engleski

Invasive species in the floodplain waters of Kopački Rit Nature Park

Floodplains are characterized by high biodiversity which is threatened mostly due to the increasing anthropogenic impacts (e.g. eutrophication, global warming). One of the threats is the appearance of invasive species which have a considerable influence on the autochthonous flora and fauna. In the last few years, appearance of four invasive species in Kopački Rit was reported. Potentially toxic tropical cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Woloszynska) Seenayya et Subba Raju has been reported in Lake Sakadaš. It formed blooms during the summer months and reached its highest biomass in 2003 (91.41 mg/l). Invasive diatom Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngb.) M. Schmidt was detected in the phytoplankton of the Danube River (1388 r. km) during the extreme floods in 2006. Although formerly described as oligotrophic species preferring alpine freshwater habitats, it seems to be spreading, throughout European mesotrophic and euthrophic rivers. The other two invaders are Limnomysis benedeni (Czerniavsky, 1882) (Crustacea), recorded in 2004 within phytophylous communities in Lake Sakadaš, and Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) (Bivalvia), found in phytophylous communities, sediment and covering natural and artificial substrates in the floodplain waters. D. polymorpha develops in large numbers and is a successful filter-feeding competitor. Spreading of invasive species in the area of Kopački Rit could have a negative impact on the preservation of its biodiversity.

Invasive species; floodplain; biodiversity

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