Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Biogeography of freshwater fishes of the Balkan Peninsula

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Delineating biogeographical regions is a critical step towards the establishment and evaluation of conservation priorities. In the present study, we analysed the distribution patterns of the freshwater fish of an understudied European biodiversity hotspot, the Balkan Peninsula. Based on the most extensive available database of native freshwater fish species distributions, we performed a hierarchical clustering analysis to identify the major biogeographical regions of the Balkan Peninsula. We also highlighted the ‘hottest hotspots’ of freshwater fish diversity across the delimited biogeographical regions by describing the patterns of species richness, endemic and vulnerable species; indicator species were also determined. The bioregionalisation scheme consisted of eight groups of drainage basins that correspond to distinct regions of the Balkan Peninsula. Overall, the delineated biogeographical regions varied in terms of species richness, endemism, vulnerability (i.e. extinction threats) and indicator species composition. From a conservation perspective, this study emphasises the prioritisation of areas characterised by high levels of irreplaceability (endemism) and vulnerability (i.e. the Attikobeotia region, Ionian Sea and Prespa Lakes) and stresses the necessity of implementing a network of protected freshwater areas across the Balkan Peninsula.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abell, R., M. L. Thieme, C. Revenga, M. Bryer, M. Kottelat, N. G. Bogutskaya, B. Coad, N. Mandrak, S. C. Balderas, W. Bussing, M. L. J. Stiassny, P. Skelton, G. R. Allen, P. Unmack, A. Naseka, R. Ng, N. Sindorf, J. Robertson, J. E. Armijo, J. V. Higgins, T. J. Heibe, E. Wikramanayake, D. Olson, H. L. Lopéz, R. E. Reis, G. Lundberg, M. H. S. Pérez & P. Petry, 2008. Freshwater ecoregions of the world: a new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation. BioScience 58: 403–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albrecht, C. & T. Wilke, 2008. Lake Ohrid: biodiversity and evolution. Hydrobiologia 615: 103–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albrecht, C., C. Wolff, P. Glöer & T. Wilke, 2008. Concurrent evolution of ancient sister lakes and sister species: the freshwater gastropod genus Radix in lakes Ohrid and Prespa. Hydrobiologia 615: 157–167.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amataj, S., T. Anovski, R. Benischke, R. Eftimi, L. L. Gourcy, L. Kola, I. Leontiadis, E. Micevski, A. Stamos & J. Zoto, 2007. Tracer methods used to verify the hypothesis of Cvijić about the underground connection between Prespa and Ohrid Lake. Environmental Geology 51: 749–753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, M. J., T. O. Crist, J. M. Chase, M. Vellend, B. D. Inouye, A. L. Freestone, N. J. Sanders, H. V. Cornell, L. S. Comita, K. F. Davies, S. P. Harrison, N. J. B. Kraft, J. C. Stegen & N. G. Swenson, 2011. Navigating the multiple meanings of β diversity: a roadmap for the practicing ecologist. Ecology Letters 14: 19–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Apostolidis, A. P., C. Triantaphyllidis, A. Kouvatsi & P. S. Economidis, 1997. Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation and phylogeography among Salmo trutta L. (Greek brown trout) populations. Molecular Ecology 6: 531–542.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Balian, E. V., C. Lévêque, H. Segers & K. Martens, 2008. The freshwater animal diversity assessment: an overview of the results. Hydrobiologia 595: 627–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bănărescu, P. M., 2004. Distribution pattern of the aquatic fauna of the Balkan Peninsula. In Griffiths, H. J., B. Kryštufek & J. M. Reed (eds), Balkan Biodiversity, Pattern and Process in the European Hotspot. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 203–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baselga, A., 2012. The relationship between species replacement, dissimilarity derived from nestedness, and nestedness. Global Ecology and Biogeography 21: 1223–1232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berrebi, P., C. Tougard, S. Dubois, Z. Shao, I. Koutseri, S. Petkovski & A. J. Crivelli, 2013. Genetic diversity and conservation of the Prespa trout in the Balkans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 14: 23454–23470.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bianco, P. G., 1990. Potential role of the paleohistory of the Mediterranean and Paratethys basins on the early dispersal of Euro-Mediterranean freshwater fishes. Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 1: 167–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianco, P. G., 2013. An update on the status of native and exotic freshwater fishes of Italy. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 30: 62–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohlen, J., A. Perdices, I. Doadrio & P. S. Economidis, 2006. Vicariance, colonisation, and fast local speciation in Asia Minor and the Balkans as revealed from the phylogeny of spined loaches (Osteichthyes; Cobitidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 552–561.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, T., 2010. Conservation planning and priorities. In Sodhi, N. S. & P. R. Ehrlich (eds), Conservation Biology for All. Oxford University Press, Oxford: 199–219.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Collen, B., F. Whitton, E. E. Dyer, J. E. M. Baillie, N. Cumberlidge, W. R. T. Darwall, C. Pollock, N. I. Richman, A.-M. Soulsby & M. Böhm, 2014. Global patterns of freshwater species diversity, threat and endemism. Global Ecology and Biogeography 23: 40–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, S. J. B., K. M. Ibrahim & G. M. Hewitt, 1995. Postglacial expansion and genome subdivision in the European grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus. Molecular Ecology 4: 49–60.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darwall, W. R. T., R. A. Holland, K. G. Smith, D. Allen, E. G. E. Brooks, V. Katarya, C. M. Pollock, Y. Shi, V. Clausnitzer, N. Cumberlidge, A. Cuttelod, K. B. Dijkstra, M. D. Diop, N. García, M. B. Seddon, P. H. Skelton, J. Snoeks, D. Tweddle & J. Vié, 2011. Implications of bias in conservation research and investment for freshwater species. Conservation Letters 4: 474–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Cáceres, M., P. Legendre, R. Valencia, M. Cao, L.-W. Chang, G. Chuyong, R. Condit, Z. Hao, C.-H. Hsieh, S. Hubbell, D. Kenfack, K. Ma, X. Mi, Md. N. Supardi Noor, A. R. Kassim, H. Ren, S.-H. Su, I.-F. Sun, D. Thomas, W. Ye & F. He, 2012. The variation of tree beta diversity across a global network of forest plots. Global Ecology and Biogeography 21: 1191–1202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Klerk, H. M., T. M. Crowe, J. Fjeldsa & N. D. Burgess, 2002. Biogeographical patterns of endemic terrestrial Afrotropical birds. Diversity and Distributions 8: 147–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeFaveri, J., L. N. Zanella, D. Zanella, M. Mrakovčić & J. Merilä, 2012. Phylogeography of isolated freshwater threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus populations in the Adriatic Sea basin. Journal of Fish Biology 80: 61–85.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delling, B., 2010. Diversity of western and southern Balkan trouts, with the description of a new species from the Louros River, Greece (Teleostei: Salmonidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 21: 331–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudgeon, D., A. H. Arthington, M. O. Gessner, Z. Kawabata, D. J. Knowler, C. Lévêque, R. J. Naiman, A. H. Prieur-Richard, D. Soto, M. L. Stiassny & C. A. Sullivan, 2006. Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 81: 163–182.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dufrêne, M. & P. Legendre, 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecological Monographs 67: 345–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durand, J. D., H. Persat & Y. Bouvet, 1999. Phylogeography and postglacial dispersion of the chub (Leuciscus cephalus) in Europe. Molecular Ecology 8: 989–997.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Durand, J. D., P. G. Bianco, J. Laroche & A. Gilles, 2003. Insight into the origin of endemic Mediterranean ichthyofauna: phylogeography of Chondrostoma genus (Teleostei, Cyprinidae). Journal of Heredity 94: 315–328.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Economidis, P. S. & P. M. Bănărescu, 1991. The distribution and origins of freshwater fishes in the Balkan Peninsula, especially in Greece. Internationale Revue Der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 76: 257–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Economou, A. N., S. Giakoumi, L. Vardakas, R. Barbieri, M. Stoumboudi & S. Zogaris, 2007. The freshwater ichthyofauna of Greece: an update based on a hydrographic basin survey. Mediterranean Marine Science 8: 91–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FishBase, 2013. World Wide Web electronic publication. Version 2013. Available at: http://www.fishbase.org.

