Karst landscapes are characterized by intermittent and sinking streams. The most common method used to study underground hydrological connections in karst is tracing tests. However, a more biologically oriented approach has been suggested: analysis of the genetic structure of aquatic organisms. Biological tracers can be sought among trogloxenes, that is, surface species that occasionally enter caves and groundwater. One such example is the fish genus , which exhibits high genetic diversity and complex phylogeography in the Balkan Peninsula. In the north-western Dinaric Karst, the complex hydrological network was digitalized in 2020. Contemporaneously, populations in the Slovenian Dinaric Karst were intensively sampled and analysed for fragments of two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene. The derived phylogeographic structure and data on hydrological connections were compared to evaluate support for three alternative scenarios: The genetic structure (1) is a consequence of the ongoing geneflow through underground connections, (2) reflects a previous hydrological network or (3) is an outcome of anthropogenic translocations. The results suggest that the first two scenarios seem to have played a major role, while the third has not had profound effects on the genetic composition. Comparison between the genetic structure of Slovenian Dinaric Karst sampling sites and that of hydrologically isolated reference sampling sites indicated a greater genetic connectivity in the former. Moreover, the range of Adriatic (1a) and Black Sea (1c) haplotypes does not correspond to the Adriatic-Black Sea basin divide but is shifted northwards.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eco.2449 | DOI Listing |
Microb Ecol
January 2025
Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC), C/ Moyano 1, 28014, Madrid, Spain.
Ecol Evol
December 2024
First Zoological Department Vienna Museum of Natural History Vienna Austria.
The Dinaric Karst extends along the Adriatic coast of the Western Balkan Peninsula and is home to a group of "karst minnows" of the genera , , and , which have adapted to the highly variable water conditions in the karst by spending up to several months underground, but require surface habitats for spawning, defining them as substygophiles. The three species of the genus , , , and , are defined by restricted ranges, making them vulnerable to pollution and extended draughts caused by the climate change. In this study, the phylogeny of Leusciscinae was reconstructed using 15 and one , one , and one complete mitochondrial genomes and the position of the genus within the subfamily as sister species to the clade was confirmed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
August 2024
Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
March 2024
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, Zagreb, Croatia.
Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is routinely used as a rapid and cost-effective method for pathogen identification in clinical settings. In comparison, its performance in other microbiological fields, such as environmental microbiology, is still being tested, although isolates of environmental microbes are essential for in-depth in vivo studies of their biology, including biotechnological applications. We investigated the applicability of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of bacterial isolates from a highly oligotrophic environment - Dinaric Karst caves, which likely harbor specific microorganisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
December 2023
PMF - Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) are a vast group of often (very)persistent, (very)mobile and toxic (PMT/vPvM) substances that are continuously released worldwide, posing environmental and human health risks. Research on occurrence and behavior of EOCs in karst is in its infancy, thus policy measures and legislative control of these compounds in groundwater are still lacking. The Dinaric karst aquifers are an essential source of drinking water for almost half of Croatia's territory.
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