-Karstic springs are important habitats for maintaining freshwater biodiversity. However, little is known about Odonata larvae assemblages in karstic springs, and studies about the ecological factors that determine species distribution in these habitats are still lacking. In this study the composition of Odonata larvae communities from 91 springs located in the central part of Montenegro was investigated. The richest fauna was found in sublacustrine springs, followed by limnocrenes, while that of the rheocrenes was less rich. The results obtained confirm the main research hypothesis that Odonata larvae assemblages in the karstic springs in the central part of Montenegro were comparably influenced by the environmental parameters acting on the level of individual springs as well as the factors acting at the landscape level. Odonata larvae assemblages divided springs into four groups. On the other hand, the springs could be divided into three groups based on habitat and landscape characteristics. CCA indicates that disturbance factors such as the permanence and directness of human influence on springs for use as drinking water sources are foremost in determining Odonata assemblages at the level of individual springs. The habitat scale considered several factors that influence Odonate assemblages, including altitude and riparian vegetation. This study proves that further odonatological studies in springs should include both types of factors and their interactions.Keywords: Odonata / Montenegro / springs / crenobiology / diversity Résumé -Patterns écologiques des assemblages d'Odonates dans les sources karstiques du centre du Monténégro. Les sources karstiques sont des habitats importants pour le maintien de la biodiversité des eaux douces. Cependant, on sait peu de choses sur les assemblages de larves d'odonates dans les sources karstiques et des études sur les facteurs écologiques qui déterminent la répartition des espèces dans ces habitats font toujours défaut. Dans cette étude, la composition des communautés de larves d'odonates de 91 sources situées dans la partie centrale du Monténégro a été étudiée. La faune la plus riche a été trouvée dans les sources sublacustres, suivies par les limnocrènes, tandis que celle des rhéocrènes était moins riche. Les résultats obtenus confirment la principale hypothèse de recherche selon laquelle les assemblages de larves d'odonates dans les sources karstiques dans la partie centrale du Monténégro étaient influencés par les paramètres environnementaux agissant au niveau de chaque source ainsi que par les facteurs agissant au niveau du paysage. Les assemblages de larves d'odonates ont séparé les sources en quatre groupes. Par ailleurs, les sources pourraient être divisées en trois groupes en fonction des caractéristiques de l'habitat et du paysage. La CCA indique que des facteurs de perturbation tels que la permanence et l'influence humaine directe sur les sources utilisés comme sources d'eau potable sont essentiels pour déterminer les assemblages d'odonates au niveau de...
The aim of this study was to reveal faunistic and diversity patterns and to assess the effects of environmental factors on the differentiation of leech communities. This study covers investigations of 82 karst springs in Montenegro from 2009–2017. The communities were analyzed in respect to five wellspring types – caves, sublacustrine, limnocrene, rheo-limnocrene and rheocrene. The percentage of substrate types and aquatic vegetation cover was recorded alongside water parameters. In total, 18 leech species were identified, of which two were recently described as new species for science (Dina minuoculata Grosser, Moritz and Pešić, 2007 and Glossiphonia balcanica Grosser and Pešić, 2016). K-means clustering was used to classify leech assemblages into three homogenous groups. The patterns of leech communities and the components of both alpha and beta diversity were examined in identified groups of assemblages. The significance of environmental factors and the impact of selected factors were assessed through forward selection analysis, CCA and RDA. Our results indicate that the type of spring and the environmental variables, as well as the combination of biotic and abiotic factors in a microhabitat dictate the distribution of leeches.
Two new leech species (Hirudinida) representing the families Glossiphoniidae (Glossiphonia balcanica n. sp.) and Erpobdellidae (Dina prokletijaca n. sp.) are described. The populations from Montenegro assigned by Utevsky et al. (2013) and Grosser et al. (2015) to Glossiphonia nebulosa Kalbe, 1964 represent an new species, here described as G. balcanica n. sp. The new species can be easily be separated from Glossiphonia nebulosa by the reduction of the papillae. Dina prokletijaca n. sp. closely resembles D. dinarica Sket, 1968 and D. montana Sket, 1968 from which can be distinguished in the combination of the small and stocky body, dorsal surface with two wide and dark paramedian longitudinal stripes and ovisacs reaching the fourth somite after the female genital pore, and curled in their entire course. A key to the species of Glossiphonia Johnson, 1816 and Dina R. Blanchard, 1892 from the Western Balkans is presented.
The composition of water bug communities from 32 springs located in the central part of Montenegro was investigated. Twenty five species were identified, including 13 reported as new to Montenegro. The most common species were
Chironomidae are known to occur in small, even astatic water bodies like seepages, rheocrens, pools and wells. The Balkan Peninsula reveals a high variability of small water bodies, with springs (rheocrens, limnocrens and helocrens) being the most widely distributed. In this review, we give a brief presentation of the Chironomidae communities in valley and mountain small water bodies, and in Lake Skadar (Shkodra) spring system. River valleys offer a large variety of small freshwater habitats. Their presence strongly increases of midge (Chironomidae) diversity, providing a habitat for the cold-stenotherms and semiterrestrial taxa that do not occur in rivers and lakes. The species richness in small water bodies strongly depends on their hydrological conditions (i.e. perennial vs. astatic water bodies), size and microhabitat complexity. Mountain spring communities depend on precipitation and exhibit altitudinal zonation. The higher mountain zones (1400–1500 m a.s.l.) have the most diverse midge assemblages, due to their stable perennial hydrological conditions. Human activity may alter species composition in riparian springs, favouring taxa that are not typical to the local fauna. By studying these small aquatic habitats, the significance of their Chironomidae fauna is being recognised, thereby filling a gap in the knowledge of freshwater insects biodiversity in the Balkan region.
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