LARGE FRESHWATER
BRANCHIOPODS IN AUSTRIA: DIVERSITY, THREATS AND CONSERVATIONAL STATUS
Reprinted
from "Modern approaches to the study of Crustacea" with
kind permission by Kluwer
Academic Publishers
Erich Eder &
Walter Hödl
Abstract
For
the first time, Anostraca, Notostraca and Conchostraca (Laevicaudata,
Spinicaudata) will be listed in the Austrian Red Data Book of Endangered
Species. According to the 1999 IUCN draft criteria, eight out of 15
large branchiopod species recorded between 1994 and 1999 are considered
as critically endangered, three of which (Chirocephalus shadini,
Eoleptestheria ticinensis, Streptocephalus torvicornis) occur
at only one site each. Five species are considered as endangered,
two of them (Branchinecta orientalis, Triops cancriformis)
showing a statistically significant decrease of sites. Eubranchipus
grubii and Lepidurus apus, both found abundantly mainly
in the flood plains along the rivers Thaya and Morava, are near threatened.
Lynceus brachyurus is extinct in Austria. Large branchiopods
are mainly threatened by agricultural activities and hydrological/hydrochemical
changes. Presently, three Austrian locations are protected exclusively
on the basis of large branchiopod occurrence; three additional habitats
are in the process of obtaining official protection. Several large
populations are situated in the WWF nature reserve “March-Auen”, and
in the National Parks “Donau-Auen” and “Neusiedler See - Seewinkel”,
respectively. Pannonian, and southern European distribution overlap
in Austria due to its specific geographic position (Eder et al. 1997).
Sixteen large branchiopod species belonging to 14 genera have been
reported from Austria (Vornatscher 1968, Löffler 1993). Large branchiopods
are considered to be endangered throughout Europe (Alonso 1985, Brendonck
1989, Mura 1993, Petrov and Petrov 1997, Defaye et al. 1998, Maier
1998). The primary threats are comparable to those threatening aquatic
insects (Polhemus 1993). Physical destruction due to agricultural
development, changes of hydrologic conditions and urbanisation play
a major role (Rieder 1989, Löffler 1993, Hödl and Eder 1996a). “Invertebrates
traditionally attract very little conservation funding in relation
to vertebrates, although they may play more subtle and significant
ecological roles and monitor environmental change better” (New 1993).
Large branchiopods have proven to attract public interest as “primeval
shrimps” (Hödl and Eder 1996a) as well as due to their extreme ecology,
and thus may help to propagate the relevance of invertebrates for
conservation biology (Eder and Hödl 1996a). Recent public discussion
on the biodiversity crisis and public awareness
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