Francisco José Oliva-Paterna’s research while affiliated with University of Murcia and other places

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Publications (6)


Adaptation measures to global change in the Serpis River Basin (Spain): An evaluation considering agricultural benefits, environmental flows, and invasive fishes
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April 2024

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98 Reads

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1 Citation

Ecological Indicators

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Francisco J Oliva-Paterna

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Damming and flow regulation ensure water availability during dearth periods, but they cause impacts on inhabiting biota and facilitate the establishment of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Setting environmental flows (e-flows) has proven fundamental to ensure good ecological status of rivers, battle IAS, and sustain ecosystem services. However, ongoing climate change is further straining water resources availability and the fulfilment of e-flows in Spain, which has compelled River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) to include specific adaptation measures. In this study, we assessed adaptation strategies addressing land use and climate change in the Serpis River (Eastern Spain), based on increasing irrigation efficiency (i.e. moving from gravity to drip irrigation). The evaluation considered two CMIP6 climate change scenarios (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) for two time horizons (short term 2015–2040 and mid-term 2041–2070), together with three land use change scenarios (changes in irrigated areas and technologies). Future estimations included reservoir flow releases, e-flows fulfilment, agricultural benefits, and changes in the suitable habitat and potential competition for two native (Eastern Iberian chub Squalius valentinus and European eel Anguilla anguilla) and two invasive (common bleak Alburnus alburnus and pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus) fish species. Predictions indicated a decrease in the suitable habitat for eel and Eastern Iberian chub, but the established e-flows will be ensured. Although the maximum benefits will rarely be achieved, on average the modernisation expected in the RBMP would sustain agricultural incomes in the optimistic scenario (SSP1-2.6) and for the short term of the pessimistic scenario (SSP5-8.5), showing similar effects than the ongoing redistribution of agricultural plots. Habitat and competition with invasive species will experience little changes due to the strong flow regulation, although the invasive bleak would prevail in the mid-term of the most pessimistic scenario. These results highlight the necessity of proactive adaptation measures beyond those described in the RBMPs (e.g. forest management or crop substitution) to increase water availability and sustain agricultural benefits, in particular for the most pessimistic scenario. They also underscore the difficulties to counteract invasive species through streamflow management under water scarcity scenarios.

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Cross-group richness of aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) recorded in inland waters (including freshwater and transitional waters) from the Iberian Peninsula. Groups correspond to phyla (animals) or divisions (plants). Colours refer to the proportion of NIS belonging to each establishment stage (established, uncertain or cryptogenic). From top to bottom, groups are ranked from the species-richest to the species-poorest.
Native regions for the aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) recorded in inland waters (both freshwater and transitional waters) from the Iberian Peninsula. Results are displayed according to the five main biotic groups considered. As several NIS presented two or more native regions, data were down-weighted to avoid overrepresentation.
Contribution of the categories of introduction pathways to the arrival of aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) to inland waters (including freshwater and transitional waters) from the Iberian Peninsula. NIS are grouped into the five major biotic groups considered. As several NIS were introduced through two or more pathways, data were down-weighted to avoid overrepresentation of these categories.
Temporal introduction rates of aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) recorded in inland waters (including freshwater and transitional waters) from the Iberian Peninsula. Filled areas represent the cumulative number of introduced NIS in European, Spanish and Portuguese inland waters, whereas lines represent the decadal pace of NIS introduction. Note that the last decade includes two additional years (2020–2021) to allow for reliable data representation.
Scatterplots and linear regression functions (red line) of the year of introduction of aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) in three regions: Europe vs Spain (a), Europe vs Portugal (b) and Spain vs Portugal (c). Each dot represents a given NIS, with colour indicating the five considered biotic groups. Dashed lines represent the equality line and grey shadow correspond to confidence intervals.

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A multi-taxa assessment of aquatic non-indigenous species introduced into Iberian freshwater and transitional waters

November 2023

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651 Reads

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6 Citations

Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), leading to multi-faceted ecological, economic and health impacts worldwide. The Iberian Peninsula comprises an exceptionally biodiverse Mediterranean region with a high number of threatened and endemic aquatic species, most of them strongly impacted by biological invasions. Following a structured approach that combines a systematic review of available information and expert opinion, we provide a comprehensive and updated multi-taxa inventory of aquatic NIS (fungi, macroalgae, vascular plants, invertebrates and vertebrates) in Iberian inland waters. Moreover, we assess overall patterns in the establishment status, introduction pathways, native range and temporal introduction trends of listed NIS. In addition, we discuss the legal coverage provided by both national (Spanish and Portuguese) and European NIS regulations. We inventoried 326 aquatic NIS in Iberian inland waters, including 215 established, 96 with uncertain establishment status and 15 cryptogenic taxa. Invertebrates (54.6%) and vertebrates (24.5%) were the groups with the highest number of NIS, with Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Chordata being the most represented phyla. Recorded NIS originated from diverse geographic regions, with North and South America being the most frequent. Vertebrates and vascular plants were mostly introduced through intentional pathways (i.e. release and escape), whereas invertebrates and macroalgae arrived mostly through unintentional ways (i.e. contaminant or stowaway). Most of the recorded NIS were introduced in Iberian inland waters over the second half of the 20th century, with a high number of NIS introductions being reported in the 2000s. While only 8% of the recorded NIS appear in the European Union list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern, around 25% are listed in the Spanish and Portuguese NIS regulations. This study provides the most updated checklist of Iberian aquatic NIS, meeting the requirements set by the EU regulation and providing a baseline for the evaluation of its application. We point out the need for coordinated transnational strategies to properly tackle aquatic invasions across borders of the EU members.


