European bullhead, two of the most abundant species in the Seine River basin at
present, but which could be extirpated from most rivers by the end of the century. In
the Seine basin, the impact of global warming on cold water species seems even
more severe given that the homogeneity of environmental conditions and the
prevailing low elevations limit the potential refuge areas. In this context, chalk
rivers, because their waters remain naturally cold in summer, could provide important refuge areas, especially since they are numerous in the basin. Conversely, many
warm water species, such as barbel (Barbus barbus) and chub (Squalius cephalus),
could benefit from warming of running waters to extend their distribution.
Over the whole basin, global warming is also expected to result in a decrease in
river discharge, especially during summer, and a lowering of aquifer levels (locally
quite high, >10 m), which may consequently multiply the frequency of drying
periods in headwater streams [54]. This decrease in water resources in rivers and
aquifers should logically induce a concentration of pollutants and therefore a
degradation of the water quality available to biota. It is expected that these modified
environmental conditions will have adverse impacts on river fish communities,
especially on rheophilic and/or oxyphilic species.
The current global warming and its consequences on the hydrology, temperature
and water quality of rivers will undoubtedly lead to deep changes in the composition
of fish communities in the Seine River basin over the coming decades. While
the broad outlines of these changes can already be sketched out, their details are
still largely ignored, particularly because of the complexity of the interactions
characterising river ecosystem functioning and the multiple uncertainties on the
magnitude of future climate change and its implications for human activities.
Acknowledgements This work is a contribution to the PIREN Seine research program
(www.piren-seine.fr), which belongs to the Zone Atelier Seine, a site of the international
Long Term Socio Ecological Research (LTSER) network. This work was partly funded by
the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB).
References
1. Petts GE (1989) Historical analysis of fluvial hydrosystems. In: Petts GE (ed) Historical change
of large alluvial rivers: Western Europe. Wiley, Chichester, pp 1–18
2. Magnuson JJ (1990) Long-term ecological research and the invisible present. Bioscience
40(7):495–501
3. Wolter C (2015) Historic catches, abundance, and decline of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the
River Elbe. Aquat Sci 77(3):367–380
4. Haidvogl G, Lajus D, Pont D et al (2014) Typology of historical sources and the reconstruction
of long-term historical changes of riverine fish: a case study of the Austrian Danube and
northern Russian rivers. EcolFreshwat Fish 23(4):498–515
5. Azimi S, Rocher V (2016) Influence of the water quality improvement on fish population in the
Seine River (Paris, France) over the 1990À2013 period. Sci Total Environ 542:955–964
6. Poulet N, Beaulaton L, Dembski S (2011) Time trends in fish populations in metropolitan
France: insights from national monitoring data. J Fish Biol 79(6):1436–1452
Changes in Fish Communities of the Seine Basin over a Long-Term Perspective
319
present, but which could be extirpated from most rivers by the end of the century. In
the Seine basin, the impact of global warming on cold water species seems even
more severe given that the homogeneity of environmental conditions and the
prevailing low elevations limit the potential refuge areas. In this context, chalk
rivers, because their waters remain naturally cold in summer, could provide important refuge areas, especially since they are numerous in the basin. Conversely, many
warm water species, such as barbel (Barbus barbus) and chub (Squalius cephalus),
could benefit from warming of running waters to extend their distribution.
Over the whole basin, global warming is also expected to result in a decrease in
river discharge, especially during summer, and a lowering of aquifer levels (locally
quite high, >10 m), which may consequently multiply the frequency of drying
periods in headwater streams [54]. This decrease in water resources in rivers and
aquifers should logically induce a concentration of pollutants and therefore a
degradation of the water quality available to biota. It is expected that these modified
environmental conditions will have adverse impacts on river fish communities,
especially on rheophilic and/or oxyphilic species.
The current global warming and its consequences on the hydrology, temperature
and water quality of rivers will undoubtedly lead to deep changes in the composition
of fish communities in the Seine River basin over the coming decades. While
the broad outlines of these changes can already be sketched out, their details are
still largely ignored, particularly because of the complexity of the interactions
characterising river ecosystem functioning and the multiple uncertainties on the
magnitude of future climate change and its implications for human activities.
Acknowledgements This work is a contribution to the PIREN Seine research program
(www.piren-seine.fr), which belongs to the Zone Atelier Seine, a site of the international
Long Term Socio Ecological Research (LTSER) network. This work was partly funded by
the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB).
References
1. Petts GE (1989) Historical analysis of fluvial hydrosystems. In: Petts GE (ed) Historical change
of large alluvial rivers: Western Europe. Wiley, Chichester, pp 1–18
2. Magnuson JJ (1990) Long-term ecological research and the invisible present. Bioscience
40(7):495–501
3. Wolter C (2015) Historic catches, abundance, and decline of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in the
River Elbe. Aquat Sci 77(3):367–380
4. Haidvogl G, Lajus D, Pont D et al (2014) Typology of historical sources and the reconstruction
of long-term historical changes of riverine fish: a case study of the Austrian Danube and
northern Russian rivers. EcolFreshwat Fish 23(4):498–515
5. Azimi S, Rocher V (2016) Influence of the water quality improvement on fish population in the
Seine River (Paris, France) over the 1990À2013 period. Sci Total Environ 542:955–964
6. Poulet N, Beaulaton L, Dembski S (2011) Time trends in fish populations in metropolitan
France: insights from national monitoring data. J Fish Biol 79(6):1436–1452
Changes in Fish Communities of the Seine Basin over a Long-Term Perspective
319