewia larvata, and Cottus gobio), while the other two are key invasive species (Silurus glanis and Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). Data from four regional fish population monitoring campaigns carried out between 1988 and 2019 were analysed. For each species and monitoring campaign, an average Representativeness Index, measuring abundance and population structure, and an Occurrence Frequency were calculated, and then assessed for changes over the time. Of the studied species, P. genei declined the most in the last 30 years, while C. soetta and S. larvata are in a very critical situation, with very few remaining populations. T. muticellus, C. gobio and L. zanandreai seem to have declined only slightly, but their vulnerability should not be underestimated. The two invasive species, on the other hand, show a substantial increase in occurrence as well as range. While some drivers for the decline in the native species vary according to their ecological and biological characteristics, others are more general and linked to the overall degradation of the river environments: habitat alterations, loss of connectivity, excessive water abstraction, pollution, and the presence of invasive alien species. The effects of climate change, such as the rise of inland water temperatures and the alteration of hydrological cycles, must also be taken into account. Diverse and far-reaching conservation efforts are needed to improve the fish habitat and thus also protect the unique biodiversity of this region.
Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Po, 2001. [Progetto Di Piano Stralcio per L’Assetto Idrogeologico (PAI)].[Report in Italian]. Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Po, Parma.
Balma GA, Delmastro GB, Forneris G, 1989. [Segnalazione di alcune specie ittiche esotiche d’importazione in Italia settentrionale, con particolare riferimento alle acque piemontesi (Pisces: Osteichthyes)].[Article in Italian]. Atti Soc Ital Sci Nat Mus Civ Stor Nat Milano 130:109-116.
Barbarossa V, Bosmans J, Wanders N, King H, Bierkens MF, Huijbregts MA, Schipper AM, 2021. Threats of global warming to the world’s freshwater fishes. Nat. Commun 12:1701.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21655-w
Bianco PG, 1986. Lethenteron zanandreai (Vladykov, 1955), p. 237-246. In: J. Holcik J (ed.), The freshwater fishes of Europe, Petromyzontiformes. AULA-Verlag, Wiebelsheim.
Bovero S, Candiotto A, Ceppa L, Giuntoli F, Pascale M, Perosino, GC, 2020. [Sintesi dei monitoraggi dell’ittiofauna sulle reti regionali e provinciali del Piemonte].[Report in Italian]. Regione Piemonte, Assessorato Agricoltura, Cibo, Caccia e Pesca. Available from: https://www.regione.piemonte.it/web/temi/agricoltura/tutela-della-fauna-caccia-pesca/monitoraggio-dellittiofauna-piemonte
Bovero S, Candiotto A, Ceppa L, Giuntoli F, Pascale M, Perosino GC, 2021. [Stato dell’ittiofauna nei fiumi e torrenti del Piemonte].[Article in Italian]. Riv Piemont Stor Nat 42:135-160.
Candiotto A, Bo T, Fenoglio S, 2011. Biological and ecological data on an established rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in an Italian stream. Fund Appl Limnol 169:67-76.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1127/1863-9135/2011/0179-0067
Candiotto A, Bonetto D, Fenoglio S, Bovero S, Bo T, 2023. [Nuovi dati sulla distribuzione della Lampreda Padana Lampetra zanandreai Vladykov, 1955 nel bacino occidentale del Po].[Article in Italian]. Riv Piemont Stor Nat 44:221-225.
Closs G, Krkosek M, Olden JD, 2016. Conservation of freshwater fishes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 600 pp.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139627085
Dagnino A, Bo T, Copetta A, Fenoglio S, Oliveri C, Bencivenga Me, t al., 2013. Development and application of an innovative expert decision support system to manage sediments and to assess environmental risk in freshwater ecosystems. Environ Int 60:171-182.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2013.08.011
De Fries L, Camana M, Guimarães M, Becker FG, 2023. Road crossings hinder the movement of a small non-migratory stream fish. Environ Biol Fish 106:1295-1311.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01416-y
Delmastro GB, 1981. [Contributo all’ittiofauna piemontese. Indagine sulla distribuzione e brevi note intorno alla biologia dei pesci viventi nel territorio del Comune di Carmagnola].[Article in Italian]. Riv Piemont Stor Nat 2:115-134.
