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...
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...
Hybridization between native and nonnative fish species is a major conservation issue, especially in ecosystems with high levels of endemism, such as Iberian streams. To date, hybridization with the invasive bleak Alburnus alburnus has been reported for the Iberian chub Squalius alburnoides and S. pyrenaicus and in scattered locations only. However, the bleak is spreading in the region, potentially increasing t...
Updating information on the distribution of recently introduced and other poorly known non-natives is essential to prevent and control their spread and better address biological invasions. Here, we combine scientific and citizen science data to update the distribution of five recently arrived (i.e., < 25 years), non-native fish species (Alburnus alburnus, Ameiurus melas, Rutilus rutilus, Sander lucioperca and S...
The use of molecular techniques has shown that hybridization and introgression have significant impacts in evolution, by means of transfer of genetic variation and formation of hybrid species. In this paper we use mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to investigate the evolutionary history, levels of genetic diversity and population differentiation of a rare and endangered fish species. Our results suggest t...