Abstract
Abstract The freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis is an endangered fish species with populations that are in rapid decline, largely owing to habitat degradation caused by human activity. This situation highlights the urgent need to develop measures for the conservation and recovery of the species based on a deep understanding of its specific habitat requirements. In this study, spatial distribution and habitat selection patterns were investigated to determine the limiting factors for the species at different times of the year and at different spatial scales, from macro to microhabitats. The presence of the freshwater blenny was assessed at 127 sites in the Ebro River basin, Spain, between 2002 and 2012. It was only detected at 25 sites, corresponding to the intermediate and lower reaches of medium‐sized tributaries and in the main river, in accordance with the ecology of the species. Whether the species was present depended on the physicochemical, habitat and biological conditions of the study sites. Freshwater blenny was very sensitive to organic pollution and eutrophication, the deterioration of substrate composition and channel structure, and the degradation of aquatic and riparian vegetation. Freshwater blenny showed a selective use of microhabitat locations with high current velocity, linked to gravel or cobble substrate. It was also observed that the species is capable of adapting its selection behaviour to the flow‐mediated seasonal changes in its physical environment. Although the results presented indicate that the species is not a microhabitat specialist, individual survival is likely to be dependent on the availability of key microhabitats, which must be protected against detrimental human activity.
Highlights
The freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis is found in river basins around the Mediterranean Sea, from Portugal to Israel (Bath, 2003)
The results presented indicate that the species is not a microhabitat specialist, individual survival is likely to be dependent on the availability of key microhabitats, which must be protected against detrimental human activity
The freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis is found in river basins around the Mediterranean Sea, from Portugal to Israel (Bath, 2003)
Summary
The freshwater blenny Salaria fluviatilis is found in river basins around the Mediterranean Sea, from Portugal to Israel (Bath, 2003). Habitat degradation and destruction is regarded as the main driver of freshwater blenny decline, very few studies have researched the habitat and ecological requirements of the freshwater blenny, either for lake- (Vila-Gispert & Moreno-Amich, 1998; Gasith & Goren, 2009) or stream-dwelling populations (Freeman et al, 1990; Hernandez et al, 2000; Blanco-Garrido, Clavero & Prenda, 2009; Laporte et al, 2014). The main objectives of the study were: (i) to determine the factors influencing the large-scale distribution of the freshwater blenny; (ii) to characterize its habitat use and selection patterns at the microhabitat scale, accounting for sexual differences and ontogenetic changes, to determine the proximate key factors that enable its survival; and (iii) to explore the relationship between these factors and flow-mediated habitat dynamics, in order to understand the possible consequences of flow alterations on the survival of the species
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