Defensive mechanisms of butterflies

Leptiri i moljci pripadaju velikom redu kukaca Lepidoptera čije članove karakteriziraju dva para velikih krila prekrivenih ljuskama koja su izvor nevjerojatne raznolikosti oblika, boja i uzoraka te potpuna preobrazba koja označava životni ciklus od 4 stadija: jajašce, gusjenica, kukuljica i imago. U svakom stadiju izloženi su zakonu opstanka prema kojem preživljavaju jači te su kao posljedicu dugotrajne interakcije s predatorom razvili različite prilagodbe i mehanizme obrane. U ovom radu obrađeni su mehanizmi koji doprinose većim šansama za preživljavanje i opstanak vrste. Postoji iznimna raznovrsnost obrambenih mehanizama: kamuflaža, maskiranje, isprekidana obojenost, transparentnost krila, aposematizam, mimikrija, kemijska obrana.Butterflies and moths belong to the large order of insects Lepidoptera, whose members are characterized by two pairs of large wings covered with scales which are the source of incredible variety of shapes, colors and patterns and a complete metamorphosis that marks the life cycle of four stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa and imago. At each stage they are exposed to the law of "survival of the fittest" so as a result of long-term interactions with predators they have developed various adaptations and defense mechanisms. This paper addresses the mechanisms that contribute to greater chances of survival and the existence of the species. There is a great variety of defensive mechanisms: camouflage, disguise, disruptive coloration, transparent wings, aposematism, mimicry, chemical defense

Gap analysis revealed a moderate efficiency of protected areas for the conservation of the endangered noble crayfish in Croatia

The noble crayfish is a native European freshwater species, endangered due to the strong anthropogenic influence on its habitats, climate change, and invasive crayfish species. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of nationally designated protected areas and the pan-European Natura 2000 network in representing and maintaining over time the noble crayfish diversity using a comprehensive species occurrence dataset. Overall, our gap analysis indicated moderate efficiency of the existing protected areas in covering the noble crayfish diversity. Overlapping the distribution map of the noble crayfish with the map of protected areas revealed that protected areas encompass 50% of recorded populations. This study can serve as an evaluation of the protected areas in conservation of this key freshwater crayfish species

Molecular phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis of populations of Holandriana holandrii (C. Pfeiffer, 1828) (Mollusca: Gastropoda) in Croatia

Slatkovodna vrsta puža Holandriana holandrii (Pfeiffer, 1828) široko je rasprostranjena na području jugoistočne Europe. Spada u porodicu Melanopsidae koja je vrstama i brojnošću dominirala Panonskim jezerom tijekom kasnog miocena i pliocena. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ustanoviti filogenetske i filogeografske odnose populacija ove vrste na temelju analize dva genska biljega, mitohondrijskih gena za COI i 16S rRNA. Filogenetski odnosi rekonstruirani su upotrebom različitih filogenetičkih metoda za svaku gensku regiju zasebno, kao i na konkateniranim setovima sekvenci. Molekularno-filogenetičke analize ustanovile su postojanje tri geografski i genetski odijeljene grupe i dvije podgrupe. Dobivene vrijednosti genetske udaljenosti unutar i između grupa ukazuju na relativno mlade evolucijske linije koje su se razdvojile tijekom pleistocena.Holandriana holandrii (Pfeiffer, 1828) is a freshwater snail, widespread in south-eastern Europe. It belongs to the family Melanopsidae which dominated the Lake Pannon by the number of species and their abundance during the late Miocene and Pliocene. The aim of this research was to determine phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of populations of this species based on the analysis of two genetic markers, mitochondrial genes COI and 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using different phylogenetic methods for each gene region individually as well as for concatenated sets of sequences. Molecular phylogenetic analyses established the existance of three geographically and genetically separated groups and two subgroups. The obtained values of genetic divergence between and within the groups indicate relatively young evolutionary lines which have separated during the Pleistocene

