Dinaric karst intermittent rivers harbour some rare mayflies (Insecta, Ephemeroptera)

While investigating the aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna of four intermittent Dinaric karst rivers in Croatia, we confirmed or recorded new distribution data and ecological features for several mayfly species rare in Croatian freshwater habitats: Nigrobaetis niger (Linnaeus, 1761), Procloeon pennulatum (Eaton, 1870) and Paraleptophlebia werneri Ulmer, 1920. To our knowledge, this is the first record of N. niger in intermittent lotic habitats. We discuss their substrate preferences in the studied habitats as well as their relationships with measured physico-chemical water parameters. The newly obtained results confirm that our knowledge about Croatian mayfly fauna and species ecological requirements in intermittent Mediterranean rivers is still incomplete and is increasing with systematic studies.

Morphological and molecular characterisation of the Popijač’s Yellow Sally, Isoperla popijaci sp. nov., a new stenoendemic stonefly species from Croatia (Plecoptera, Perlodidae)

A new species of the Yellow Sally genus (Isoperla Banks, 1906) is described, based on morphological (males and females adults, larval and egg) and molecular (the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI)) features. Popijač’s Yellow Sally, I. popijaci Hlebec & Sivec, sp. nov. inhabits two karstic sources of the Krasulja rivulet in Croatia. Male and female of the new species are characterised by colouration patterns of the head and pronotum; the dimensions of the female subgenital plate; the medial penial armature and oval-shaped egg without collar and anchor. The larvae differ from their congeners by the uniquely coloured head and pronotum. Based on morphological characteristics I. popijacisp. nov. belongs to the I. tripartita species group. Phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships were reconstructed using three methods of phylogenetic inference and three species delimitation methods. As I. popijacisp. nov. occurs at a narrow area of the Krasulja rivulet in Krbava field, the study puts emphasis on the conservation and hotspot importance of the temporary rivers in the Dinaric karst. Furthermore, the study accentuates the necessity for further research on the genetic diversity of Plecoptera in Croatia.

Rudogorites simonei gen. nov. and sp. nov. from Central Bosnia (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Cholevinae: Leptodirini)

Dinaric karst in Western Balkans is especially biodiverse in cave beetle fauna. Despite the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina being a relatively well-studied region, new species are still discovered and described regularly, even in recent times. Discoveries of new genera are, however, rare. Based on recently collected beetle specimens in the cave Lijina Pećina near the town of Kreševo in the region of Bosansko Rudogorje in Central Bosnia, a new troglobiotic leptodirine genus Rudogorites gen. nov. and a single new species R. simonei sp. nov. are described. The region of Bosansko Rudogorje consists mainly of non-carbonate rocks, sandstones and polymetallic ore. In the area, there is a patch of isolated karst where a new endemic subterranean fauna has been found. An updated key to the Leptodirini genera of the Apholeuonus phyletic group is provided.

Isolation and endemism in subterranean aquatic snails: unexpected case of Montenegrospeum bogici (Pešić et Glöer, 2012) (Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea: Hydrobiidae)

The subterranean aquatic snails may serve as a model of endemism and isolation vs. migration in subterranean habitats. The aim of the present paper is to verify the hypothesis that subterranean aquatic snails can migrate through diverse subterranean habitats, applying four molecular markers as well as a RAPD technique and shell morphometry. They were used to estimate the differences and gene flow between populations of the hydrobiid subterranean aquatic species Montenegrospeum bogici, collected in the Dinaric karst region. Three molecularly distinct taxonomic units were distinguished. The mOTU B was found at single locality, mOTU C at two, but the mOTU A at ten localities, scattered along 236 km distance, at two of them in sympatry with either mOTU B or C. Within mOTU A, the estimated levels of the gene flow were high. The pairwise measures of genetic differentiation were statistically significantly associated with geographic distances between the populations. In general, neither the infinite-island model of interpopulation differentiation, expected for isolated populations, nor the stepping-stone one, but rather the isolation-by-distance model explained the observed pattern. Our results suggest that interstitial habitats provide ways of migration for the stygobiont M. bogici, as has been already suggested for other subterranean gastropods.