  • Freyhof, J., 2012. Threatened freshwater fishes and mollusks of the Balkan. Potential impact of hydropower projects. Unpublished report, ECA Watch Austria & Euronatur, Berlin.

  • Fritz, U., D. Guicking, H. Kami, M. Arakelyan, M. Auer, D. Ayaz, D. Ayres Fernández, A. G. Bakiev, A. Celani, G. Džukić, S. Fahd, P. Havaš, U. Joger, V. F. Khabibullin, L. F. Mazanaeva, P. Šíroký, S. Tripepi, A. Valdeón Vélez, G. Velo Antón & M. Wink, 2007. Mitochondrial phylogeography of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis, Emys trinacris) – an update. Amphibia-Reptilia 28: 418–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frogley, M. R. & R. C. Preece, 2004. A faunistic review of the modern and fossil molluscan fauna from Lake Pamvotis, Ioannina, an ancient lake in NW Greece: implications for endemism in the Balkans. In Griffiths, H. J., B. Kryštufek & J. M. Reed (eds), Balkan Biodiversity, Pattern and Process in the European Hotspot. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 243–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaubert, P., G. Denys & T. Oberdorff, 2009. Genus-level supertree of Cyprinidae (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes), partitioned qualitative clade support and test of macro-evolutionary scenarios. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 84: 653–689.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez, A. & D. H. Lunt, 2007. Refugia within refugia: patterns of phylogeographic concordance in the Iberian Peninsula. In Weiss, S. & N. Ferrand (eds), Phylogeography of Southern European Refugia. Springer, Dordrecht: 155–188.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • González-Orozco, C. E., A. H. Thornhill, K. Knerr, S. Laffan & J. T. Miller, 2013. Biogeographical regions and phytogeography of the eucalypts. Diversity and Distributions 20: 46–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, D., 2006. Pattern and process in the ecological biogeography of European freshwater fishes. Journal of Animal Ecology 75: 734–751.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, D., C. McGonigle & R. Quinn, 2014. Climate and species richness patterns of freshwater fish in North America and Europe. Journal of Biogeography 41: 452–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groves, C. R., D. B. Jensen, L. L. Valutis, K. H. Redford, M. L. Shaffer, J. M. Scott, J. V. Baumgartner, J. V. Higgins, M. W. Beck & M. G. Anderson, 2002. Planning for biodiversity conservation: putting conservation science into practice. BioScience 52: 499–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hänfling, B., C. Dumpelmann, N. G. Bogutskaya, R. Brandl & M. Brändle, 2009. Shallow phylogeographic structuring of Vimba vimba across Europe suggests two distinct refugia during the last glaciation. Journal of Fish Biology 75: 2269–2286.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heino, J., 2011. A macroecological perspective of diversity patterns in the freshwater realm. Freshwater Biology 56: 1703–1722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermoso, V. & M. Clavero, 2011. Threatening processes and conservation management of endemic freshwater fish in the Mediterranean Basin: a review. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 244–254.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Himmerkus, F., T. Reischmann & D. K. Kostopoulos, 2006. Late Proterozoic and Silurian basement units within the Serbo-Macedonian Massif, northern Greece: the significance of terrane accretion in the Hellenides. In Robertson, A. H. F. & D. Mountrakis (eds), Tectonic Development of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Geological Society Publishing House, Bath: 35–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoagstrom, C. W. & C. R. Berry Jr, 2006. Island biogeography of native fish faunas among Great Plains drainage basins: basin scale features influence composition. American Fisheries Society Symposium 48: 221–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, R. A., W. R. T. Darwall & K. G. Smith, 2012. Conservation priorities for freshwater biodiversity: the key biodiversity area approach refined and tested for continental Africa. Biological Conservation 148: 167–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, B. G., J. P. Lessard, M. K. Borregaard, S. A. Fritz, M. B. Araújo, D. Dimitrov, P.-H. Fabre, C. H. Graham, G. R. Graves, K. A. Jønsson, D. Nogués-Bravo, Z. Wang, R. J. Whittaker, J. Fjeldså & C. Rahbek, 2013. An update of Wallace’s zoogeographic regions of the World. Science 339: 74–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hugueny, B., T. Oberdorff & P. A. Tedesco, 2010. Community ecology of river fishes: a large scale perspective. In Gido, K. B. & D. A. Jackson (eds), Community Ecology of Stream Fishes: Concepts, Approaches, and Techniques. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MA: 29–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN, 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org.