Delmastro GB, 1982. [Guida ai pesci del bacino del Po e delle acque dolci d'Italia].[Book in Italian]. CLESAV, Milan: 206 pp.
Delmastro GB, 1986. [Problemi relativi all’introduzione di specie esotiche di pesci nelle acque dolci italiane].[Article in Italian]. Quaderni E.T.P., Udine 14:85-96.
Delmastro GB, Balma GA, 2007. [La fauna ittica del tratto montano del fiume Po e dei suoi tributari]. In: G.B. Delmastro, A. Gaggino, P.M. Giachino, A. Morisi and M. Rastelli [Ricerche sugli ambienti acquatici del Po Cuneese – Interreg IIIA “Aqua”].[Article in Italian]. Mem Assoc Nat Piemont 8:121-143.
Delmastro GB, Balma GA, Bovero S, Candiotto A, 2021. [Massiccia presenza di un nuovo cobite esotico in Piemonte (Actinopterygii: Cobitidae)].[Article in Italian]. Riv Piemont Stor Nat 42:161-171.
Delmastro GB, Boano G, Lo Conte P, Fenoglio S, 2015. Great Cormorant predation on Cisalpine pike: a conservation conflict. Eur J Wildlife Res 61:743-748.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-015-0951-3
Delmastro GB, Pascale M, Perosino GC, 2007. [I pesci del fiume Po in Piemonte: situazione attuale].[Article in Italian]. Riv Piemont Stor Nat 28:275-303.
Dudgeon D, 2019. Multiple threats imperil freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Curr Biol 29:R960-R967.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.002
Dudgeon D, Arthington AH, Gessner MO, Kawabata ZI, Knowler DJ, Lévêque C, et al., 2006. Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biol Rev 81:163-182.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1464793105006950
Erarto F, Getahun A, 2020. Impacts of introductions of alien species with emphasis on fishes. Int J Fish Aquat 8:207-216.
Ercole S, Angelini P, Carnevali L, Casella L, Giacanelli V, Grignetti A, et al., 2021. [Rapporti Direttive Natura (2013-2018). Sintesi dello stato di conservazione delle specie e degli habitat di interesse comunitario e delle azioni di contrasto alle specie esotiche di rilevanza unionale in Italia].[Report in Italian]. ISPRA, Serie Rapporti 349/2021.
Fenoglio S, Candiotto A, 2024. [Attività di ricerca scientifica ai fini del monitoraggio di specie ed habitat nell’ambito della Rete Natura 2000. Relazione finale Monitoraggio dell’Ittiofauna 2023].[Report in Italian]. Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sitemi, Università degli Studi di Torino.
Forneris G, Pascale M, Perosino GC, 2012. [Pesci e ambienti acquatici del Piemonte].[Report in Italian]. Regione Piemonte, Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste, Caccia e Pesca.
Fortini N, 2016. [Nuovo atlante dei pesci delle acque interne italiane: Guida completa ai pesci, ciclostomi e crostacei decapodi di acque dolci e salmastre].[Book in Italian]. Aracne, Rome: 696 pp.
Freyhof J, Brooks E, 2011. European red list of freshwater fishes. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
Gandolfi G, Zerunian S, Torricelli P, Marconato A, 1991. [I pesci delle acque interne italiane].[Book in Italian]. Ist. Poligr. e Zecca dello Stato, Rome: 617 pp.
Jepsen N, Ravn HD, Pedersen S, 2018. Change of foraging behavior of cormorants and the effect on river fish. Hydrobiologia 820:189-199.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3656-2
Jones PE, Champneys T, Vevers J, Börger L, Svendsen JC, Consuegra S, et al., 2021. Selective effects of small barriers on river‐resident fish. J Appl Ecol 58:487-1498.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13875
Keller RP, Lake PS, 2007. Potential impacts of a recent and rapidly spreading coloniser of Australian freshwaters: oriental weatherloach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). Ecol Freshw Fish 16:124-132.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00204.x
Lawrence DJ, Stewart-Koster B, Olden JD, Ruesch AS, Torgersen CE, Lawler JJ, et al., 2014. The interactive effects of climate change, riparian management, and a nonnative predator on stream‐rearing salmon. Ecol Appl24:895-912.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0753.1
Mancini E, Tiralongo F, Coccia FC, Pieracci D, Tentoni E, Ceci M, Cerioni S, 2022. The wels catfish Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758 (Actinopterygii Siluriformes) in Italian waters: a review with first report in the Bolsena lake (Italy). Biodiversity 13:673-684.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2022.13.3.673.684
Manfredi P, 1957. [Cattura di un Silurus glanis nell’Adda presso Lecco].[Article in Italian]. Natura 48:28-30.
