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Objavljeni brojevi Issue number: Natura Croatica, Vol. 33 No.1

Diversity of freshwater Bryozoa in a Danube floodplain area (Kopački Rit Nature Park, Croatia)

Authors: Ivana Turković Čakalić, Dubravka Čerba, Barbara Vlaičević, Matej Šag

Authors and affiliation

  • Ivana Turković Čakalić Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
  • Dubravka Čerba Water Research Institute, Division of Applied Ecology, Department of Environmental Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems, Nábr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 5, 81249 Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Barbara Vlaičević Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
  • Matej Šag Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia

Abstract

After a four-year-long investigation, we present the finding of five bryozoan species in a eutrophic lake, situated in a natural floodplain of the Danube. Of the species found, three belong to the family Plumatellidae (Plumatella emarginata, P. fungosa and P. repens), one to the family Paludicellidae (Paludicella articulata), and one to the family Cristatellidae (Cristatella mucedo). Only C. mucedo was identified based on floatoblast appearance, while the identification of other species was based on colony fragments and dormant bodies. Scanning electron microscopy was applied to show the fine morphological structure of dormant bodies. In the present research, which covered a relatively small area, we discovered almost half of the bryozoan species listed for Croatia. Our results present the great diversity of Bryozoa in a floodplain system, indicating that water bodies such as Lake Sakadaš constitute a suitable habitat for bryozoan development, due to the favourable environmental conditions and the large amount and diversity of firm substrates in the water.

Keywords

bryozoans, biodiversity, statoblasts, wetland

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