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Water
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Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation
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Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 18260

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Agnieszka Pociecha

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Guest Editor
Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
Interests: freshwater zooplankton; paleolimnology; long-term studies; functioning of natural and anthropogenic water bodies; ecology; phyto–zooplankton relationships; Cladocera; Rotifera; Copepoda
Prof. Dr. Henri J. Dumont

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Gent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Interests: aquatic biodiversity; functional ecology; genetics; paleolimnology; phylogeny; biogeography
Dr. Joanna Czerwik-Marcinkowska

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biology Institute of Biology, Jan Kochanowski University, Uniwersytecka 7, 25-406 Kielce, Poland
Interests: phytoplankton; cyanobacteria; green algae; ecology; phenotypic plasticity; ultrastructures; algal relationships; water habitats; X-rays; fluorescence techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In these times of climate change, eutrophication and pollution, more discussion about aquatic biodiversity is needed. This Special Issue of Water focuses on the diversity of organisms in different water bodies, their threats and conservation. Hydrobiological, long-term and paleoecological studies will reveal the extent to which the biodiversity of aquatic environments is changing in the Anthropocene, and show how organisms  evolve and adapt to new aquatic conditions.

The Guest Editors will consider papers addressing surface water, groundwater, and/or integrated water resource management, which are of interest to work out how aquatic organisms are impacted by multiple stressors.

Threats to aquatic biodiversity will focus on the loss and degradation of habitats, invasive species, pollution, climate change and human activities affecting biodiversity in water.

On the other hand, biodiversity protection can be discussed at several levels: molecules, populations, species, assemblies, ecosystems and on a global scale.

Both  research papers and review papers are welcome.

Dr. Agnieszka Pociecha
Prof. Dr. Henri J. Dumont
Dr. Joanna Czerwik-Marcinkowska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic environments
  • natural and anthropogenic reservoirs
  • Anthropocene impact
  • water pollution
  • paleoecological studies
  • long-term studies
  • aquatic nature conservation
  • treats of biodiversity
  • strategy of adaptation
  • native, invasive and alien species

