TY - JOUR

T1 - Endemic Caspian Sea mollusks in hotspot and non-hotspot areas differentially affected by anthropogenic pressures

AU - Lattuada, Matteo

AU - Albrecht, Christian

AU - Wesselingh, Frank P.

AU - Klinkenbuß, Denise

AU - Vinarski, Maxim V.

AU - Kijashko, Pavel

AU - Raes, Niels

AU - Wilke, Thomas

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 International Association for Great Lakes Research

PY - 2020/10

Y1 - 2020/10

N2 - The Caspian Sea is renowned for its endemic mollusk biodiversity. However, over the past decades, increasing anthropogenic pressures have caused decreases in abundances and even extinction of species. Both key pressures and endemic taxa are distributed spatially unevenly across the Caspian Sea, suggesting that ecologically different taxa such as gastropods and bivalves are also affected differentially. In addition, hotspot and non-hotspot areas for these taxa might differ quantitatively in pressure scores and qualitatively in key individual anthropogenic pressures. To test this working hypothesis, hotspot areas for endemic bivalve and gastropod species were identified using stacked species ranges. Cumulative and individual pressure scores were estimated for hotspot and non-hotspot areas of bivalves and gastropods. Differences in cumulative and individual pressure scores were tested for significance using non-parametric MANOVA and Wilcoxon rank sum tests, respectively. We identified various mollusk biodiversity hotspots across locations and depths, which are differentially affected both in terms of cumulative pressure scores and in the composition of the contributing individual pressures. Similarly, hotspot and non-hotspot areas for both bivalves and gastropods are differentially affected by anthropogenic pressures. By defining endemic hotspot areas and the respective anthropogenic pressures, this study provides an important baseline for mollusk-specific conservation strategies.

AB - The Caspian Sea is renowned for its endemic mollusk biodiversity. However, over the past decades, increasing anthropogenic pressures have caused decreases in abundances and even extinction of species. Both key pressures and endemic taxa are distributed spatially unevenly across the Caspian Sea, suggesting that ecologically different taxa such as gastropods and bivalves are also affected differentially. In addition, hotspot and non-hotspot areas for these taxa might differ quantitatively in pressure scores and qualitatively in key individual anthropogenic pressures. To test this working hypothesis, hotspot areas for endemic bivalve and gastropod species were identified using stacked species ranges. Cumulative and individual pressure scores were estimated for hotspot and non-hotspot areas of bivalves and gastropods. Differences in cumulative and individual pressure scores were tested for significance using non-parametric MANOVA and Wilcoxon rank sum tests, respectively. We identified various mollusk biodiversity hotspots across locations and depths, which are differentially affected both in terms of cumulative pressure scores and in the composition of the contributing individual pressures. Similarly, hotspot and non-hotspot areas for both bivalves and gastropods are differentially affected by anthropogenic pressures. By defining endemic hotspot areas and the respective anthropogenic pressures, this study provides an important baseline for mollusk-specific conservation strategies.

KW - Aquatic invertebrates

KW - Caspian Sea

KW - Endemism

KW - Environmental degradation

KW - Hotspots

KW - Spatial data analysis

KW - BIODIVERSITY

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078947210&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jglr.2019.12.007

DO - 10.1016/j.jglr.2019.12.007

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85078947210

VL - 46

SP - 1221

EP - 1226

JO - Journal of Great Lakes Research

JF - Journal of Great Lakes Research

SN - 0380-1330

IS - 5

ER -