Ontogenetic and cohort estimates of tadpole survival for the threatened Betic midwife toad (Alytes dickhilleni) in two contrasting small waterbodies

October 2023

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51 Reads

Amphibia-Reptilia

Comprehensive knowledge on demographic parameters and early life history traits is essential for an effective amphibian management and conservation. Here, we assessed tadpole survival of Alytes dickhilleni in two contrasting small waterbodies (natural pool vs man-made drinking trough). For the first time in the genus Alytes, tadpole survival was quantified at ontogenetic and cohort level. Overall, low survival values were reported for both study sites, being values in the natural pool (0.16) twice than in the man-made drinking trough (0.07). Ontogenetic and cohort variation was congruent between both study sites, with survival rates decreasing in intermediate developmental stages, and highest values being observed in overwintering as compared to summer tadpoles. Owing to the ongoing decline in Alytes populations, these results can be particularly useful for informing future conservation schemes based on tadpole translocation or reintroduction from wild populations.


Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

August 2023

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124 Reads

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5 Citations

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

Coastal lagoons are key ‘transitional’ aquatic environments for biodiversity conservation. Ecological indicators are useful tools for the management of water resources in the European Union. Among different biological communities, fish are a very sensitive tool to assess environmental integrity. Indeed, their parasites can be used as complementary indicators of habitat quality. Yet there is still a deep lack of information on ecological assessment using fish (along with their parasites) for coastal lagoons, particularly for the Iberian Peninsula. The aim of the present study was to assess the use of fish morphology and their parasite communities as ecological indicators of anthropogenic impact within the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain), a Mediterranean area of special conservation concern for European/Iberian biodiversity. Fish samples (black‐striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster and marbled goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus ) were collected in August 2022 from the Littoral (high level of nutrient enrichment) and Barrier habitats. Physical status (both external and internal indices), asymmetry (level of developmental instability), parasite load, diversity and life‐cycle complexity were compared between habitat types. Body condition and mainly the health assessment index were better in the Barrier habitat. Except for pectoral fins in pipefish, the fluctuating asymmetry was statistically greater in the Littoral habitat (i.e. with eutrophication leading to poorer fish development). The parasite load was higher in the Littoral habitat for both host fish species. However, the diversity and life‐cycle complexity of parasite communities were statistically lower in the Barrier habitat (a structurally simpler environment) only for gobies. This study demonstrates an elevated potential for certain fish morphological and parasitological traits to be considered as good ecological indicators of environmental health. This could help environmental managers and policy makers to design effective monitoring programmes to detect impacts within valuable areas for conservation, such as the Mar Menor coastal lagoon.


Fig. 1. Horizon scanning protocol used in this study. Based on Roy et al. (2019), it applies the consensus method proposed by Sutherland and Woodroof (2009) and Sutherland et al. (2011).
Fig. 2. (a) Agreement among experts (bootstrapped Krippendroff's α and 95% confidence interval) of the three items evaluated (likelihood of arrival, establishment, and impact) by thematic groups during the horizon scanning. (b) Agreement among experts on the total score obtained for each thematic group. (c) Violin graph showing the agreement among experts on the different items evaluated by thematic groups (symbols). Mar = marine species; Fre = freshwater animals; Ver = terrestrial vertebrates; Inv = terrestrial invertebrates; Pla = plants.
Fig. 3. Proportion of potential invasive alien species that have very high (n = 47), high (n = 61), moderate (n = 93) and low (n = 732) risk of becoming invasive in Spain, based on their likelihood of arrival, establishment and impact on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Fig. 4. Number of prioritized species resulting from our horizon scanning for Spain by (a) taxonomic group and (b) functional group. PP = Primary producers; Pred = Predators; Omni = Omnivores; Herb = Herbivores; Filter = Filter feeders.
Identification of potential invasive alien species in Spain through horizon scanning

