Educatio biologiae, No. 7., 2021.
Stručni rad
https://doi.org/10.32633/eb.7.9
Invasive invertebrates in Croatian freshwater ecosystems as a teaching context
Anita Tarandek
orcid.org/0000-0001-7362-0049
; Biološki odsjek, Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Inland waters and their biodiversity represent an extremely valuable natural resource and play an important role in the economy, culture, aesthetics, science and education. They are home to many organisms, but inland waters (freshwater ecosystems) are considered to be among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. The anthropogenic impact greatly contributes to the endangerment of freshwater ecosystems. Biological invasions are one of the main causes of the rapid decline in biodiversity and have been on the rise in recent decades. An invasive species is a species introduced into a new area outside its natural range, where it manages to reproduce and spread and causes significant ecological and/or economic damage. The topic of invasive species has become more interesting in the last few decades. In preventing future introductions of alien species, it is important to focus on education within the academic community and among the local population, through which details on the consequences of the introduction of alien species, which may negatively affect the biodiversity of Croatia, would be presented. In this paper, the North American species decapod crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus – signal crayfish and Procambarus viriginalis - marble crayfish are presented as an example of invasive invertebrates in Croatian freshwater ecosystems. Since decapod crayfish are generalists (given their dietary preferences), they play a key role in aquatic habitat by transferring energy within the food web between aquatic and terrestrial food webs, using a variety of food sources and serving as prey for many vertebrates, from fish to mammals. In Croatia, the signal crayfish was first recorded in 2008 in the Mura River, while the marble crayfish was first recorded in Lake Šoderica in 2014. The topic covered in this paper can fit into the concepts taught in the subjects Nature and Biology, where the organisms presented in this paper can be used as an example to achieve numerous learning outcomes. One of these outcomes is a comparison of the success of adaptations of organisms on the examples of indigenous, non-indigenous and invasive alien species. Achieving this learning outcome also raises awareness among teachers and students about the negative impact of invasive invertebrate species on biodiversity, human health and the economy, and about the right course of action in the case of invasive species management.
Ključne riječi
freshwater ecosystems; invasive invertebrates; signal crayfish; marble crayfish; example for the realization of educational outcomes
Hrčak ID:
281161
URI
Datum izdavanja:
27.12.2021.
Posjeta: 665 *