Defensive mechanisms of butterflies

Leptiri i moljci pripadaju velikom redu kukaca Lepidoptera čije članove karakteriziraju dva para velikih krila prekrivenih ljuskama koja su izvor nevjerojatne raznolikosti oblika, boja i uzoraka te potpuna preobrazba koja označava životni ciklus od 4 stadija: jajašce, gusjenica, kukuljica i imago. U svakom stadiju izloženi su zakonu opstanka prema kojem preživljavaju jači te su kao posljedicu dugotrajne interakcije s predatorom razvili različite prilagodbe i mehanizme obrane. U ovom radu obrađeni su mehanizmi koji doprinose većim šansama za preživljavanje i opstanak vrste. Postoji iznimna raznovrsnost obrambenih mehanizama: kamuflaža, maskiranje, isprekidana obojenost, transparentnost krila, aposematizam, mimikrija, kemijska obrana.Butterflies and moths belong to the large order of insects Lepidoptera, whose members are characterized by two pairs of large wings covered with scales which are the source of incredible variety of shapes, colors and patterns and a complete metamorphosis that marks the life cycle of four stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa and imago. At each stage they are exposed to the law of "survival of the fittest" so as a result of long-term interactions with predators they have developed various adaptations and defense mechanisms. This paper addresses the mechanisms that contribute to greater chances of survival and the existence of the species. There is a great variety of defensive mechanisms: camouflage, disguise, disruptive coloration, transparent wings, aposematism, mimicry, chemical defense

Defensive mechanisms of butterflies

Leptiri i moljci pripadaju velikom redu kukaca Lepidoptera čije članove karakteriziraju dva para velikih krila prekrivenih ljuskama koja su izvor nevjerojatne raznolikosti oblika, boja i uzoraka te potpuna preobrazba koja označava životni ciklus od 4 stadija: jajašce, gusjenica, kukuljica i imago. U svakom stadiju izloženi su zakonu opstanka prema kojem preživljavaju jači te su kao posljedicu dugotrajne interakcije s predatorom razvili različite prilagodbe i mehanizme obrane. U ovom radu obrađeni su mehanizmi koji doprinose većim šansama za preživljavanje i opstanak vrste. Postoji iznimna raznovrsnost obrambenih mehanizama: kamuflaža, maskiranje, isprekidana obojenost, transparentnost krila, aposematizam, mimikrija, kemijska obrana.Butterflies and moths belong to the large order of insects Lepidoptera, whose members are characterized by two pairs of large wings covered with scales which are the source of incredible variety of shapes, colors and patterns and a complete metamorphosis that marks the life cycle of four stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa and imago. At each stage they are exposed to the law of "survival of the fittest" so as a result of long-term interactions with predators they have developed various adaptations and defense mechanisms. This paper addresses the mechanisms that contribute to greater chances of survival and the existence of the species. There is a great variety of defensive mechanisms: camouflage, disguise, disruptive coloration, transparent wings, aposematism, mimicry, chemical defense

Insight into the noble crayfish morphological diversity: a geometric morphometric approach.

The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus), a keystone species of high ecological, economic, and cultural importance in Europe, is threatened due to a long-term population decline caused by anthropogenic pressure on its habitats, the presence of non-indigenous invasive crayfish species and climate change. Since the effective protection of the remaining populations requires conservation measures based on the comprehensive knowledge of the species, including good understanding of its genetic and morphological variability, our aim was to study morphological features of the noble crayfish in Croatia using geometric morphometrics for the first time. We applied two-dimensional geometric morphometrics to find morphological differences among 15 populations of the noble crayfish from Croatian freshwater habitats, grouped according to previously established (a) mitochondrial (genetic) lineages, (b) genetic clusters inferred from nuclear microsatellites, as well as (c) river basins and (d) habitat types (lotic, lentic). Overall, the results indicated the existence of morphological diversity among the studied populations of the noble crayfish in Croatia. Shape analysis showed differences in cephalon based on crayfish affiliation to different genetic lineages, genetic clusters, river basins and habitat types. Our study provided novel insights into morphological diversity of the endangered noble crayfish in the area of its high genetic diversity

