To save sturgeons, we need river channels around hydropower dams
Weirs and other transverse structures in rivers not only impede migratory fish on their way to spawning grounds, but even if they are able to pass, many of them die in the turbines of hydroelectric power plants. The authors present a recommendation on how to facilitate effective passage and even promote sturgeon with bypass channels at dams that can serve as additional habitat.
Global responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by recreational anglers: considerations for developing more resilient and sustainable fisheries
The study investigated the impact of COVID on recreational fisheries across the globe.The authors found COVID to increase local recreational fisheries participation but to reduce touristic recreational fisheries where travel restrictions were in place.
Selection on an extreme-yet-conserved larval life-history strategy in a tapeworm
Mechanisms of group-hunting in vertebrates
In this review article, the authors present the different mechanisms of hunting in groups. One important approach is that the size ratio between predator and prey is possibly an important factor influencing the different hunting behaviour in vertebrates.
The European freshwater landscape and hotspot areas of mass effects and regional connectivity
The authors detected great concentrations of source hotspots on the northern regions associated to lentic ecosystems, main European rivers acting as ecological corridors for all freshwaters, and a mixed distribution of connectivity hotspots in southern and Mediterranean ecoregions.
A meta-analysis of how parasites affect host consumption rates
This meta-analysis investigated how parasites affect the consumption rate of their hosts. It is the first comprehensive overview of parasite effects on host feeding capacity and sheds light on the factors contributing to the observed differences.
Synoptic water isotope surveys to understand the hydrology of large intensively managed catchments
Using seasonal, large scale synoptic sampling of stable water isotopes and tritium along the Spree allowed to assess water cycling, storage and losses. The Spree is heavily regulated and drought-sensitive due to high evapotranspiration losses. Such insights are important to adjust water management strategies.
Socio-economic or environmental benefits from pondscapes? Deriving stakeholder preferences using analytic hierarchy process and compositional data analysis
The authors studied the needs and knowledge of stakeholders who own, work, research, or benefit from pondscapes in 8 countries. Using the analytic hierarchy process, this study shows that in general stakeholders in the European and Turkish demo-sites prefer environmental benefits, while stakeholders in the Uruguayan demo-sites rank the economic benefits higher.
Quantifying changes and trends of NO3 concentrations and concentration-discharge relationships in a complex, heavily managed, drought-sensitive river system
Long-term stream nitrate nitrogen concentrations and concentration-discharge were investigated along the Spree revealing significant heterogeneity in both variables. The upstream parts and winter seasons showed the most serious pollution. Concentrations and relationships are also likely to respond strongly to future droughts, leading to challenges for future land and water management.
Massive expansion of sex-specific SNPs, transposon-related elements, and neocentromere formation shape the young W-chromosome from the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
The mosquitofish Gambusia affinis, globally introduced to fight mosquitos, is a threat for freshwater ecosystems and a model for sex chromosome evolution. Cyto-/genomics reveals a neocentromere to shield parts of its evolutionary young female sex chromosome (W) that actively differentiates by expansion of transcribed transposons, while major sequence divergence or gene decay are missing.