Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus)
The Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) is a benthic rheophilic fish species that is endemic to tributaries of the rivers Rhine and Meuse in North-western Europe. Little is known about its occurrence and individuals density in relation to habitat characteristics. A core population of C. rhenanus occurs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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EDP Sciences
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.kmae-journal.org/articles/kmae/full_html/2023/01/kmae220094/kmae220094.html |
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| author | Lemmers Pim Groen Mark Crombaghs Ben H.J.M. Gubbels Rob E.M.B. de Krom Thomas van Langevelde Frank van der Velde Gerard Leuven Rob S.E.W. |
| author_facet | Lemmers Pim Groen Mark Crombaghs Ben H.J.M. Gubbels Rob E.M.B. de Krom Thomas van Langevelde Frank van der Velde Gerard Leuven Rob S.E.W. |
| author_sort | Lemmers Pim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) is a benthic rheophilic fish species that is endemic to tributaries of the rivers Rhine and Meuse in North-western Europe. Little is known about its occurrence and individuals density in relation to habitat characteristics. A core population of C. rhenanus occurs in the River Geul in the Netherlands. Since the late 19th century, this river was heavily polluted by communal and industrial wastewater, causing a strong population decline. As the core population of C. rhenanus is recovering, the status, distribution, and habitat use could be studied to facilitate recovery in other locations. Cottus rhenanus density of individuals significantly increased over the period 2005–2015 and it became one of the most abundant fish species in assemblages. Negative relationships were observed between C. rhenanus densities and a high abundance of boulders (>200 mm), large structures such as woody debris, and water depth. The population increase and recolonization of C. rhenanus coincided with water quality improvement, which suggests that this fish species can be used to assess small streams ecosystem integrity. The recent range expansion of the Ponto-Caspian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) poses a high risk of negative effects on C. rhenanus populations via food and shelter competition. Further water quality improvement, habitat conservation, and prevention of the spread of invasive gobies could favour C. rhenanus populations within their natural range. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:06:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bb327756ee534964a9790d502957b02d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1961-9502 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:06:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems |
| spelling | doaj.art-bb327756ee534964a9790d502957b02d2023-04-07T09:04:03ZengEDP SciencesKnowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems1961-95022023-01-010424810.1051/kmae/2023004kmae220094Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus)Lemmers Pim0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6953-2457Groen Mark1Crombaghs Ben H.J.M.2Gubbels Rob E.M.B.3de Krom Thomas4van Langevelde Frank5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8870-0797van der Velde Gerard6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9355-7577Leuven Rob S.E.W.7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5434-6005Natuurbalans – Limes Divergens, Toernooiveld 1Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3aNatuurbalans – Limes Divergens, Toernooiveld 1Water Board Limburg, P.O. Box 2207Natuurbalans – Limes Divergens, Toernooiveld 1Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3aRadboud University, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, P.O. Box 9100Radboud University, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, P.O. Box 9100The Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) is a benthic rheophilic fish species that is endemic to tributaries of the rivers Rhine and Meuse in North-western Europe. Little is known about its occurrence and individuals density in relation to habitat characteristics. A core population of C. rhenanus occurs in the River Geul in the Netherlands. Since the late 19th century, this river was heavily polluted by communal and industrial wastewater, causing a strong population decline. As the core population of C. rhenanus is recovering, the status, distribution, and habitat use could be studied to facilitate recovery in other locations. Cottus rhenanus density of individuals significantly increased over the period 2005–2015 and it became one of the most abundant fish species in assemblages. Negative relationships were observed between C. rhenanus densities and a high abundance of boulders (>200 mm), large structures such as woody debris, and water depth. The population increase and recolonization of C. rhenanus coincided with water quality improvement, which suggests that this fish species can be used to assess small streams ecosystem integrity. The recent range expansion of the Ponto-Caspian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) poses a high risk of negative effects on C. rhenanus populations via food and shelter competition. Further water quality improvement, habitat conservation, and prevention of the spread of invasive gobies could favour C. rhenanus populations within their natural range.https://www.kmae-journal.org/articles/kmae/full_html/2023/01/kmae220094/kmae220094.htmlco-occurring speciescottidaeriver geulriver restorationwater quality |
| spellingShingle | Lemmers Pim Groen Mark Crombaghs Ben H.J.M. Gubbels Rob E.M.B. de Krom Thomas van Langevelde Frank van der Velde Gerard Leuven Rob S.E.W. Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems co-occurring species cottidae river geul river restoration water quality |
| title | Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) |
| title_full | Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) |
| title_fullStr | Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) |
| title_short | Population recovery and occurrence of the endemic Rhine sculpin (Cottus rhenanus) |
| title_sort | population recovery and occurrence of the endemic rhine sculpin cottus rhenanus |
| topic | co-occurring species cottidae river geul river restoration water quality |
| url | https://www.kmae-journal.org/articles/kmae/full_html/2023/01/kmae220094/kmae220094.html |
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