McMahon BR, Burggren WW, 1987. Respiratory physiology of intestinal air breathing in the teleost fish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus. J Exp Biol 133:371-393.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.133.1.371
Negro G, Fenoglio S, Quaranta E, Comoglio C, Garzia I, Vezza P, 2021. Habitat preferences of Italian freshwater fish: a systematic review of data availability for applications of the MesoHABSIM model. Front Environ Sci 9:634737.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.634737
Negro G, Marino A, Forte S, Lo Conte P, Bo T, Fenoglio S, Vezza P, 2023. Ecological notes on an endemic freshwater lamprey, Lampetra zanandreai (Vladykov, 1955). Eur Zool J 90:556-567.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2023.2226680
Nyqvist D, Calles O, Forneris G, Comoglio C, 2022. Movement and activity patterns of non-native Wels catfish (Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758) at the confluence of a large river and its colder tributary. Fishes 7:325.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes7060325
Ovegård MK, Jepsen N, Bergenius Nord M, Petersson E, 2021. Cormorant predation effects on fish populations: A global meta‐analysis. Fish Fish 22:605-622.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12540
Posit team, 2023. RStudio: Integrated Development Environment for R. Available from: http://www.posit.co/
QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. Available from: http://qgis.org
R Development Core Team, 2023. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. Available from: https://www.R-project.org
Razzetti E, Nardi PA, Strosselli S, Bernini F, 2001. [Prima segnalazione di Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) in acque interne italiane].[Article in Italian]. Ann Museo Civ Stor Nat Giacomo Doria 93:559-563.
Regione Piemonte, Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste, Caccia e Pesca Settore Tutela e Gestione della Fauna Selvatica e Acquatica, 2009. [Monitoraggio Regionale dell’Ittiofauna].[Report in Italian]. Regione Piemonte, Turin.
Regione Piemonte, Direzione Pianificazione delle Risorse Idriche, 2007. [Piano di Tutela delle Acque. Monografie Aree Idrografiche].[Report in Italian]. Regione Piemonte, Turin.
Rondinini C, Battistoni A, Peronace V, Teofili C, 2013. [Lista rossa IUCN dei vertebrati].[Report in Italian]. Comitato italiano IUCN e Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, Rome.
Rondinini C, Battistoni A, Teofili C, 2022. [Lista Rossa IUCN dei Vertebrati Italiani 2022].[Report in Italian]. Comitato Italiano IUCN e Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del territorio e del Mare, Rome.
Rytwinski T, Kelly LA, Donaldson LA, Taylor JJ, Smith A, Drake DAR, et al., 2021. What evidence exists for evaluating the effectiveness of conservation-oriented captive breeding and release programs for imperilled freshwater fishes and mussels? Can J Fish Aquat Sci 78:1332-1346.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0331
Schiavon A, Comoglio C, Candiotto A, Spairani M, Hölker F, Tarena F, Watz J, Nyqvist D, 2024. Navigating the drought: upstream migration of a small-sized Cypriniformes (Telestes muticellus) in response to drying in a partially intermittent mountain stream. Knowl Manag Aquat Ec 425:6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2024003
Smialek N, Pander J, Mueller M, Van Treeck R, Wolter C, Geist J, 2019. Do we know enough to save European riverine fish? A systematic review on autecological requirements during critical life stages of 10 rheophilic species at risk. Sustainability 11:5011.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185011
Tierno de Figueroa JM, López-Rodríguez MJ, Fenoglio S, Sánchez-Castillo P, Fochetti R, 2013. Freshwater biodiversity in the rivers of the Mediterranean Basin. Hydrobiologia 719:137-186.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1281-z
Tortonese E, 1975. [Fauna d'Italia, XI. Osteichthyes, Pesci ossei, Parte seconda].[Book in Italian]. Calderini, Bologna: 636 pp.
