Original scientific paper
Communities in the Mediterranean karst River the Cetina and its tributary the Ruda, Croatia
Ivan Vučković
; Hrvatske vode, Central Water Management Laboratory, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Božak
; Varićakova 14, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Ivković
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mirjana Jelenčić
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mladen Kerovec
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Aleksandar Popijač
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ana Previšić
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Siniša Širac
; Hrvatske vode, Central Water Management Laboratory, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivona Zrinski
; Croatian Environment Agency, Inland Water and Marine Unit, Ksaver 208, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mladen Kučinić
; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Benthic invertebrate communities of the Cetina River and the upper reach of the Ruda River were sampled monthly at 11 sites from August 2004 to August 2005. The sampling sites were located along the longitudinal gradient of the Cetina and in the upper reach of the Cetina's largest tributary, the Ruda River. Throughout the study, a total of 310225 animals were collected in 366 samples. In the upper and middle reaches the most numerous taxa were Amphipoda and Gastropoda, while the most numerous taxon in the lower reaches was Gastropoda. The highest and the lowest population density of benthic invertebrates were recorded at the sites Preočki Most in June 2005 (22728 individuals/m2) and Radmanove Mlinice in November 2004 (90 individuals/m2), respectively. At sites Trilj I and Trilj II, the most numerous taxa were Oligochaeta and Chironomidae, indicators of watercourses with higher organic loads. The composition of benthic invertebrate communities at sites along the entire course of Cetina does not reflect the situation expected under natural conditions due to flow regulation and construction of hydroelectric power plants and reservoirs.
Keywords
physico-chemical parameters; macroinvertebrate community structure; Mediterranean karst river; regulated river
Hrčak ID:
38473
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2009.
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