engleski

Dry riverbed colonisation by terrestrial and semiaquatic invertebrates (TSAI)

Intermittent rivers seasonally cease to flow and run dry. They are among the least studied freshwater ecosystems with most of the previous research focusing on the functional importance of aquatic organisms. The main driver of ecological processes in these habitats is flow intermittence [1] that creates a habitat mosaic of lotic, lentic, and terrestrial phases. The alternation and duration of phases strongly affects the variability of terrestrial and semiaquatic invertebrate (TSAI) communities, which are characterized by nestedness and species turnover [1, 2]. TSAI communities were often overlooked in previous research despite being highly abundant and represented by numerous taxonomic groups in intermittent rivers [3]. These taxa are physiologically and morphologically adapted to drying events, they inhibit riparian habitats during the lotic phase and dry riverbed during the terrestrial phase, where they process organic matter or feed on residue aquatic material [3]. This research aimed to provide novel insights into invertebrate dispersal patterns in the dry riverbed. The research was conducted on the Krčić River, an intermittent river in Dinaric karst, beneath the Dinara Mountain. TSAI communities were sampled in two focal habitat types: riparian and dry riverbed, using crossvane window traps that were emptied every 12 hours. Wind velocity and directionality were measured continuously during the sampling period. Data collected by the loggers were analyzed to test for differences in wind velocity (m/s) and directionality (azimuth degrees) between the habitats and sampling intervals (day vs. night). TSAI samples were sorted to higher taxonomic levels (order or family). Preliminary results show that TSAI colonize the dry riverbed from adjacent riparian habitats. Moreover, we observed different activity and colonization patterns among flying invertebrate taxa. The colonization process was impacted by the measured environmental variables.

TSAI ; intermittent rivers

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