  • Jetz, W., C. Rahbek & R. K. Colwell, 2004. The coincidence of rarity and richness and the potential signature of history in centres of endemism. Ecology Letters 7: 1180–1191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, B., J. M. Deng, Y. Wu, L. Chen, J. Zhang, H. Qiu, Y. Lu & D. He, 2013. Mapping China’s freshwater fishes: diversity and biogeography. Fish and Fisheries. doi:10.1111/faf.12011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, L. A., S. P. Gardner & M. J. Sutcliffe, 1996. An automated approach for clustering an ensemble of NMR-derived protein structures into conformationally related subfamilies. Protein Engineering 9: 1063–1065.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kier, G., H. Kreft, T. M. Lee, W. Jetz, P. L. Ibisch, C. Nowicki, J. Mutke & W. Barthlott, 2009. A global assessment of endemism and species richness across island and mainland regions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106: 9322–9327.

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korniushin, A., 2004. The bivalve mollusc fauna and biogeography of lakes Ohrid and Prespa. In Griffiths, H. J., B. Kryštufek & J. M. Reed (eds), Balkan Biodiversity, Pattern and Process in the European Hotspot. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 230–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kottelat, M. & J. Freyhof, 2007. Handbook of European Freshwater Fishes. Publications Kottelat, Cornol.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreft, H. & W. Jetz, 2010. A framework for delineating biogeographical regions based on species distributions. Journal of Biogeography 37: 2029–2053.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kryštufek, B., 2004. A quantitative assessment of Balkan mammal diversity. In Griffiths, H. J., B. Kryštufek & J. M. Reed (eds), Balkan Biodiversity, Pattern and Process in the European Hotspot. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 19–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kryštufek, B. & J. M. Reed, 2004. Pattern and process in Balkan biodiversity – an overview. In Griffiths, H. J., B. Kryštufek & J. M. Reed (eds), Balkan Biodiversity, Pattern and Process in the European Hotspot. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht: 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kryštufek, B., E. Bužan, W. F. Hutchinson & B. Hänfling, 2007. Phylogeography of the rare Balkan endemic Martino’s vole, Dinaromys bogdanovi, reveals strong differentiation within the western Balkan Peninsula. Molecular Ecology 16: 1221–1232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamoreux, J. F., J. C. Morrison, T. H. Ricketts, D. M. Olson, E. Dinerstein, M. W. McKnight & H. H. Shugart, 2006. Global tests of biodiversity concordance and the importance of endemism. Nature 440: 212–214.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leprieur, F. & A. Oikonomou, 2014. The need for richness-independent measures of turnover when delineating biogeographical regions. Journal of Biogeography 41: 417–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leprieur, F., O. Beauchard, S. Blanchet, T. Oberdorff & S. Brosse, 2008a. Fish invasions in the world’s river systems: when natural processes are blurred by human activities. PLoS Biology 6: e28.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leprieur, F., O. Beauchard, B. Hugueny, G. Grenouillet & S. Brosse, 2008b. Null model of biotic homogenization: a test with the European freshwater fish fauna. Diversity and Distributions 14: 291–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leprieur, F., P. Tedesco, B. Hugueny, O. Beauchard, H. Dür, S. Brosse & T. Oberdorff, 2011. Partitioning global patterns of freshwater fish beta diversity reveals contrasting signatures of past climate changes. Ecology Letters 14: 325–334.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, A., I. Doadrio & V. C. Almada, 2009. Historical biogeography of European leuciscins (Cyprinidae): evaluating the Lago Mare dispersal hypothesis. Journal of Biogeography 36: 55–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Logez, M., D. Pont & M. Ferreira, 2010. Do Iberian and European fish faunas exhibit convergent functional structure along environmental gradients? Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29: 1310–1323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lomolino, M. V., 2004. Conservation biogeography. In Lomolino, M. V. & L. R. Heaney (eds), Frontiers of Biogeography: New Directions in the Geography of Nature. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA: 293–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maceda-Veiga, A., 2013. Towards the conservation of freshwater fish: Iberian Rivers as an example of threats and management practices. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 23: 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MEA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mérigot, B., J. P. Durbec & J. C. Gaertner, 2010. On goodness-of-fit measure for dendrogram-based analyses. Ecology 91: 1850–1859.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, N., R. A. Mittermeier, C. G. Mittermeier, G. A. B. da Fonseca & J. Kent, 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853–858.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oberdorff, T., S. Lek & J.-F. Guégan, 1999. Patterns of endemism in riverine fish of the Northern Hemisphere. Ecology Letters 2: 75–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olden, J. D., M. J. Kennard, F. Leprieur, P. A. Tedesco, K. O. Winemiller & E. García-Berthou, 2010. Conservation biogeography of freshwater fishes: recent progress and future challenges. Diversity and Distributions 16: 496–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parmakelis, A., I. Stathi, M. Chatzaki, S. Simaiakis, L. Spanos, C. Louis & M. Mylonas, 2006. Evolution of Mesobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) (Scorpiones, Buthidae) in the north-eastern Mediterranean region. Molecular Ecology 15: 2883–2894.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pavelić, D. & M. Belak, 2008. Dinarids in north Croatia and Bosnia. In McCann, T. (ed.), The Geology of Central Europe, Vol. 2., Mesosoicand Cenozoic Geological Society, London: 1102–1116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perdices, A. & I. Doadrio, 2001. The molecular systematics and biogeography of the European cobitids based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 19: 468–478.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perea, S., M. Böhme, P. Zupančič, J. Freyhof, R. Šanda, M. Özuluğ, A. Abdoli & I. Doadrio, 2010. Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical patterns in Circum-Mediterranean subfamily Leuciscinae (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) inferred from both mitochondrial and nuclear data. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10: 265.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perissoratis, C. & N. Conispoliatis, 2003. The impacts of sea-level changes during latest Pleistocene and Holocene times on the morphology of the Ionian and Aegean seas (SE Alpine Europe). Marine Geology 196: 145–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, F., 2006. Biodiversity of European Freshwater Fish – Threats and Conservation Priorities at the Catchment Scale. Department of Geography, Basel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pimm, S. L., 1999. Seeing both the woods and the trees. Nature 402: 853–854.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Platts, P. J., N. D. Burgess, R. E. Gereau, J. C. Lovett, A. R. Marshall, C. J. McClean, P. K. E. Pellikka, R. D. Swetnam & R. Marchant, 2011. Delimiting tropical mountain ecoregions for conservation. Environmental Conservation 38: 312–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poulakakis, N., P. Lymberakis, E. Valakos, E. Zouros & M. Mylonas, 2005. Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Podarcis species from the Balkan Peninsula, by Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 845–857.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Previšic, A., C. Walton, M. Kučinić, P. T. Mitrikeski & M. Kerovec, 2009. Pleistocene divergence of Dinaric Drusus endemics (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) in multiple microrefugia within the Balkan Peninsula. Molecular Ecology 18: 634–647.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qian, H., C. Badgley & D. L. Fox, 2009. The latitudinal gradient in beta diversity in relation to climate and topography for mammals in North America. Global Ecology and Biogeography 18: 111–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team, 2013. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Version 3.0.2. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. http://www.R-project.org/.

