Diversity

15 pages, 3175 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dragonfly Functional Diversity in Dinaric Karst Tufa-Depositing Lotic Habitats in a Biodiversity Hotspot

by Marina Vilenica, Vlatka Mičetić Stanković and Mladen Kučinić

Diversity 2024, 16(10), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16100645 - 17 Oct 2024

Functional diversity is a key component of biodiversity that reflects various dimensions of ecosystem functioning and the roles organisms play within communities and ecosystems. It is widely used to understand how ecological processes influence biotic assemblages. With an aim to increase our knowledge [...] Read more.

Functional diversity is a key component of biodiversity that reflects various dimensions of ecosystem functioning and the roles organisms play within communities and ecosystems. It is widely used to understand how ecological processes influence biotic assemblages. With an aim to increase our knowledge about dragonfly ecological requirements in tufa-depositing karst habitats, we assessed functional diversity of their assemblages, various life history traits (e.g., stream zonation preference, substrate preference, reproduction type), and relationship between functional diversity and physico-chemical water properties in three types of karst lotic habitats (springs, streams, and tufa barriers) in a biodiversity hotspot in the western Balkan Peninsula. Dragonfly functional diversity was mainly characterized by traits typical for lotic rheophile species with medium dispersal capacity. Among the investigated habitats, tufa barriers, characterized by higher (micro)habitat heterogeneity, higher water velocity, as well as lower conductivity and concentration of nitrates, can be considered as dragonfly functional diversity hotspots. Functional diversity and most of the life history traits were comparable among different substrate types in the studied habitats, indicating higher importance of habitat type in shaping dragonfly functional diversity patterns in karst lotic habitats. Our results should be considered in the management and conservation activities of vulnerable karst freshwater ecosystems and their dragonfly assemblages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Freshwater Biodiversity)

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Figure 1

Figure 1
Photo examples of study sites included in the study: springs: (a) Bijela rijeka spring, (b) Crna rijeka spring; streams (and small mountainous rivers): (c) Bijela rijeka middle reaches, (d) Crna rijeka middle reaches, (e) Crna rijeka lower reaches, (f) Plitvica, (g) Korana; tufa barriers: (h) Labudovac, (i) Kozjak–Milanovac, (j) Novakovića Brod. Full article ">Figure 2
Environmental variables at three Dinaric karst lotic habitat types in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean annual values with standard deviation, SD): (a) nitrate concentration, (b) pH, (c) oxygen saturation, (d) water velocity, (e) conductivity, and (f) alkalinity. Significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by different letters (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 3
Environmental variables at three Dinaric karst lotic habitat types in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean annual values with standard deviation, SD): (a) water temperature, (b) oxygen concentration, and (c) ammonia concentration. Non-significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by the letter a (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p > 0.05). Full article ">Figure 4
Dragonfly functional diversity (RaoQ index) at three Dinaric karst lotic habitat types in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean with standard deviation, SD). Significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by different letters (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p < 0.05). Full article ">Figure 5
Dragonfly functional traits at three Dinaric karst lotic habitat types in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean with standard deviation, SD): (a) body shape, (b) dispersal capacity, (c) stream zonation preference, (d) lateral connectivity preference, (e) current preference, (f) substrate type preference, and (g) reproduction type. Significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by different letters (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p < 0.05). Legend: DC = dispersal capacity; EUC = eucrenal, HYC = hypocrenal, ERH = epirhithral, MRH = metarhithral, HRH = hyporhithral, EPO = epipotamal, MPO = metapotamal, HPO = hypopotamal, LITT = littoral; EUP = eupotamon, PRP = parapotamon, PLP = plesiopotamon, PAP = palaeopotamon, TMP = temporary water bodies; LIP = limnophil, LRP = limno- to rheophil, RLP = rheo- to limnophil, RPH = rheophil; ARG = argyllal, PEL = pelal, PSA = psammal, AKA = akal, LITH = lithal, PHY = phytal, POM = particulate organic matter; ETS = eggs laid attached to substrate, EIS = eggs laid in substrate, SUB = eggs laid not attached to or in substrate, OWA = eggs laid in open water, IPL = eggs laid inside plant tissue, OPL = eggs laid onto plant material, IRS = eggs laid into submerged soil or onto submerged rock. Full article ">Figure 6
Redundancy analysis (RDA) ordination biplot showing the relationship between dragonfly functional traits and six significant environmental variables in Dinaric karst lotic habitats in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia. Abbreviations of the functional (life history) traits are in <a href="#diversity-16-00645-f004" class="html-fig">Figure 4</a>. Full article ">Figure 7
Dragonfly functional diversity (RaoQ index) at four main substrate types in three Dinaric karst lotic habitats in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean with standard deviation, SD) Non-significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by the letter a (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p > 0.05). Full article ">Figure 8
Dragonfly functional traits at four main substrate types in three Dinaric karst lotic habitats in the Plitvice Lakes NP, Croatia (shown as mean with standard deviation, SD): (a) body shape, (b) dispersal capacity, (c) stream zonation preference, (d) lateral connectivity preference, (e) current preference, (f) substrate type preference, and (g) reproduction type. Significant differences among the habitat types are indicated by different letters (Kruskal–Wallis H test with multiple comparisons post hoc test, p < 0.05). Abbreviations of the functional (life history) traits are in <a href="#diversity-16-00645-f005" class="html-fig">Figure 5</a>. Full article ">

12 pages, 1029 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variation in the Biomass of Phragmites australis Across Community Types in the Aquatic Habitats of the Middle Volga Valley

by Vladimir Papchenkov and Hana Čížková

Diversity 2024, 16(10), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16100644 - 17 Oct 2024

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