Terrestrial isopods were studied in the Dubravica peat bog and surrounding forest in the northwestern Croatia. Sampling was conducted using pitfall traps over a two year period. Studied peat bog has ...a history of drastically decrease in area during the last five decades mainly due to the process of natural succession and changes in the water level. A total of 389 isopod individuals belonging to 8 species were captured. Species richness did not significantly differ between bog, edge and surrounding forest. High species richness at the bog is most likely the result of progressive vegetation succession, small size of the bog and interspecific relationships, such as predation. With spreading of Molinia grass on the peat bog, upper layers of Sphagnum mosses become less humid and probably more suitable for forest species that slowly colonise bog area. The highest diversity was found at the edge mainly due to the edge effect and seasonal immigration, but also possibly due to high abundance and predator pressure of the Myrmica ants and lycosid spiders at the bog site. The most abundant species were Trachelipus rathkii and Protracheoniscus politus, in the bog area and in the forest, respectively. Bog specific species were not recorded and the majority of the species collected belong to the group of tyrphoneutral species. However, Hyloniscus adonis could be considered as a tyrphoxenous species regarding its habitat preferences. Most of collected isopod species are widespread eurytopic species that usually inhabit various habitats and therefore indicate negative successive changes or degradation processes in the peat bog.
The vascular flora of Krka National Park recorded after its proclamation in 1985 is presented and analysed. In total, 1509 plant taxa within 582 genera and 132 families were recorded. The most ...represented families are Compositae, Poaceae and Fabaceae, while the dominant chorotypes are south-European and Eurasian. Life-form analysis demonstrated that vascular flora of NP Krka lies between the typical Mediterraneanand the central European spectrum, confirming the sub-Mediterranean phytogeographical position of this area. The analyses of medians of ecological indicator values for light, air temperature and soil moisture showed the domination of species typical for open, warm and dry habitats.
Prikazana je i analizirana vaskularna flora Nacionalnog parka Krka zabilježena nakon njegova osnivanja 1985. godine. Ukupno je zabilježeno 1509 svojti unutar 582 roda i 132 porodice. Najbrojnije porodice su Compositae, Poaceae i Fabaceae, a najčešći florni elementi južnoeuropski i auroazijski. Analizom spektra životnih oblika utvrđeno je da se flora NP Krka nalazi između tipično sredozemnog i srednjoeuropskog spektra što potvrđuje submediteranski fitogeografski položaj Parka. Analizom medijana ekološkihindikatorskih vrijednosti za svjetlo, temperaturu zraka i vlagu tla utvrđeno je da prevladaju vrste otvorenih, toplijih i sušnih staništa.
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•The hybridogenous nature of S. × todaroi along the Croatian coast was studied.•Chromosome count and morphology analysis were performed.•The results support the parenthood of S. ...lingua and S. parviflora.•The hybrid is of intermediate features, but floristically more similar to S. lingua.•Base of the labellum, plant height and flower size are most relevant for identification.
The aim of the study was to confirm the hybridogenous status of several populations of putative Serapias × todaroi along the eastern Adriatic coast, and identify the most useful morphological traits for recognizing the hybrid in the wild. We have performed a karyological study, and compared the morphology of the hybrids with the assumed parental species S. lingua and S. parviflora. The intermediate features of the studied populations, particularly chromosome number and shape of the base of the labellum, strongly support its hybridogenous origin. Although morphometric analysis found certain traits of the hybrid to be intermediate with respect to the parental species, in general the hybrid plants closely resembled S. lingua. The flowers of the hybrid were mostly influenced by S. lingua, while the vegetative traits were mostly influenced by S. parviflora. To distinguish the hybrid in the field successfully, most attention should be paid to the shape of the base of the labellum and plant height, while flower size (particularly of labellum) can also be useful to some extent.
•The terrestrial isopod community in the fen was impoverished due to the high water table, which suppressed colonization from adjacent habitats.•The exception was Ligidium germanicum, which ...maintained stable populations in the fen.•Successional changes promoted higher isopod activity density due to the lower water table and higher vegetation complexity compared to the fen.•Preservation of hydrological conditions in the fen is essential for suppressing colonization of forest and generalist species.
