Athanasios Korakis

• Master of Science
• NECCA/ Management Unit of Northern Pindos National Park (Greece)

The impoundment of Aoos springs was created in 1990 to facilitate hydroelectric production, and fish fauna has been enriched through the years due to deliberate or accidental fish stockings, with certain invasive alien fish species arising (i.e., Lepomis gibbosus, Carassius gibelio), some of which are ranked among the most dangerous species for glo...

The ecosystem structure of a Mediterranean high-altitude artificial lake (Aoos Springs, Northwest Greece) was assessed and quantified using the Ecopath with Ecosim model. The artificial lake was created in 1990 for hydroelectric production and the fish fauna has been enriched across years due to deliberate or accidental fish stockings, as well as t...

Poisoning is one of the major threats to vultures worldwide. In Greece, the use of poison baits has been illegal since 1993 but it’s still common practice in rural areas, targeting a variety of wild or domestic animals. This crime has cost the lives of many vultures throughout the years, causing significant population decreases or even local extinc...

In the present study, the biology of the pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus in the artificial lake of Aoos, located in northwestern Greece, was investigated. The samplings of the pumpkinseed were conducted from the shore using a portable electrofishing device over a 4-month period (July 2021–October 2021). A total of 581 specimens were caught, with an av...

The impoundment of the Aoos Springs, which was created in 1990 for the needs of hydroelectric production, is characterised by the lack of studies on its fish fauna across years. Seasonal sampling efforts were conducted with Nordic gillnets and an electrofishing device to describe the fish fauna after 30 years from the construction of the impoundmen...

In this study, we used genetic approaches to assess the conservation status of a protected amphibian species, the Macedonian crested newt, Triturus macedonicus, in Northern Pindos National Park (Epirus, Greece). Mitochondrial DNA sequences and multilocus genotypes of individuals from 38 breeding sites were used to infer their phylogenetic position...

Investigating the patterns of genetic diversity, population structure, and functional connectivity of the species in the protected area of the Northern Pindos National Park

The Macedonian crested newt, Triturus macedonicus (Karaman, 1922), is a priority species (ANNEX II, 92/43/EEC) in need of protection. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic position and the demographic history of the species’ populations in Northern Pindos National Park based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. The phylogenetic analy...

This study presents preliminary monitoring results of Salmo pelagonicus populations, recorded for the first time, in two high altitude sites (> 1000m); Floros stream of Axios River system, and Trypimeni stream of Aliakmonas River system. Physicochemical parameters were also measured and QBR index values were also calculated for each site. The prist...

Assessing the conservation status, defining population genetic structure and measuring genetic variation patterns and levels of gene flow of the Macedonian crested newt using Mitochondrial DNA and Microsatellites, in Northern Pindos National Park.

In order to optimize the appropriate conservation actions for the brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) population in Greece, we estimated the census (Nc) and effective (Ne) population size as well as the genetic status of brown bear sub-populations in three National Parks (NP): Prespa (MBPNP), Pindos (PINDNP), and Rhodopi (RMNP). The Prespa and Pindos sub-...

The Macedonian crested newt, Triturus macedonicus (Karaman, 1922), is a species of Community interest (Annex II, 92/43 / EEC) whose conservation requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). In this study we investigated the distribution and habitat characteristics of the species in the Northern Pindos National Park. In the spri...

Facultative paedomorphosis, a rare evolutionary "pathway" that leads to the emergence of alternative phenotypes in newts (i.e. the maintenance of larval characteristics in mature individuals), is largely related to fitness advantage of the alternative phenotypes in harsh environments. So far, ten cases of facultative paedomorphosis in newts have be...