Extinction risk of Turkish freshwater fishes with spatial and taxonomic conservation priorities

YOĞURTÇUOĞLU B., EKMEKÇİ F. G., AKSU S., BAYÇELEBİ E., Gaygusuz O., Gunduz F., ...Daha Fazla

ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09397140.2026.2737883
  • Dergi Adı: ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Environment Index, Geobase, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Freshwater fishes are the most species-rich vertebrate group, comprising about half of all fish species, and one of the most threatened, with 26% of assessed species at risk of extinction globally, but national-scale syntheses for biodiversity-rich arid regions like T & uuml;rkiye remain scarce. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of T & uuml;rkiye's freshwater fish conservation status, integrating IUCN Red List assessments for 359 of the 367 native species, in 30 families. Results show that 39% of assessed species are threatened, well above the 26% global figure for freshwater fishes. For endemic species the risk rises to 58%, and six species are already extinct. Extinction risk is concentrated in specific families, including Aphaniidae, Gobionidae, Oxudercidae, and Cobitidae, which share vulnerabilities as habitat specialists with restricted ranges. Water abstraction is the primary stressor, often co-occurring with climate change, pollution, and natural system modifications. Spatial analysis reveals a mismatch between total native richness (highest in Black Sea and Tigris-Euphrates drainages) and threatened-species richness (concentrated in the SW-Anatolian Lakes Region, lower Orontes, and Central Anatolia). Consequently, species richness alone is an unreliable guide to where threatened species are concentrated. These findings support a catchment-centered approach focusing on environmental flow protection and abstraction management to protect T & uuml;rkiye's globally significant freshwater fish biodiversity.