Impact of urban and industrial sewage discharges on the trophic ecology of two wild native cyprinids in a Mediterranean stream

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Impact of urban and industrial sewage discharges on the trophic ecology of two wild native cyprinids in a Mediterranean stream Sergi Vargas1, 2*, Nicole F. Colin1, 2, Alberto Maceda-Veiga2, 3 and Adolfo De Sostoa1, 2 1 University of Barcelona, Department of Animal Biology (Vertebrates), Faculty of Biology, Spain 2 University of Barcelona , Institute of Biodiversity Research (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, Spain 3 Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, Spain Mediterranean Rivers have experienced a long-history of anthropogenic impacts. Water pollution is still one of the major threats to freshwater biota despite the marked investments in sewage treatment plants (STPs) in recent decades. This is attributed, in part, to the reduced water flow of these systems due to climate and water abstractions, coupled to some illegal spills and agricultural run-off. The present study examined the potential effects of the effluents from urban and industrial STPs on the trophic ecology of the Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) and the Ebro chub (Squalius laietanus) in a small Mediterranean stream. Fish were collected in summer 2012 and their gut contents were compared between three reference and three polluted sites and related to the water quality. In all sampling sites, the composition of prey consumed by both fish species was compatible with ommivory, including macro-invertebrates, plants and detritus. However, the two fish species ingested a higher richness and diversity prey in the baseline compared to the polluted sites. These differences were also mirrored in the taxonomic composition of preys consumed, reflecting the replacement of sensitive species with tolerant ones along a pollution gradient. Specifically, fish diet was dominated in reference sites by water beetles and plant matter, whereas two typical representatives of polluted waters, snails and chironomids, were the predominant prey type downstream the STPs inputs. No major differences in richness, diversity and taxonomic composition were observed in the prey consumed within polluted or reference sites. Our results are consistent with the generalist trophic ecology of native cyprinids in Mediterranean rivers, and suggest a similar trophic position for B. meridionalis and S. laietanus. However, differences in the taxonomic composition of prey consumed between polluted and reference sites suggest that STP inputs may have altered the energy fluxes in this Mediterranean stream. Image 1 Keywords: Barbus meridionalis, Squalius laietanus, Fish diet, STPS, River pollution Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Physiology, Behavior and Toxicology Citation: Vargas S, Colin NF, Maceda-Veiga A and De Sostoa A (2015). Impact of urban and industrial sewage discharges on the trophic ecology of two wild native cyprinids in a Mediterranean stream. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2015.03.00165 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: 23 Nov 2015; Published Online: 28 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Mr. Sergi Vargas, University of Barcelona, Department of Animal Biology (Vertebrates), Faculty of Biology, Barcelona, ES-08028, Spain, v.sergi@hotmail.com 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 Sergi Vargas Nicole F Colin Alberto Maceda-Veiga Adolfo De Sostoa Google Sergi Vargas Nicole F Colin Alberto Maceda-Veiga Adolfo De Sostoa Google Scholar Sergi Vargas Nicole F Colin Alberto Maceda-Veiga Adolfo De Sostoa PubMed Sergi Vargas Nicole F Colin Alberto Maceda-Veiga Adolfo De Sostoa 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.