Vøllestad LA, 2023. A paradoxical bias in knowledge about Norwegian freshwater fishes: research efforts during 1980-2020. Fauna Nor 42:6-30.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5324/fn.v42i0.4965
Volta P, Jeppesen E, Sala P, Galafassi S, Foglini C, Puzzi C, Winfield IJ, 2018. Fish assemblages in deep Italian subalpine lakes: history and present status with an emphasis on non-native species. Hydrobiologia 824:255-270.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3621-0
Volta P, Jeppesen E, 2021. Impacts of human activities and climate change on freshwater fish. Water 13:3068.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w13213068
Zerunian S, 2003. [Piano d'azione generale per la conservazione dei Pesci d'acqua dolce italiani].[Report in Italian]. Ministero dell'ambiente e della tutela del territorio, Direzione per la protezione della natura, Rome.
Zerunian S, 2004. [Pesci delle acque interne d'Italia].[Book in Italian]. Ministero dell'ambiente e della tutela del territorio, Direzione conservazione della natura, Rome.
Edited by
Diego Fontaneto, National Research Council, Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA), Verbania Pallanza, ItalyHow to Cite
Abbà, Margherita, Carlo Ruffino, Tiziano Bo, Davide Bonetto, Stefano Bovero, Alessandro Candiotto, Claudio Comoglio, et al. 2024. “Distribution of Fish Species in the Upper Po River Basin (NW Italy): A Synthesis of 30 Years of Data”. Journal of Limnology 83 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2024.2194.
Copyright (c) 2024 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Similar Articles
- Georg H. Niedrist, Birgit Lösch, Magdalena Nagler, Hannes Rauch, Samuel Vorhauser, Alberto Scotti, Roberta Bottarin, Renate Alber, Estimating aquatic invertebrate diversity in the southern Alps using data from Biodiversity Days , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 80 No. 2 (2021)
- Maciej Karpowicz, Biodiversity of microcrustaceans (Cladocera, Copepoda) in a lowland river ecosystem , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 76 No. 1 (2017)
- Raoul Manenti, Nicola Zanetti, Roberta Pennati, Giorgio Scarì, Factors driving semi-aquatic predator occurrence in traditional cattle drinking pools: conservation issues , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 76 No. 1 (2017)
- Juan Diego Gilbert, Inmaculada de Vicente, Fernando Ortega, Raquel Jiménez-Melero, Gema Parra, Francisco Guerrero, A comprehensive evaluation of the crustacean assemblages in southern Iberian Mediterranean wetlands , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 74 No. 1 (2015)
- Kay Van Damme, Eugeniya I. Bekker, Alexey A. Kotov, Endemism in the Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) of Southern Africa , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 72 No. 3 (2013)
- Adam H. Quade, Allyse Ferrara, Quenton Fontenot, Raynie Harland, Kelly S. Boyle, Guillaume Rieucau, Mississippi River-floodplain connectivity level mediates fish assemblage dynamics , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 84 (2025)
- Leticia Miguel-Chinchilla, Dani Boix, Stephanie Gascón, Francisco A. Comín, Macroinvertebrate biodiversity patterns during primary succession in manmade ponds in north-eastern Spain , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 73 No. 3 (2014)
- Marta Marchegiano, Elsa Gliozzi, Simona Ceschin, Ilaria Mazzini, Thierry Adatte, Roberto Mazza, Daniel Ariztegui, Ecology and distribution of living ostracod assemblages in a shallow endorheic lake: The example of the Lake Trasimeno (Umbria, central Italy) , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 76 No. 3 (2017)
- Mihir R. Kulkarni, Kalpana Pai, The freshwater diaptomid copepod fauna (Crustacea: Copepoda: Diaptomidae) of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra with notes on distribution, species richness and ecology , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 75 No. 1 (2016)
- Maciej Błażejewski, Jarosław Król, Tomasz Kakareko, Katarzyna Mierzejewska, Piotr Hliwa, Daily and seasonal dynamics of littoral zone fish communities in the lowland Włocławek Reservoir (central Poland), with a special emphasis on alien invasive gobies , Journal of Limnology: Vol. 81 (2022)
<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
List of Cited By :
