Biološke i ekološke karakteristike crnke umbra krameri kao osnov za in-situ i ex-situ zaštitu

The analysis of ecological characteristics and morphological-genetic differentiation of populations of the European mudminnow (Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) from the localities Lugomir and Bakreni Batar in Serbia and the locality Gromiželj in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a basis for future activities related to in situ and ex situ conservation of one of the most endangered species in the region. Physical and chemical habitat parameters, aquatic plant and fish species composition, as well as invertebrate assemblages from mud and submerged vegetation at all investigated localities are consistent with the literature data which indicates that European mudminnow lives in typical habitats within its range. Population structure was analysed with regard to measured body lengths and weights, sex ratio and the age of the sampled individuals. The results show that the mean lengths and weights of the most frequent age classes (1+ and 2+) are rather uniform at all investigated localities. Younger (0+) and older (3+ and 4+) individuals were recorded in Gromiželj; males outnumber females in samples from Lugomir and Bakreni Batar, while females outnumber males in samples from Gromiželj. Individuals from Gromiželj show the highest absolute and relative growth. The growth of this species varies and depends on several factors, such as physical and chemical environmental parameters, food availability, population density, presence of predators, etc. Qualitative and quantitative composition of European mudminnow diet was determined on the basis of its gastrointestinal contents. The obtained results indicate that the European mudminnow is a zoophagous species and an opportunistic predator. The morphological variability (body size and shape) was analyzed using the methods of geometric morphometrics, while the genetic diversity of the analyzed populations was determined by applying the molecular-genetic methods (microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA). These analyses indicate high level of compatibility between the morphological variability and the genetic diversity. Namely, the Danube River population from Lugomir differs from the Sava River populations from Bakreni Batar and Gromiželj, the latter two having a significantly higher level of similarities and relatedness. All obtained results are extremely important for implementing the adequate measures of active protection, conservation, and improvement of recent populations, most notably repopulation, reintroduction, and aquaculture of the European mudminnow in ex situ conditions and at controlled natural spawning sites within their habitats.Na osnovu analize ekoloških karakteristika i morfološko-genetičke diferencijacije populacija crnke (Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) sa lokaliteta Lugomir i Bakreni Batar u Srbiji kao i sa lokaliteta Gromiželj u Bosni i Hercegovini, dat je osnov za buduće aktivnosti na in-situ i ex-situ zaštiti jedne od najugroženijih vrsta riba na ovim prostorima. Analiza fizičko-hemijskih parametara vode i kvalitativnog sastava zajednice biljaka, riba, akvatičnih beskičmenjaka iz mulja i submerzne vegetacije pokazala je da su na svim istraživanim lokalitetima rezultati u skladu sa literaturnim podacima koji ukazuju na to da crnka naseljava tipična staništa u okviru svog areala. U odnosu na dužinu i težinu, pol i uzrast uzorkovanih jedinki, analizirana je struktura populacija, koja je pokazala da su na svim istraživanim lokalitetima srednje vrednosti dužinskih i težinskih parametara kod najfrekventnijih uzrasnih klasa (1+ i 2+) prilično ujednačene, da su na Gromiželju evidentirane i mlađe (0+) i starije (3+ i 4+) jedinke, kao i da mužjaci dominiraju u uzorcima iz Lugomira i Bakrenog Batara, a ženke u uzorku iz Gromiželja. Analizom dužinskog i težinskog rasta, najveći apsolutni i relativni priraštaj ustanovljen je kod jedinki sa lokaliteta Gromiželj, a konstatovano je i da rast crnke varira i zavisi od više faktora, kao što su fizičko-hemijski parametri sredine, dostupnost hrane, gustina populacija, prisutni predatori itd. Na osnovu želudačno-crevnog sadržaja utvrđen je kvalitativno-kvantitativni sastav ishrane crnke, koji ukazuje na to da crnka predstavlja zoofagnu vrstu i oportunističkog predatora. Metodama geometrijske morfometrije analizirana je varijabilnost spoljašnje morfologije, odnosno varijabilnost veličine i oblika tela istraživanih populacija, a upotrebom molekularno-genetičkih metoda (mikrosateliti i mitohondrijalna DNK), utvrđena je i genetička raznovrsnost analiziranih populacija. Uz visok stepen podudarnosti dobijenih rezultata korišćenjem navedenih metoda, utvrđeno je jasno razdvajanje dunavske populacije sa lokaliteta Lugomir u odnosu na savske populacije sa lokaliteta Bakreni Batar i Gromiželj, koje pokazuju znatno veći stepen međusobne sličnosti i srodnosti. Svi dobijeni rezultati ovih istraživanja od izuzetne su važnosti za preduzimanje odgovarajućih mera aktivne zaštite, očuvanja i unapređenja stanja recentnih populacija, od kojih su najznačajniji repopulacija, reintrodukcija i akvakultura crnke u ex situ uslovima i u kontrolisanim prirodnim plodištima na samim staništima

Data from: Two-module organization of the mandible in the yellow-necked mouse: a comparison of two different morphometric approaches

Mandibles of yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) were used to explore modularity. We tested a biological hypothesis that two separate modules (alveolar region and ascending ramus) can be recognized within the mandible. As a second research goal, we compared two different morphometric procedures under the assumption that methodological approaches that use either geometric or traditional morphometric techniques should give similar results. Besides confirmation of the predicted hypothesis of modularity, the application of both approaches revealed that: 1) Modularity was somewhat more evident when it was analyzed on the asymmetric (fluctuating asymmetry, FA) than on the symmetric (individual variation) component of variation; 2) There is correspondence in the patterns of individual variation and FA, which indicates that integration of mandibular traits among individuals is primarily due to direct developmental interactions and 3) Allometry does not obscure the hypothesized modularity for individual variation or for FA. In addition, traditional morphometric method allowed us to check if allometry influenced each module to the same extent, and to conclude that the ascending ramus is more heavily influenced by general size than the alveolar region. In studies of modularity, differences in methods can lead to discrepancies in the results, and therefore some caution is required when comparing findings from different investigations. The substantial agreement between our results provides evidence that, when considering two-module organization of the mouse mandible, direct comparison among studies that use the methods applied herein is, in great part, reliable

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X and Y coordinates of each landmar