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Rheophilic
Small body length
Long incubation
Borealic uplands
Fenno-Scandian
Caspic depression
The Caucasus
Central plains
Western plains
Italy
Iberic-M. region
Hellenic Western Balkan
BU
F-S
CD
Cau
CP
WP
Italy
I-M
HWB
BU
F-S
CD
Cau
CP
WP
Italy
I-M
HWB
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
Lithopilic
Early maturity
Large egg diameter
Borealic uplands
Fenno-Scandian
Caspic depression
The Caucasus
Central plains
Western plains
Italy
Iberic-M. region
Hellenic Western Balkan
BU
F-S
CD
Cau
CP
WP
Italy
I-M
HWB
BU
F-S
CD
Cau
CP
WP
Italy
I-M
HWB
0 1020304050
0 0 0 0 050
0 0 0 0 050
Benthivorous
Egg hiders
Borealic uplands
Fenno-Scandian
Caspic depression
The Caucasus
Central plains
Western plains
Italy
Iberic-M. region
Hellenic Western Balkan
BU
F-S
CD
Cau
CP
WP
Italy
I-M
HWB
0 0 0
30
40
50
0
46
48
50
Figure 5.2
Share of fish species in selected European ecoregions according to Illies
(1978). Data based on 306 fish species.
and the Atlas of Biosphere (SAGE 2002) and were thus available at the river basin
scale. Climate data (temperature and precipitation) were related to fish trait
modalities using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs). Among the 62 most
common trait modalities, 44 and 48 responded significantly (
p
< 0.05) to mean
annual temperature and precipitation, respectively (Fig. 5.3). For instance, with an
increasing temperature, there is an increase in the proportion of benthivorous
species but a decrease in the proportion of species laying large eggs and having long
incubation periods. With an increase in precipitation, more rheophilic species are
observed and these species mature early, few of them exhibiting parental care. Only
5 of the 62 modalities tested were not influenced by at least one of the two climatic
variables. These relationships explain the differences in fish trait composition
observed between ecoregions and suggest that Northern and Southern European
fish species will not be affected equally by future climate change.
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