Molekularni podaci nisu potvrdili grčkog plavca Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) aroaniensis (Brown, 1976) kao pripadnika faune Hrvatske

The presence of the Grecian anomalous blue, Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) aroaniensis (Brown, 1976) in Croatia has been recently published based on external morphology of collected specimens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the credibility of these findings by using DNA barcoding approach as the species exhibit phenotypic variability and can easily be misidentified with morphologically similar species Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) ripartii. Therefore, we performed a molecular analysis of the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of the samples previously published as P. aroaniensis from different localities in Croatia. The results showed that all analysed samples belong to P. ripartii. Additionally, all analysed samples from different Croatian localities (Mt. Mala Kapela, Mt. Lička Plješivica, Mt. Poštak, Mt. Troglav and Mt. Kamešnica) together with previously published population of P. ripartii from Mt. Mosor belong to the same Eurasian clade of P. ripartii.Prisutnost vrste Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) aroaniensis (Brown, 1976), leptira iz porodice plavaca, nedavno je zabilježena u Hrvatskoj na temelju vanjske morfologije prikupljenih jedinki. Cilj ovog rada bio je procijeniti vjerodostojnost tog nalaza korištenjem metode DNA barkodiranja budući da se radi o fenotipski varijabilnoj vrsti koja se lako može zamijeniti s morfološki sličnom vrstom Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) ripartii. Provedena je molekularna analiza mitohondrijskog gena za citokrom c oksidazu podjedinica I (COI) na uzorcima objavljenih kao vrsta P. aroaniensis s različitih lokaliteta u Hrvatskoj. Rezultati su pokazali da svi analizirani uzorci pripadaju vrsti P. ripartii. Također svi uzorci s različitih lokaliteta (Mala Kapela, Lička Plješivica, Poštak, Troglav i Kamešnica) zajedno s ranije objavljenom populacijom P. ripartii s Mosora pripadaju istoj euroazijskoj grupi vrste P. ripartii

Koliko dobro postojeća Natura 2000 mreža štiti ugroženog potočnog raka u Hrvatskoj?

The stone crayfish Austropotamobius torrentium (Schrank, 1803) is a threatened native European freshwater crayfish species for which Natura 2000 network represents the most important conservation effort at the European level. In Croatia, there are altogether 25 Natura 2000 sites defined specifically for this species. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of Natura 2000 sites in preserving stone crayfish diversity through gap analysis, a GIS-based approach that overlays species distribution data on a map of designated Natura 2000 sites. Our results showed that the existing Natura 2000 network in Croatia encompasses most of the areas with a high diversity of A. torrentium; currently designated sites harbour 73.3% of recorded A. torrentium populations. Future conservation planning efforts, and possible expansion of Natura 2000, should be focused on newly discovered A. torrentium populations that present divergent evolutionary lineages.Potočni rak Austropotamobius torrentium (Schrank, 1803) je ugrožena autohtona europska vrsta slatkovodnog raka porodice Astacidae za kojeg mreža Natura 2000 predstavlja najvažniju inicijativu u konzervaciji na europskoj razini. U Hrvatskoj uključuje 25 područja određenih posebno za ovu vrstu. Cilj ovog istraživanja je bio procijeniti učinkovitost Natura 2000 područja u očuvanju raznolikosti potočnog raka kroz gap analizu koja se temelji na preklapanju karata rasprostranjenosti ove vrste i Natura 2000 određenih područja korištenjem GIS programskog paketa. Rezultati su pokazali da postojeća mreža Natura 2000 u Hrvatskoj obuhvaća 73,3% populacija potočnog raka te uključuje i područja njegove najveće raznolikosti. Pri izradi budućih planova konzervacije ove vrste i mogućih proširenja Natura 2000 područja posebnu pažnju treba obratiti na novootkrivene populacije koje ujedno predstavljaju evolucijski divergentne linije

Novi prilozi fauni danjih leptira planine Velebita i susjednih područja Like (Hrvatska)