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 10903 KiB  
Article
Backwater Effect of Clogging of Aquatic Plants at Fine-Particle Screens on Inland Flooding in Okayama
by Takumi Inaba, Kumiko Tsujimoto and Yoshitaka Nakashima
Water 2022, 14(13), 1980; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14131980 - 21 Jun 2022
Viewed by 1574
Abstract
In low-lying Okayama city, Japan, the heavy rainfall frequency and intensity have recently increased, subjecting the city to inland flooding. Another factor increasing the inland flooding risk is fine-particle screen clogging by aquatic plants at drainage pump stations, which obstructs drainage and causes [...] Read more.
In low-lying Okayama city, Japan, the heavy rainfall frequency and intensity have recently increased, subjecting the city to inland flooding. Another factor increasing the inland flooding risk is fine-particle screen clogging by aquatic plants at drainage pump stations, which obstructs drainage and causes backwater. In this study, water level simulations were conducted in drainage pump station channels to clarify the inland flooding risks with and without aquatic plant clogging-induced backwater at fine-particle screens. In the Urayasu West Drainage Pump Station channels, without backwater, no inland flooding occurred under an initial water level of 70% of the channel depth and a 40 m3/s discharge. However, when backwater deeper than 0.2 m occurred under the same conditions, inland flooding occurred, indicating an increased inland flooding risk associated with backwater. Additionally, we conducted an aquatic plant distribution survey in the main Okayama city channels and proposed six priority control sections based on sections with thriving aquatic plants. Although no previous inland flooding studies have considered aquatic plant clogging-induced backwater at fine-particle screens, aquatic plants cause clogging problems and drainage obstructions at water control facilities worldwide. Therefore, this study reveals the importance of conducting water level simulations and distribution surveys in areas other than Okayama city. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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23 pages, 1360 KiB  
Article
Biodiversity of Non-Marine Ostracoda (Crustacea) of Botswana: An Annotated Checklist with Notes on Distribution
by Agata Szwarc and Tadeusz Namiotko
Water 2022, 14(9), 1441; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14091441 - 30 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2223
Abstract
Botswana constitutes a major gap in our knowledge of the distribution of Ostracoda in the region of Southern Africa, restraining thorough biogeographic interpretations. We combine records from previously published surveys along with our own field collections to provide a collation of living and [...] Read more.
Botswana constitutes a major gap in our knowledge of the distribution of Ostracoda in the region of Southern Africa, restraining thorough biogeographic interpretations. We combine records from previously published surveys along with our own field collections to provide a collation of living and fossil (Late Pleistocene to Holocene) Ostracoda recorded in Botswana. Our survey yielded 17 species, of which nine species have not been recorded before in the country. Including the present update, 54 species (45 living and nine fossil or subfossil) belonging to 22 genera of five families (with 76% species belonging to the family Cyprididae) are currently reported from Botswana. Yet, 23 taxa are left in open nomenclature, indicating the urgent need for sound systematic studies on harmonizing taxonomy of Southern African ostracods, especially of those inhabiting small temporary waterbodies, considered as threatened with extinction before being properly described or discovered. This updated checklist provides detailed information about the distribution and habitat of each recorded species. Species richness, distribution patterns, and diversity of ostracod species regionally and in different freshwater ecoregions are also discussed. We found low alpha (site) diversity (mean 3.3 species per site) and a significant difference in species composition and beta diversity of the Okavango ecoregion versus the Kalahari and Zambezian Lowveld ecoregions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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16 pages, 3194 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Pollution on Diversity and Density of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Mountain and Upland Rivers
by Andrzej Kownacki and Ewa Szarek-Gwiazda
Water 2022, 14(9), 1349; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w14091349 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2196
Abstract
This article summarizes the studies concerning the impact of pollutants on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the mountain and upland rivers of southern Poland. The Carpathian Raba River, which in the 1960s retained its natural character and had good water quality, was considered as [...] Read more.
This article summarizes the studies concerning the impact of pollutants on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the mountain and upland rivers of southern Poland. The Carpathian Raba River, which in the 1960s retained its natural character and had good water quality, was considered as a reference in terms of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The other two analyzed rivers were polluted to different degrees. The Carpathian Dunajec River was contaminated mainly by sewage from small towns and treatment plant, while the upland Vistula River mainly by sewage from the Upper Silesian Industrial Region and saline waters from coal mines. In studied ecosystems in response to pollutions, a rapid increase in density of fauna caused mainly by the massive development of Oligochaeta was found. In the mountain river, the impact of contamination on macroinvertebrate diversity was negligible. There, taxa considered as indicators of clean water (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) were abundant and their diversity was similar to that of an uncontaminated river. In the heavily polluted upland Vistula River, the sites with a muddy bottom were dominated by Oligochaeta (99.4–99.9%), while at sites with stony bottoms, apart from Oligochaeta, there were also Chironomidae, Gastropoda, and Hirudinea. In comparison to the 1950s, all Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Odonata, Trichoptera, and Megaloptera were extinct. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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21 pages, 3627 KiB  
Article
Analyses of Protection and Conservation According to the Fish Act 1950 in Bangladesh’s Kaptai Lake Fisheries Management
by Nafis Rayhan, Petra Schneider, Md. Shahidul Islam, Aminur Rashid, Mohammad Mojibul Hoque Mozumder, Mohammad Mosarof Hossain, Amany Begum and Md. Mostafa Shamsuzzaman
Water 2021, 13(20), 2835; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13202835 - 12 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3041
Abstract
Kaptai Lake (KL), the largest inland watershed in Bangladesh (ca. 700 km2) and one of Southeast Asia’s largest artificial reservoirs, features an abundant variety of indigenous fishery species. Moreover, it provides a plethora of ecological benefits to society. Nevertheless, the KL [...] Read more.
