Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Decline of unique Pontocaspian biodiversity in the Black Sea Basin : A review. / Gogaladze, Aleksandre; Son, Mikhail O.; Lattuada, Matteo; Anistratenko, Vitaliy V.; Syomin, Vitaly L.; Pavel, Ana Bianca; Popa, Oana P.; Popa, Luis O.; ter Poorten, Jan Johan; Biesmeijer, Jacobus C.; Raes, Niels; Wilke, Thomas; Sands, Arthur F.; Trichkova, Teodora; Hubenov, Zdravko K.; Vinarski, Maxim V.; Anistratenko, Olga Yu; Alexenko, Tatiana L.; Wesselingh, Frank P.
In: Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 11, No. 19, 07.10.2021, p. 12923–12947.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Decline of unique Pontocaspian biodiversity in the Black Sea Basin
T2 - A review
AU - Gogaladze, Aleksandre
AU - Son, Mikhail O.
AU - Lattuada, Matteo
AU - Anistratenko, Vitaliy V.
AU - Syomin, Vitaly L.
AU - Pavel, Ana Bianca
AU - Popa, Oana P.
AU - Popa, Luis O.
AU - ter Poorten, Jan Johan
AU - Biesmeijer, Jacobus C.
AU - Raes, Niels
AU - Wilke, Thomas
AU - Sands, Arthur F.
AU - Trichkova, Teodora
AU - Hubenov, Zdravko K.
AU - Vinarski, Maxim V.
AU - Anistratenko, Olga Yu
AU - Alexenko, Tatiana L.
AU - Wesselingh, Frank P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2021/10/7
Y1 - 2021/10/7
N2 - The unique aquatic Pontocaspian (PC) biota of the Black Sea Basin (BSB) is in decline. The lack of detailed knowledge on the status and trends of species, populations, and communities hampers a thorough risk assessment and precludes effective conservation. This paper reviews PC biodiversity trends in the BSB (Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia) using endemic mollusks as a model group. We aim to assess changes in PC habitats, community structure, and species distribution over the past century and to identify direct anthropogenic threats. The presence/absence data of target mollusk species were assembled from literature, reports, and personal observations. Pontocaspian biodiversity trends in the northwestern BSB coastal regions were established by comparing 20th- and 21st-century occurrences. The direct drivers of habitat and biodiversity change were identified and documented. We found that a pronounced decline of PC species and communities is driven by (a) damming of rivers, (b) habitat modifications that disturbed previous natural salinity gradients and settings in the studied area, (c) pollution and eutrophication, (d) invasive alien species, and (e) climate change. Four out of the 10 studied regions, namely, the Danube Delta–Razim Lake system, Dniester Liman, Dnieper–Bug estuary, and Taganrog Bay–Don Delta, contain favorable ecological conditions for PC communities and still host threatened endemic PC mollusk species. Distribution data are incomplete, but the scale of deterioration of PC species and communities is evident from the assembled data, as are major direct threats. Pontocaspian biodiversity in the BSB is profoundly affected by human activities. Standardized observation and collection data as well as precise definition of PC biota and habitats are necessary for targeted conservation actions. This study will help to set the research and policy agenda required to improve data collection to accommodate effective conservation of the unique PC biota.
AB - The unique aquatic Pontocaspian (PC) biota of the Black Sea Basin (BSB) is in decline. The lack of detailed knowledge on the status and trends of species, populations, and communities hampers a thorough risk assessment and precludes effective conservation. This paper reviews PC biodiversity trends in the BSB (Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia) using endemic mollusks as a model group. We aim to assess changes in PC habitats, community structure, and species distribution over the past century and to identify direct anthropogenic threats. The presence/absence data of target mollusk species were assembled from literature, reports, and personal observations. Pontocaspian biodiversity trends in the northwestern BSB coastal regions were established by comparing 20th- and 21st-century occurrences. The direct drivers of habitat and biodiversity change were identified and documented. We found that a pronounced decline of PC species and communities is driven by (a) damming of rivers, (b) habitat modifications that disturbed previous natural salinity gradients and settings in the studied area, (c) pollution and eutrophication, (d) invasive alien species, and (e) climate change. Four out of the 10 studied regions, namely, the Danube Delta–Razim Lake system, Dniester Liman, Dnieper–Bug estuary, and Taganrog Bay–Don Delta, contain favorable ecological conditions for PC communities and still host threatened endemic PC mollusk species. Distribution data are incomplete, but the scale of deterioration of PC species and communities is evident from the assembled data, as are major direct threats. Pontocaspian biodiversity in the BSB is profoundly affected by human activities. Standardized observation and collection data as well as precise definition of PC biota and habitats are necessary for targeted conservation actions. This study will help to set the research and policy agenda required to improve data collection to accommodate effective conservation of the unique PC biota.
KW - Black Sea Basin
KW - conservation
KW - human impact
KW - mollusks
KW - Pontocaspian biodiversity
KW - population trends
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85114314708&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85114314708
VL - 11
SP - 12923
EP - 12947
JO - Ecology and Evolution
JF - Ecology and Evolution
SN - 2045-7758
IS - 19
ER -
ID: 86191708