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Fish communities of the upper Danube River (Germany, Austria) prior to the new Rhein-Main-Donau connection

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A study of fish communities in the upper Danube was carried out at 19 localities in 1976 and 1984, yielding 24 samples with over 23 000 specimens. Forty-two species — 8 of them new for this part of the Danube — and 6 cyprinid hybrids were identified. Two distinct regions, above and below Ulm, were recognized for the upper Danube on the basis of both abiotic (distance from source, elevation, river gradient) and biotic (species richness, species distribution) characters of the localities. Nine species were distributed over most of the upper Danube, while 10 and 23 species were limited mostly to the upriver and downriver sections, respectively. A factor analysis of ecomorphological attributes for 28 dominant species revealed a generalist-specialist pattern among their swimming behavior and feeding modes. The proportions of swimming and feeding specialists differed significantly between the upriver and downriver communities. Potential species for invasion into the North Sea system, when the Rhein-Main-Donau canal opens, were identified, and the danger of a reverse invasion by both sea lamprey and eel into the Black Sea system is explained. Although an experience with other large ship canals - Erie. Welland and Suezseems to indicate that serious changes may be delayed for about half a century, these changes are predicted and warned against.

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  1. Department of Zoology, University of Guelpk, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Eugene K. Balon, Stephen S. Crawford & Anton Lelek

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  1. Eugene K. Balon
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  2. Stephen S. Crawford
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Balon, E.K., Crawford, S.S. & Lelek, A. Fish communities of the upper Danube River (Germany, Austria) prior to the new Rhein-Main-Donau connection. Environ Biol Fish 15, 243–271 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03549796

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