Distribution of brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) (Teleostei: Salmonidae) in its southwesternmost European limit: possible causes

Abstract

Abstract: Andalusian brown trout populations represent the southwestern limit of this species in Europe, show a high genetic diversity, are subjected to extreme habitat conditions and environmental alterations, and are very sensitive to extinction. However, there is a lack of scientific studies on them. A necessary first step to preserve them is to describe their spatial distribution. We detected the species in eastern Andalusia along almost 710 km of rivers, finding 38 populations inhabiting streams and reservoirs in the upper reaches of three basins (Guadalquivir, Segura and South) in an altitude range between 200 and 2200 m above sea level. Populations are constrained by natural causes in their upper limits, and by anthropogenic causes in their lower limits (mainly related to water management). Currently, the populations are very isolated in protected areas (62% of their distribution) or downstream of those areas (32%), and a range displacement towards higher altitudes compared with their distribution in the nineteenth century is observed.