August 2023

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1,050 Reads

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8 Citations

Journal of Environmental Management

Invasive alien species have widespread impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem services. Since the number of introductions worldwide is continuously rising, it is essential to prevent the entry, establishment and spread of new alien species through a systematic examination of future potential threats. Applying a three-step horizon scanning consensus method, we evaluated non-established alien species that could potentially arrive, establish and cause major ecological impact in Spain within the next 10 years. Overall, we identified 47 species with a very high risk (e.g. Oreochromis niloticus, Popillia japonica, Hemidactylus frenatus, Crassula helmsii or Halophila stip-ulacea), 61 with high risk, 93 with moderate risk, and 732 species with low risk. Many of the species categorized as very high or high risk to Spanish biodiversity are either already present in Europe and neighbouring countries or have a long invasive history elsewhere. This study provides an updated list of potential invasive alien species useful for prioritizing efforts and resources against their introduction. Compared to previous horizon scanning exercises in Spain, the current study screens potential invaders from a wider range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms, and can serve as a basis for more comprehensive risk analyses to improve management and increase the efficiency of the early warning and rapid response framework for invasive alien species. We also stress the usefulness of measuring agreement and consistency as two different properties of the reliability of expert scores, in order to more easily elaborate consensus ranked lists of potential invasive alien species.


Shallow waters as critical habitats for fish assemblages under eutrophication-mediated events in a coastal lagoon

July 2023

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122 Reads

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6 Citations

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science

Eutrophication is a major driver of the degradation of transitional waters worldwide, especially in environments with a restricted connection to the sea, such as coastal lagoons. In recent decades, intensive agriculture and urban water inputs around the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Western Mediterranean) have disturbed this originally oligotrophic aquatic system. The nutrient input into the lagoon has triggered its eutrophication, leading to dystrophic crises and mass mortality events for aquatic biota, transforming it into one of the most eutrophication-impacted transitional waters in the Mediterranean basin. In this study, we applied a fish-based indicator to assess the ecological quality of shallow waters under different eutrophication-mediated environmental stress scenarios (from pre-eutrophic reference periods to critical eutrophic periods), as well as to explore the role of confinement (i.e., water renewal time) and shoreline anthropogenic pressure as factors modulating the indicator response. Despite the high magnitude of the eutrophication impact on the lagoon, the ecological quality of the shallow waters decreased only slightly after the mass mortality events. The level of confinement also had slight effects on the ecological quality of the most confined shallow areas in the summer during eutrophic periods. Hence, shallow waters could play a critical role as refuge habitats, both for fish assemblages and other aquatic taxa, by buffering euxinic conditions during eutrophication processes.”. In fact, shallow waters could act as critical habitats, allowing for the recolonisation of aquatic biota from more impacted areas in the lagoon. This attribute further reinforces the need to properly manage and protect the shoreline areas of transitional waters, particularly under eutrophication scenarios.

Citations (4)


... By accounting for only 17 countries, our review underestimated the numbers of alien species on those nations' continents. Yet, other studies have noted great numbers of alien species in Europe Zamora-Marín et al., 2023), North America (Cranberg and Keller, 2023), and globally (Seebens et al., 2021), although populations of some alien taxa may be saturated in Europe (Soto et al., 2023). ...

Reference:

The impacts of alien species on river bioassessment
A multi-taxa assessment of aquatic non-indigenous species introduced into Iberian freshwater and transitional waters

... Overall, we endorse on a limited basis, as did previous researchers (Tatalović et al., 2020), for the idea that FA represents an index of individual quality. These types of analyses are relevant for a more integrated estimation of the ecological status of populations and help to understand the consequences at the community level (Almeida et al., 2023). ...

Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon
  • Citing Article
  • August 2023

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems

... horizon species) and provides valuable support for management (Roy et al. 2014(Roy et al. , 2019. To capture the above aspects, several horizon scanning studies of non-native pests across European countries have recently been conducted at both the regional (Roy et al. 2014(Roy et al. , 2019 and national level (Roy et al. 2014;Lucy et al. 2020;Peyton et al. 2020;Kenis et al. 2022;Cano-Barbacil et al. 2023;Dawson et al. 2023). ...

Identification of potential invasive alien species in Spain through horizon scanning

Journal of Environmental Management

... La calidad de los cuerpos de agua, hoy día, se ha visto deteriorada debido a la sobrepoblación y la industrialización que han traído consigo una producción elevada de residuos sólidos, líquidos y gaseosos, los cuales afectan las propiedades del agua INTRODUCCIÓN 1 de las reservas hídricas (Loi et al., 2022). Uno de los problemas más frecuentes en los cuerpos de agua es el alto contenido de nutrientes como el nitrógeno (nitratos, nitrito y amonio) y el fósforo en forma de fosfatos, los cuales conllevan a un problema llamado eutrofización (Xiong et al., 2022;Zamora-López et al., 2023). La Ciénaga de La Virgen (CV), que es una laguna costera de Cartagena, presenta altos niveles de polución antrópica debido a la pésima disposición final de las aguas servidas de la ciudad, ya que dichos vertimientos llegan a la ciénaga sin tratamiento previo. ...

Shallow waters as critical habitats for fish assemblages under eutrophication-mediated events in a coastal lagoon

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science