  • Radoman, P., 1985. Hydrobioidea, a superfamily of Prosobranchia (Gastropoda) II. Origin, zoogeography, evolution in the Balkans and Asia Minor. Monographs. Institute of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Belgrade.

  • Reidy Liermann, C., C. Nilsson, J. Robertson & R. Y. Ng, 2012. Implications of dam obstruction for global freshwater fish diversity. BioScience 62: 539–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reyjol, Y., B. Hugueny, D. Pont, P. G. Bianco, U. Beier, N. Caiola, F. Casals, I. Cowx, A. N. Economou, T. Ferreira, G. Haidvogl, R. Noble, A. De Sostoa, T. Vigneron & T. Virbickas, 2007. Patterns in species richness and endemism of European freshwater fish. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16: 65–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricketts, T. H., 2001. Aligning conservation goals: are patterns of species richness and endemism concordant at regional scales? Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 24: 91–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robalo, J., V. C. Almada, A. Levy & I. Doadrio, 2007. Re-examination and phylogeny of the genus Chondrostoma based on mitochondrial and nuclear data and the definition of 5 new genera. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 42: 362–372.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ruffo, S. & F. Stoch, 2006. Checklist and Distribution of the Italian Fauna. Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona. 2o Serie. http://faunaitalia.it/documents/CKmap_ITA.pdf. Accessed 26 Sep 2013.