Peatlands in the Western Balkans are becoming rapidly reduced due to vegetation succession, further enhanced by climate change and abandonment of traditional land management practices. Currently, the peatlands of this region act as habitat islands embedded mainly in a forest landscape matrix. This allows them to host more forest and generalist species of animals and plants than would be expected from such ecosystem. We were interested in testing if a taxon, unspecialized for such extreme habitats, can maintain stable populations in a peatland, and how environmental fluctuations affect its spatio-temporal distributions along a successional gradient. Terrestrial isopods were sampled in four habitat types: a fen, two successional habitats and a beech forest, with pitfall traps during two consecutive years. In total, 1069 individuals belonging to five species were recorded. Activity density increased more than four-fold along the successional gradient, from the fen to an older and more complex successional habitat. This pattern was governed by an increase in the structural complexity of the habitat, where succession habitats supported more favourable shelter sites for terrestrial isopods. Soil moisture decreased over 30% along the successional gradient. Additionally, the older successional habitat was more nutrient rich than the fen, providing higher substrate quality for decomposers and enabling the survival of forest species. The fen was inhabited by a single species, Ligidium germanicum, while other species were extremely rare. Its seasonal activity started in the spring, reaching the maximum in June and decreasing at the end of summer. Spatial changes in isopod assemblages along the successional gradient imply that the groundwater level in the fen was sufficiently high to supress the invasion of forest species into the fen. Colonisation of the fen by terrestrial isopods will likely progress as environmental conditions become more suitable by progressive vegetation succession and climate change.
is the only member of the genus in the Croatian flora. Most available data are more than 50 years old, and include only four localities in Croatia, exclusively in the islands of the Mediterranean ...region. During a floristic survey of the island of Molat (Northern Dalmatia) we recorded a small population in Zapuntelsko polje, in a damp, shallow depression, seasonally occurring as a temporary pond. Comparison with the existing literature shows that
often occurs in Mediterranean temporary ponds and similar globally important and threatened habitats. We strongly believe that careful studies of populations of
and other species with similar ecologies are necessary in order to preserve these habitats and therefore propose actions to achieve this goal.
The morphometric analyses and genetic variability assessed by RAPD markers have been used to analyse relations among six
Serapias
taxa from Croatia (
S. istriaca, S. pulae
originally described as ...hybrid,
S. ionica, S. vomeracea, S. lingua
and
S. cordigera
).
S. istriaca
distributed in southern Istria and the island of Lošinj and
S. pulae
stenoendemic taxon distributed only in southern Istria
S. ionica
is endemic to the Ionian and Dalmatian islands, while the remaining taxa are more widely distributed. The obtained results shows that the endemic
S. istriaca
is a well characterised taxon, that
S. pulae
is a hybrid between
S. istriaca
and
S. lingua
and that the hybrid is morphologically and genetically more similar to
S. lingua
than the second parental species
S. istriaca
. The division into the subsections
Steno-, Medio-
and
Platypetalae
is founded based on the floral morphology while the division into the sections
Serapias
and
Bilamellaria
is not evident in the quantitative morphological and genetic analyses. Furthermore, considerable genetic resemblance between
S. vomeracea
and
S. ionica
was established.
Following a change in 1997 of the boundaries of Krka National Park, comprehensive floristic field mapping of the new, North-East area of the park using basic MTB 1/64 field units was conducted during ...2007 and 2008. In total, 507 plant taxa were recorded, including 92 new taxa for the park flora. The complete vascular flora of the park now consists of 1080 plant taxa, but new taxa are still expected to be discovered.
The morphometric analyses and genetic variability assessed by RAPD markers have been used to analyse relations among six Serapias taxa from Croatia (S. istriaca, S. pulae originally described as ...hybrid, S. ionica, S. vomeracea, S. lingua and S. cordigera). S. istriaca distributed in southern Istria and the island of Lošinj and S. pulae stenoendemic taxon distributed only in southern Istria S. ionica is endemic to the Ionian and Dalmatian islands, while the remaining taxa are more widely distributed. The obtained results shows that the endemic S. istriaca is a well characterised taxon, that S. pulae is a hybrid between S. istriaca and S. lingua and that the hybrid is morphologically and genetically more similar to S. lingua than the second parental species S. istriaca. The division into the subsections Steno-, Medio- and Platypetalae is founded based on the floral morphology while the division into the sections Serapias and Bilamellaria is not evident in the quantitative morphological and genetic analyses. Furthermore, considerable genetic resemblance between S. vomeracea and S. ionica was established.
Prikazana je i analizirana vaskularna flora Nacionalnog parka Krka zabilježena nakon njegova osnivanja 1985. godine. Ukupno je zabilježeno 1509 svojti unutar 582 roda i 132 porodice. Najbrojnije ...porodice su Compositae, Poaceae i Fabaceae, a najčešći florni elementi južnoeuropski i auroazijski. Analizom spektra životnih oblika utvrđeno je da se flora NP Krka nalazi između tipično sredozemnog i srednjoeuropskog spektra što potvrđuje submediteranski fitogeografski položaj Parka. Analizom medijana ekoloških indikatorskih vrijednosti za svjetlo, temperaturu zraka i vlagu tla utvrđeno je da prevladaju vrste otvorenih, toplijih i sušnih staništa.
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