engleski

Mayflies in karst springs: species composition and relation to environmental factors

Due to the high level of biodiversity, including high number of endemic and rare organisms, springs were recognized as unique habitats of high conservation value. Moreover, they represent an important source of drinking water. Nevertheless, the ecological data related to these habitats and their assemblages are still rather scarce. As mayflies are no exception, we studied composition and abundance of their assemblages in 13 springs in the area of the Dinaric karst in Croatia. All major microhabitats at four different seasons were sampled using the Surber sampler. With 24 recorded species (30 % of Croatian mayfly fauna), this study represents an important contribution to our knowledge of mayflies in karst springs. Moreover, one species of Rhithrogena from the group hybrida was for the first time recorded in Croatia. The future steps will include the species identification. In NMDS analysis, perennial and temporary springs generally separated based on their mayfly assemblages. Moreover, temporary springs had lower species richness compared to perennial ones. Mayflies are widely used as bioindicators of freshwater habitats' quality, and our study showed that they can be used as such also in spring habitats. Although springs are generally not mayfly biodiversity hotspots, their fauna showed to be very interesting and should be investigated in more detail. Influence of physical and chemical water properties on recorded mayfly species will also be analysed.

Ephemeroptera, karst, assemblages, new records

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