  • Sanjur, O. I., J. A. Carmona & I. Doadrio, 2003. Evolutionary and biogeographical patterns within Iberian populations of the genus Squalius inferred from molecular data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29: 20–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schultheiß, R., C. Albrecht, U. Bößneck & T. Wilke, 2008. The neglected side of speciation in ancient lakes: phylogeography of an inconspicuous mollusc taxon in lakes Ohrid and Prespa. Hydrobiologia 615: 141–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skoulikidis, N., A. N. Economou, K. Gritzalis & S. Zogaris, 2009. Rivers of the Balkans. In Tockner, K., U. Uehlinger & C. C. T. Robinson (eds), Rivers of Europe. Academic Press, Elsevier, Amsterdam: 421–466.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Šlechtová, V., J. Bohlen, J. Freyhof, H. Persat & G. B. Delmastro, 2004. The Alps as a barrier to dispersal incold-adapted fishes? Phylogeographic history and taxonomic status of the bullhead in the Adriatic freshwater drainage. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 225–239.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. G. & W. R. T. Darwall, 2006. The status and distribution of freshwater fish endemic to the Mediterranean Basin. IUCN, Gland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommerwerk, N., T. Hein, M. Schneider-Jakoby, C. Baumgartner, A. Ostojić, M. Paunović, J. Bloesch, R. Siber & K. Tockner, 2009. The Danube river basin. In Tockner, K., U. Uehlinger & C. C. T. Robinson (eds), Rivers of Europe. Academic Press, Elsevier, Amsterdam: 59–112.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Spalding, M. D., H. E. Fox, G. R. Allen, N. Davidson, Z. A. Ferdaña, M. Finlayson, B. S. Halpern, M. A. Jorge, A. Lombana, S. A. Lourie, K. D. Martin, E. McManus, J. Molnar, Ch A Recchia & J. Robertson, 2007. Marine ecoregions of the world: a bioregionalization of coast and shelf areas. BioScience 57: 573–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Surina, B., P. Schönswetter & G. M. Schneeweiss, 2011. Quaternary range dynamics of ecologically contrasting species (Edraianthus serpyllifolius and E. tenuifolius, Campanulaceae) within the Balkan refugium. Journal of Biogeography 38: 1381–1393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tedesco, P. A., F. Leprieur, B. Hugueny, S. Brosse, H. H. Dürr, O. Beauchard, F. Busson & T. Oberdorff, 2012. Patterns and processes of global freshwater fish endemism. Global Ecology and Biogeography 21: 977–987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tisseuil, C., J. F. Cornu, O. Beauchard, S. Brosse, W. Darwall, R. Holland, B. Hugueny, P. A. Tedesco & T. Oberdorff, 2013. Global diversity patterns and cross-taxa convergence in freshwater systems. Journal of Animal Ecology 82: 365–376.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsoumani, M., A. P. Apostolidis & I. D. Leonardos, 2013. Biogeography of Rutilus species of the southern Balkan Peninsula as inferred by multivariate analysis of morphological data. Journal of Zoology 289: 204–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanhove, M. P. M., A. N. Economou, S. Zogaris, M. H. D. Larmuseau, S. Giakoumi, E. Kalogianni, F. A. M. Volckaert & T. Huyse, 2012. Phylogenetics and biogeography of the Balkan ‘sand gobies’ (Teleostei: Gobiidae): vulnerable species in need of taxonomic revision. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 105: 73–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wagner, B., H. Vogel, G. Zanchetta & R. Sulpizio, 2010. Environmental change within the Balkan region during the past ca. 50 ka recorded in the sediments from lakes Prespa and Ohrid. Biogeosciences 7: 3187–3198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, R. J., M. B. Araújo, P. Jepson, R. Ladle, J. E. Watson & K. J. Willis, 2005. Conservation biogeography: assessment and prospect. Diversity and Distribution 11: 3–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilke, T., R. Schultheiß, C. Albrecht, N. Bornmann, S. Trajanovski & T. Kevrekidis, 2010. Native Dreissena freshwater mussels in the Balkans: in and out of ancient lakes. Biogeosciences 7: 3051–3061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zardoya, R. & I. Doadrio, 1999. Molecular evidence on the evolutionary and biogeographical patterns of European Cyprinids. Journal of Molecular Evolution 49: 227–237.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zogaris, S., A. N. Economou & P. Dimopoulos, 2009. Ecoregions in the southern Balkans: should their boundaries be revised? Environmental Management 43: 682–697.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Alkiviades Economou provided insightful points which improved the manuscript. We are grateful to Milorad Mrakovčić, Marko Ćaleta and Zoran Marčić for the thoughtful comments and providing data on the distribution of Croatian freshwater fishes. We especially thank Simo Georgiev, Predrag Simonović, Avdo Sofradžija, Avdul Adrović, Trajce Talevski, Tomislav Treer, Apostolos Apostolou, Pero Tutman, Lachezar Pehlivanov, Mirjana Lenhardt, Argyris Sapounidis and Tihomir Stefanov for granting us access to scientific papers, books and reviews.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Zoology, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, University Campus of Ioannina, 45110, Ioannina, Greece

    Anthi Oikonomou & Ioannis D. Leonardos

  2. Laboratoire Ecologie des Systèmes Marins Côtiers UMR 5119, CNRS, IRD, IFREMER, UM2, UM1, cc 093, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Fabien Leprieur

Authors
  1. Anthi Oikonomou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fabien Leprieur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ioannis D. Leonardos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Anthi Oikonomou or Ioannis D. Leonardos.

Additional information

Handling editor: Luz Boyero

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Oikonomou, A., Leprieur, F. & Leonardos, I.D. Biogeography of freshwater fishes of the Balkan Peninsula. Hydrobiologia 738, 205–220 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1930-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1930-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation