Mediterranean temporary ponds (MTPs) are seasonal wetland habitats usually flooded during the rainy season but drying out during the warmer months. Due to their biodiversity, uniqueness, and numerous threats, they are listed as a priority for conservation under the Habitats Directive. Despite all the efforts made so far, they are still in poor conservation status in the Mediterranean biogeographic region, makin...
Introduction: The increase of urban areas and their infrastructure network is homogenizing the landscape and threatening biodiversity and ecosystems functions and services. Wildflower meadows have a high biodiversity value and can prosper in degraded areas dominated by nitrophilous species, making them suitable to be used in peri-urban and urban areas to promote local flora, create habitat for pollinators and o...
Mediterranean Temporary Ponds - 3170* (MTP) are seasonal freshwater habitats that are strongly dependent on rainfall and annually experience a flood/dissection cycle. Their persistence has been not only compatible but also favoured by extensive human activities. So, MTP conservation must bear in mind that this habitat results from a long human presence in the Mediterranean region. In the Portuguese Southwest Co...
Introduction: The increase of urban areas and their infrastructure network is homogenizing the landscape and threatening biodiversity and ecosystems functions and services. Wildflower meadows have a high biodiversity value and can prosper in degraded areas dominated by nitrophilous species, making them suitable to be used in peri-urban and urban areas to promote local flora, create habitat for pollinators and o...
Este Manual de Boas Práticas foi elaborado no âmbito do Programa LIFE + “Conservação do Saramugo, Anaecypris hispanica, na bacia do Guadiana (Portugal)”, ou LIFE Saramugo (LIFE13 NAT/PT/000786). O Projeto visa salvaguardar a conservação deste peixe nativo e endémico das bacias hidrográficas dos Rios Guadiana e Guadalquivir, que está atualmente “Criticamente em Perigo” em Portugal e incluído no Anexo II e IV da ...
Many river networks in southern Europe are intermittent. In summer, the surface flow is zero and many streams become isolated pools. In this study, 128 dry season pools were studied covering first- to fourth-order streams on the Degebe River network (south Portugal). The aim of the study was to identify pool types based on environmental drivers and conditions and fish assemblages. In summer, dry streambed area ...
Southern Europe has been experiencing an accelerated intensification of agricultural systems in the last decades with consequent environmental effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of agricultural land use in two small-medium river basins in the South of Portugal, regarding: (i) water quality and stream habitat; (ii) fish fauna; and (iii) soil. Sampling included fish captures, water, and soil sample...
Southern Europe has been experiencing an accelerated intensification of agricultural systems in the last decades with consequent environmental effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of agricultural land use in two small-medium river basins in the South of Portugal, regarding: (i) water quality and stream habitat; (ii) fish fauna; and (iii) soil. Sampling included fish captures, water, and soil sample...
Invasive species have the potential to impact native fish through interference competition, which is especially concerning for the conservation of the valuable endemic ichtyofauna of the Iberian Peninsula. This study investigated the potential negative effect of the invasive bleak Alburnus alburnus on the behaviour of the critically endangered Iberian saramugo Anaecypris hispanica. The behaviour patterns were a...
The Iberian Peninsula has been subjected to numerous fish introductions and the colonization of new areas by non-native species is constantly reported. However, there is a lack of knowledge about many aspects of the bio-ecology of these species and their invasive success within the environmental context of Mediterranean temporary rivers. This study aimed to address the following questions: (i) what are the main...