Kaptai Lake (KL), the largest inland watershed in Bangladesh (ca. 700 km2) and one of Southeast Asia’s largest artificial reservoirs, features an abundant variety of indigenous fishery species. Moreover, it provides a plethora of ecological benefits to society. Nevertheless, the KL is suffering from multidimensional natural and anthropogenic stressors that threaten these wetlands’ sustainability. Though the legal framework assures sustainable conservation of fisheries resources, the implementation scenarios of fisheries laws, regulations, and policies in the KL wetland are insufficient. This study aimed at assessing the fisher’s perception of the regulation implementation efficiency of the Protection and Conservation Fish Act of 1950, while analyzing the effectiveness of the legal framework in the context of biodiversity conservation and the management sustainability of KL. By integrating qualitative and quantitative data collected through participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools viz. 225 interviews with fishers, four focus group discussions, and 12 key informant interviews, the investigation was performed in four selected areas in KL. The findings show that fishers routinely disregard laws and restrictions of the Protection and Conservation of Fish Act 1950 due to various socioeconomic and political forces. Although the annual fish harvest rate from KL appears to be increasing, the lake is losing its charismatic biological diversity primarily due to inappropriate and ineffective enforcement of fishing regulations. Many fishers believe that they still follow the act’s significant laws and regulations while being involved in several destructive and prohibited fishing practices. There is a link between community awareness, the scope of the act’s provisions, the effectiveness of its enforcement, and the strength of its execution. One of the leading causes of biodiversity loss in the KL is inadequate and ineffective fishing regulations. Improvement in the enforcement of the fishing act may be the prominent option to ensure better biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of this wetland. This result calls for functional and policy attention to revising the regulations to account for socioeconomic and political elements contributing to environmental degradation. This study also highlights the urgent need for transdisciplinary collaboration initiatives and synchronous cooperation among the agencies in order to effectively implement the fishing laws and contribute to better conservation and sustainability of the Kaptai lake fisheries resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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15 pages, 6225 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Composition of Ichthyofauna in Lakes Free from Commercial Use in a Tightly Protected Area of the Wolin National Park (Poland)
by Marcin Biernaczyk, Konrad Wrzecionkowski, Arkadiusz Nędzarek and Katarzyna Stepanowska
Water 2021, 13(18), 2530; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13182530 - 15 Sep 2021
Viewed by 2054
Abstract
The ichthyological biodiversity of Polish lakes is poorly understood, even in lakes not used for fishing and those under strict protection. With this in mind, the aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive ichthyological survey of several lakes in the Wolin [...] Read more.
The ichthyological biodiversity of Polish lakes is poorly understood, even in lakes not used for fishing and those under strict protection. With this in mind, the aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive ichthyological survey of several lakes in the Wolin National Park (Poland). The study was conducted in Domysławskie and Gardno lakes and the anthropogenic Stara Kredownia reservoir. Each fishing exercise was conducted using benthic nets over a 12 h period. The fish caught were measured and weighed, and the species identified. Shannon-Wiener (H) and Simpson biodiversity indices were determined. The catch comprised a total of 4580 fish (of which 4391 were caught in Domysławskie Lake) belonging to 15 species, with a combined weight of 98,165 g. In general, the most prevalent species were non-predatory fish: roach (Rutilus rutilus), freshwater bream (Abramis brama), white bream (Blicca bioerkna), bleak (Alburnus alburnus), and rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus). Individually, perch (Perca fluviatilis) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) were the most abundant species. Ichthyofauna diversity varied greatly between the studied water bodies, with 15 species found in Domysławskie Lake and only 6 species in Gardno Lake. In Stara Kredownia Reservoir, no fish were caught, but amphibians were observed, such as great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) and common newts (Lissotriton vulgaris). Based on the results obtained, Lake Domysławskie had a higher species ichthyofauna diversity than the other ‘tench and pike’ lakes. Gardno Lake had a much lower biodiversity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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15 pages, 1690 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Groundwater Crustaceans in Wells in Various Geologic Formations of Southern Poland
by Agnieszka Pociecha, Maciej Karpowicz, Tadeusz Namiotko, Elżbieta Dumnicka and Joanna Galas
Water 2021, 13(16), 2193; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13162193 - 11 Aug 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2227
Abstract
Data on Crustacea from underground waters accessed through wells are limited in Poland. A recent study was undertaken to determine diversity and factors influencing the crustacean communities inhabiting wells drilled in three bedrocks, Jurassic limestone, Cretaceous marls and flysch. A total of 23 [...] Read more.
Data on Crustacea from underground waters accessed through wells are limited in Poland. A recent study was undertaken to determine diversity and factors influencing the crustacean communities inhabiting wells drilled in three bedrocks, Jurassic limestone, Cretaceous marls and flysch. A total of 23 crustacean species and subspecies were recorded belonging to Copepoda, Ostracoda, Amphipoda and Bathynellacea. Only four species of low abundance, however, were stygobionts. Our studies showed that abundance and species number of Copepoda and Ostracoda were affected by bedrock geology (with higher abundances and species richness in wells of Cretaceous marls), and in the case of copepods, also by sampling season. Furthermore, this paper lists all species of Crustacea recorded from inland groundwater habitats of Poland based published over the last 133 years. The most species-rich group was Copepoda with 43 representatives (four stygobites), followed by Ostracoda and Amphipoda with a total of 37 and 12 species, respectively (each with nine stygobites). In addition, two species of Isopoda (one stygobite) and one Bathynellid appear in the checklist. The checklist identifies geographical (and environmental) gaps which require further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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17 pages, 6183 KiB  
Article
First Insight into Groundwater Copepods of the Polish Lowland
by Maciej Karpowicz, Sabina Smolska, Magdalena Świsłocka and Joanna Moroz
Water 2021, 13(15), 2086; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w13152086 - 30 Jul 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2457
Abstract
Our results are the first insight into groundwater copepods of the Polish Lowland. The sampling was conducted in 28 wells in north-eastern Poland, and Copepoda were present in 16 wells. We have identified six Copepoda species and one Cladocera. We have classified four [...] Read more.
Our results are the first insight into groundwater copepods of the Polish Lowland. The sampling was conducted in 28 wells in north-eastern Poland, and Copepoda were present in 16 wells. We have identified six Copepoda species and one Cladocera. We have classified four species as stygophiles—Eucyclops serrulatus, Diacyclops bisetosus, Diacyclops crassicaudis, and Cyclops furcifer. These species were frequently found in studied wells of different regions of north-eastern Poland, often in high numbers, and females with egg sacs were observed. We present a detailed morphological description of these species, together with molecular characteristics based on mitochondrial DNA markers (COI gene) for E. serrulatus, D. bisetosus, and D. crassicaudis, and 12S ribosomal RNA for C. furcifer. We also present the development of abnormal structures in one specimen of D. crassicaudis, where the upper part of furcal rami was fused to form a single plate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Biodiversity: Threats and Conservation)
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