During the last eight years several surveys were undertaken to improve the knowledge of the butterfly distribution in Croatia. In this paper we provide additional data for Mt Velebit for some taxa with poorly known distributions like Pieris (napi) balcana Lorković, 1970 as well as the first records for Carterocephalus palaemon, Gegenes pumilio, Lycaena tityrus, Polyommatus escheri, Neptis rivularis, and Charaxes jasius. With the review of recently published data and our contribution, the number of species found on Mt Velebit has increased to 153 in all, which makes Velebit a mountain with a relatively great diversity of butterfly species. Additionally, we include records of some species of conservation concern for the neighbouring area of Lika, for Polyommatus damon, P. ripartii, P. admetus, Lycaena dispar, Phengaris alcon (humid meadow ecotype) and Euphydryas maturna.U Hrvatskoj su zadnjih desetak godina poduzeta dodatna istraživanja u svrhu poboljšanja znanja o rasprostranjenosti danjih leptira. U ovom radu su za planinu Velebit uz nove podatke za vrste slabije poznatog rasprostranjenja kao što je Pieris (napi) balcana Lorković, 1970 dati su i prvi podaci o nalazima vrsta Carterocephalus palaemon, Gegenes pumilio, Lycaena tityrus, Polyommatus escheri, Neptis rivularis, and Charaxes jasius. S novim nalazima i uz pregled podataka publiciranih u zadnjih osam godina, ukupni broj zabilježenih vrsta na planini Velebitu dosegao je 153 vrsta što čini Velebit jednom od planina s najraznolikijom faunom danjih leptira. Dodatno, u susjednoj Lici opisani su nalazi Polyommatus damon, P. ripartii, Lycaena dispar, Phengaris alcon ‘ekotip vlažnih travnjaka’ i Euphydryas maturna, redom vrsta od interesa za zaštitu

AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO CONSERVATION: GENETICS, MORPHOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER CRAYFISH (DECAPODA: ASTACIDAE)

Ciljevi ove disertacije bili su utvrditi morfološku i genetsku raznolikost populacija potočnog i plemenitog raka u Hrvatskoj te razviti modele povoljnosti staništa koji će predvidjeti kako invazivne strane vrste rakova te klimatske promjene utječu na njihovu raznolikost i dugoročni opstanak. Geometrijska morfometrija ustanovila je postojanje morfološke raznolikosti i razlikovanje populacija ovisno o pripadnosti različitim linijama, genetskim grupama, riječnim slivovima i tipu staništa. Filogenetska rekonstrukcija potvrdila je veliku genetsku raznolikost, s filogeografskom strukturom i rasprostranjenošću evolucijskih linija oblikovanih geoklimatskim procesima. Populacijsko-genetičke analize ustanovile su visoku razinu genetske raznolikosti i diferencijacije populacija, s ograničenim protokom gena. Modeli povoljnosti staništa pokazali su da će populacije plemenitog i potočnog raka biti ugroženije budućim klimatskim promjenama, nego širenjem invazivnih stranih vrsta rakova. Preklapanjem podataka o genetskoj raznolikosti s budućim povoljnim staništima identificirane su populacije i područja najveće vrijednosti kojima treba dati prioritet u budućim konzervacijskim planovima.Aims of this dissertation were to determine the morphological and genetic diversity of the stone crayfish and noble crayfish in Croatia, and to develop habitat suitability models that will predict how the invasive crayfish species and climate change affect their biodiversity and long-term survival. Geometric morphometrics revealed the existence of morphological diversity and differentiation of populations based on the crayfish affiliation to different genetic lineages, genetic clusters, river basins and habitat types. Phylogenetic reconstruction confirmed the existence of high genetic diversity, with geo-climatic processes shaping the contemporary geographic distribution of evolutionary lineages. Population genetics revealed high genetic diversity and differentiation of populations, with limited gene flow. Habitat suitability models suggested that climate change-driven habitat loss represents a greater threat than the potential future distribution of the invasive crayfish species. The obtained results enabled identification of populations and areas with the highest conservation value and which should be given the highest priority in conservation planning