@conference{
author = "Trichkova, Teodora and Paunović, Momir and Skolka, Marius and Kenderov, Lyubomir and Hubenov, Zdravko and Evtimova, Vesela and Cardeccia, Alice and Popa, Luis and Popa, Oana and Tomović, Jelena and Zorić, Katarina and Botev, Ivan",
year = "2014",
abstract = "Among the four principal aquatic invasion corridors in Europe, the Southern corridor links the Black Sea basin with the North Sea basin via the Danube–Main–Rhine Canal. This complex waterway facilitates an intensive dispersal of previously geographically isolated taxa in both northwest and southeast directions throughout the Danube River basin. In most of the cases of introduction and establishment of aquatic alien species through the Danube River, negative impact was reported, such as changes in biodiversity and communities, alterations of the food webs and ecosystem services. The first records of alien taxa in the Lower Danube date back to the beginning of 20th century. Considering the modes of arrival, intentional and unintentional introduction are assessed as of equal importance. The dominant pathways of introduction include stocking, range expansion, aquaculture, shipping and ornamental. In this study, we present a review of aquatic alien species, including species lists, data on recent introductions, pathways, population status, habitat requirements, invasiveness and potential impact, based on a case study of the Lower Danube River (Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania).
In the Serbian-Romanian stretch of the Danube River, we found 17 macroinvertebrate, 16 fish and 10 vascular plant alien species. Among the alien macroinvertebrate taxa recorded, molluscs and crustaceans were found to be the most prospective invaders. Five alien species of Bivalvia, one Gastropoda, six Amphipoda, two Mysida and two Decapoda were reported up to now. All of them can be considered as invasive. Among the 16 fish species recorded, eight are considered as invasive and two species as potentially invasive. In the Bulgarian-Romanian and Romanian stretch of the Danube River, including the Danube Delta, three alien species of Bivalvia, one Decapoda, one Kamptozoa, one Bryozoa, one Oligochaeta, and 12 alien fish species were recorded. Among the alien macroinvertebrates, the most successful invaders were the bivalve molluscs, of which Corbicula fluminea was the most frequently found and most abundant during our study. In the littoral area of the Bulgarian stretch, the most frequently found alien fish species were Pseudorasbora parva, Syngnathus abaster and Lepomis gibbosus, and the most abundant was C. gibelio, followed by S. abaster. The results were analyzed and discussed in terms of alien species population dynamics, habitat requirements and potential impact on native aquatic communities.",
publisher = "Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research",
journal = "Book of abstracts: IAD 40th Anniversary Conference: The Danube and Black Sea Region: Unique Environment and Human Well-Being Under Conditions of Global Changes; 2014 Jun 17-20; Sofia, Bulgaria",
title = "The Danube River as an invasive alien species corridor: The Lower Danube case study",
pages = "37-37",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_ibiss_6794"
}
