Effects of flow regulation in the life-cycles of a Mediterranean cyprinid species, the Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii Doadrio, 1988)

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Effects of flow regulation in the life-cycles of a Mediterranean cyprinid species, the Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii Doadrio, 1988) Carlos M. Alexandre1*, Teresa Ferreira2 and Pedro R. De Almeida3 1 Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Portugal 2 CEF - Forestry Research Center, Portugal 3 Universidade de Évora, Departamento de Biologia, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal River regulation tends to modify flow patterns, causing a reduction of discharge variability and disturbing environmentally cued life cycles of fishes. The objective of this study was to assess the changes in some of the most important life-cycle patterns of a resident freshwater fish species, the Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii Doadrio 1988), caused by the hydrological alteration promoted by Vilarinho das Furnas Dam on River Homem. From May 2010 to June 2011, three sites were sampled in River Homem and three in River Vez, a nearby non-regulated river, selected as reference. Bi-monthly and fortnightly fish samples from the Iberian chub populations inhabiting the two selected rivers were collected and analyzed for fish age, growth and reproduction. River regulation operating in River Homem, for water derivation purposes, homogenized the flow pattern of the studied watercourse, causing a reduction in the magnitude and variability of monthly flow volumes that resulted in a set of bio-ecological deviations observed for the studied species. Shortly, seasonal pattern of gonad development was similar for male chubs from both rivers but distinct for females, particularly during the reproductive season. Moreover, female chubs inhabiting the non-regulated river presented higher fecundity but smaller oocytes than regulated river females. Seasonal pattern of fish condition was similar between the two rivers but chubs from the regulated river presented, globally, smaller values than the non-regulated river population. Findings from this study are important to understand the derivation in biological patterns imposed by regulated rivers on freshwater fish species and to be used as guiding elements for flow requirements implementations. Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank Ana Ferreira, Catarina Mateus, Joana Ribeiro, Marta Candeias, Marta Lourenço, Nuno Andrade, Paula Valadas and Tadeu Pereira for their assistance during multiple sampling campaigns and laboratorial sessions. This study had the support of the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (Pest-OE/MAR/UI0199/2011). C. M. Alexandre was funded with a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/66081/2009) by the FCT. Keywords: Fish life-cycles, Streamflow, flow regulation, Iberian chub, Mediterranean rivers Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Life Cycles, Migration and Connectivity Citation: Alexandre CM, Ferreira T and De Almeida PR (2015). Effects of flow regulation in the life-cycles of a Mediterranean cyprinid species, the Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii Doadrio, 1988). Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00002 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 03 Nov 2015; Published Online: 04 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Carlos M Alexandre, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Évora, 7004-516, Portugal, cmalexandre@fc.ul.pt Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Carlos M Alexandre Teresa Ferreira Pedro R De Almeida Google Carlos M Alexandre Teresa Ferreira Pedro R De Almeida Google Scholar Carlos M Alexandre Teresa Ferreira Pedro R De Almeida PubMed Carlos M Alexandre Teresa Ferreira Pedro R De Almeida Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.