Abstract
Species distribution and assemblage structuring are influenced by a combination of species dispersal mode and the dispersal routes used. Habitat connectivity is particularly important for passively dispersing taxa such as freshwater molluscs. In addition, current anthropogenic eutrophication affects the structure of assemblages by reducing native fauna and promoting the spread of generalist species. Here, we examined mollusc assemblages in two systems of small lakes differing in hydrological connectivity. The assemblages of 22 isolated lakes in Albania were mainly controlled by the distance between the lakes with a lower contribution of environmental conditions and lake area. In contrast, assemblages of 52 interconnected lakes in Czechia were driven primarily by environmental conditions. However, as lake trophic status increased, the assemblages in Czechia became more homogeneous in species composition as high trophic status filtered out all species except generalists. These assemblages from 33 eutrophic lakes were strongly determined by environmental variables, whereas the remaining assemblages from 19 low trophic lakes were structured by a combination of spatial and environmental variables. We conclude that hydrological connectivity between lakes is crucial for the distribution of molluscs, but eutrophication may influence the importance of individual mechanisms structuring mollusc assemblages.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available on request from the corresponding author.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Mikaela Mahilaj from Albanian Society for Protection of Birds & Mammals, and Sajmir Bequiraj and Xhoia Mujali from the University of Tirana for supporting the fieldwork in Albania and providing facilities at the university. Our thanks go to Petr Dvořák, Jana Petruželová, Libor Bláha, Vojtěch Kaska, Klára Dojczarová, Nicole Schicková, Jan Balák and Klára Němečková for their help in the field in Czechia. We are also thankful to Martina Poláková for the help with spatial statistics.
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This research was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GA20-17305S).
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EŠ and MH: conceived and designed the study. EŠ, JB, JS and EM: developed methodology. EŠ: conducted fieldwork and performed statistical analyses. EŠ and EM: prepared the data. EŠ and MH: wrote the manuscript; all other authors provided editorial advice. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Šlachtová, E., Bojková, J., Maršálková, E. et al. Lake trophic status and hydrological connectivity modify mechanisms underlying mollusc assemblage structuring. Hydrobiologia 850, 793–806 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05125-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05125-y