Impacts of climate warming on the long-term dynamics of key fish species in 24 European lakes

• Published in: Hydrobiologia
• Main Authors: Jeppesen, Erik, Mehner, Thomas, Winfield, Ian J., Kangur, Kuelli, Sarvala, Jouko, Gerdeaux, Daniel, Rask, Martti, Malmquist, Hilmar J., Holmgren, Kerstin, Volta, Pietro, Romo, Susana, Eckmann, Reiner, Sandström, Alfred, Blanco, Saul, Kangur, Andu, Stabo, Henrik Ragnarsson, Tarvainen, Marjo, Ventela, Anne-Mari, Sondergaard, Martin, Lauridsen, Torben L., Meerhoff, Mariana
• Other Authors: Dept Biosci, Aarhus University Aarhus, Leibniz Inst Freshwater Ecol & Inland Fisheries, Dept Biol & Ecol Fishes, Partenaires INRAE, Ctr Ecol & Hydrol, Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU), University of Turku, Centre Alpin de Recherche sur les Réseaux Trophiques et Ecosystèmes Limniques (CARRTEL), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry ), Finnish Game & Fisheries Res Inst, Evo Fisheries Res Stn, Nat Hist Museum Kopavogur, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Universitat de València (UV), University of Konstanz, Pyhajarvi Inst, Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Universidad de la República Montevideo (UDELAR), EU FP-7 Theme 6 projects WISER 226273, REFRESH 244121, 'CLEAR' (a Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence project); CIRCE; Research Council for Nature and Universe 272-08-0406, STF project CRES; Greenland Climate Research Centre; Estonian target funding project SF 0170006s08, German Research Foundation (DFG) Me 1686/5-1, Me 1686/5-2, Me 1686/5-3, CIPAIS (International Commission for the protection of Italian-Swiss waters); CISPP (Italian-Swiss Commission for the Fishery)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: Climate change; Fish assemblages; Functional traits; Long-term data series; CHARR SALVELINUS-ALPINUS; WHITEFISH COREGONUS-LAVARETUS; FRESH-WATER FISH; DISSOLVED ORGANIC-CARBON; LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS; PIKE ESOX-LUCIUS; PROLIFERATIVE KIDNEY-DISEASE; SHALLOW MEDITERRANEAN LAKE; ROACH RUTILUS-RUTILUS; Europe; PERCH PERCA-FLUVIATILIS; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Arctic; Southern Lake; Arctic charr; Esox lucius; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02651788; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1182-1

International audience Fish play a key role in the trophic dynamics of lakes. With climate warming, complex changes in fish assemblage structure may be expected owing to direct effects of temperature and indirect effects operating through eutrophication, water level changes, stratification and salinisation. We reviewed published and new long-term (10-100 years) fish data series from 24 European lakes (area: 0.04-5,648 km(2); mean depth: 1-177 m; a north-south gradient from Sweden to Spain). Along with an annual temperature increase of about 0.15-0.3A degrees C per decade profound changes have occurred in either fish assemblage composition, body size and/or age structure during recent decades and a shift towards higher dominance of eurythermal species. These shifts have occurred despite a reduction in nutrient loading in many of the lakes that should have benefited the larger-sized individuals and the fish species typically inhabiting cold-water, low-nutrient lakes. The cold-stenothermic Arctic charr has been particularly affected and its abundance has decreased in the majority of the lakes where its presence was recorded. The harvest of cool-stenothermal brown trout has decreased substantially in two southern lakes. Vendace, whitefish and smelt show a different response depending on lake depth and latitude. Perch has apparently been stimulated in the north, with stronger year classes in warm years, but its abundance has declined in the southern Lake Maggiore, Italy. Where introduced, roach seems to take advantage of the higher temperature after years of low population densities. Eurythermal species such as common bream, pike-perch and/or shad are apparently on the increase in several of the lakes. The response of fish to the warming has been surprisingly strong and fast in recent decades, making them ideal sentinels for detecting and documenting climate-induced modifications of freshwater ecosystems.