The Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe, is home to a distinctive freshwater fish fauna, predominantly composed of endemic species. This is a consequence of the prolonged isolation from western Europe caused by the Pyrenees, the diverse geological and climatic gradients, and the isolation of river basins. Freshwater and diadromous fishes have diversified in the Iberian Peninsula and include 72 currently r...
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has revolutionized ecological and environmental research by describing communities without relying on direct observations, making it a powerful, non-invasive, and cost-effective tool in biodiversity monitoring. However, the adoption of eDNA as a standard protocol in long-term monitoring programs, which have traditionally relied on capture-based methods, presents challenges...
Accurate species monitoring is foundational for understanding and assessing species extinction risk. Environmental DNA (eDNA) based species detection methods have been proposed as fast and powerful biodiversity monitoring tools. Yet, these methods are susceptible to errors that might hinder the assessment of species extinction risk. Samples may contain low DNA concentrations of the target taxa and/or exhibit hi...
Museum collections serve as valuable repositories of biodiversity, offering a substantial amount of data and specimens for scientific research. This study describes the intrinsic value of the mammal collection at the National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon (Portugal) (MUHNAC), and its nationwide representativeness, with the final aim of revealing its potential to support resea...
The Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe, is home to a distinctive freshwater fish fauna, predominantly composed of endemic species. This is a consequence of the prolonged isolation from western Europe caused by the Pyrenees, the diverse geological and climatic gradients, and the isolation of river basins. Freshwater and diadromous fishes have diversified in the Iberian Peninsula and include 72 currently r...
Catadromous species, such as the thinlip grey mullet Chelon ramada (Risso 1827), exhibit complex life history traits and migratory behaviours that have different repercussions at the population level and species genetic structure. To study the genetic variation and infer patterns of gene flow and population connectivity along species’ distribution across the Northeast Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean Sea, 4...
Pool refuges are critical for maintaining stream fish diversity in increasingly intermittent streams. Yet, the patterns and drivers of beta diversity of native and non-native fish in pool refuges remain poorly known. Focusing on Mediterranean streams, we decomposed beta diversity of native and non-native fish into richness difference (RichDiff) and species replacement (Repl), and local (LCBD, LCBDRichDiff and L...
The meagre Argyrosomus regius (Asso, 1801) is a marine migratory species with a wide distribution range encompassing the north-eastern and central-eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediter ranean Sea, and the western Black Sea. A. regius is one of the largest overexploited sciaenids, being a valuable resource for aquaculture and fisheries along its distribution range. The Iberian Peninsula is considered an intermedia...
Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly being reshaped by biological invasions, leading to biotic homogenization and biodiversity loss. However, the extent to which novel species may drive changes in food-web structure over time remains poorly understood. Clarifying changes in historical ecological processes is critical to inform conservation and restoration efforts in recipient ecosystems. Here, we address food...