APPLICATION OF 14C METHOD TO CHRONOLOGY OF THE CROATIAN DINARIC KARST—A CASE OF THE PLITVICE LAKES

ABSTRACT Karst environments preserve some of the best archives of past climate, vegetation, hydrology, anthropogenic impact, and landscape evolution providing that a reliable chronology can be established. Here we present an example of the system of the Plitvice Lakes (Dinaric karst, Croatia), which is characterized by intensive tufa and lake sediment formations. The radiocarbon dating method, combined with some other dating methods and various geochemical and isotope analyses, showed that the Plitvice Lakes system in the present form has existed for about 8000 years. Older tufa deposits were dated to warm interglacial periods. A long-term comprehensive multi-proxy study showed that all environmental compartments (atmosphere, various water bodies, soil, bedrock, DIC, terrestrial and aquatic biota, and of course various secondary carbonates) must be included in order to obtain trustworthy results.

Terenski pregled krške zaravni na području Jasenica i Obrovca

The paper presents a study conducted by applying the method of archaeological field surveying. The survey was conducted on the Dinara mountain karst of the Jasenice and Obrovac areas. It defines the formation processes and the archaeological potential of the surveyed area. In addition, it discusses the applied methodology and its suitability for karst relief. It further presents the main characteristics of archaeological sources on karst terrain and categorises them by taking into account the material features and processes of Dinaric karst. The empirical data collected during the surveying are presented in chronological order.

Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) Method—A Novel GIS-Based Method for Deep Karst Aquifers

Karst aquifers in the Dinaric karst are very rich with groundwater and are a very important resource for public water supply. The characteristics of the Dinaric karst are the lack, or very thin layer, of covering deposits, large amounts of precipitations, high groundwater velocities, very deep groundwater flow with a lot of faults and fault zones, pits to groundwater, concentrated sinking and large karst springs, making them extremely vulnerable to all anthropogenic influences, which are very quickly transmitted to the aquifer. Numerous multiparameter methods have been developed in the last 20 years to determine the level of vulnerability of aquifers. Each of them has its own specifics and is well adapted to the climate and region for which it was developed. The Karst Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (KAVA) method was developed in accordance with all the characteristics of the deep karst aquifers of the Dinaric karst and tested on several basins in the area. It was developed as a part of the Global Environment Facility United Nations Environmental Programme – the Mediterranean Action Plan Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (GEF UNEP/MAP MedPartnership Project). This paper presents the KAVA method and its application to two characteristic karst basins of the Dinaric karst: the Novljanska Žrnovnica spring catchment area and the Bakar Bay catchment area.

Duvalius (Neoduvalius) lohaji n. sp., a new remarkable subterranean taxon of the isotopic Trechini lineage from Dinaric karst, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae)

A morphologically distinguished and isolated cavernicolous trechine beetle belonging to the isotopic Duvalius lineage was discovered in Dinarids, Western Bosnia, in hypogean environment, in the cave Mračna Pećina. Duvalius (Neoduvalius) lohaji n. sp., is described, illustrated and compared with the other Duvalius species of the Dinaric range, especially with Neoduvalius taxa. In addition, taxonomical considerations about Duvalius-related genera that exhibit aphaenopsian morphology are given.

Water Regulation Ecosystem Services Following Gap Formation in Fir-Beech Forests in the Dinaric Karst

This paper investigates how variation in forest structural characteristics affects the water retention capacity of gaps and forests in fir-beech forests in the Dinaric Karst. Forests are identified as a key element of the landscape for provision of pristine water resources, particularly in highly vulnerable karst aquifers characterized by rapid infiltration of recharge water, high subsurface permeability, and heterogeneous underground flow. Indicators of hydrologic fluxes (drainage flux, canopy interception, transpiration, and soil evaporation) in a large experimental gap (approximately 0.2 ha in size) and those in a nearby old-growth gap were compared over a 13-year period using the Brook90 hydrological model and their structural characteristics were analyzed. In addition, the hydrologic fluxes were also simulated for a managed forest and an old-growth forest for reference. Water regulation capacity was lowest in the experimental gap, where drainage flux accounted for 81% of precipitation and the sum of canopy interception, transpiration, and soil evaporation (evapotranspiration) accounted for 18%. This was followed by the old-growth gap, where drainage flux accounted for 78% of precipitation and evapotranspiration for 23%. Water retention capacity was highest and generally similar for both forests, where 71–72% of annual precipitation drained to the subsurface. The results of this study suggest that the creation of large canopy gaps in fir-beech forests in the Dinaric Karst results in significant and long-lasting reduction in soil and vegetation water retention capacity due to unfavorable conditions for successful natural tree regeneration. For optimal provision of water regulation ecosystem services of forests in the Dinaric Karst, small, irregularly shaped canopy gaps no larger than tree height should be created, mimicking the structural characteristics of naturally occurring gaps in old-growth forests.