Diversity and ecology of freshwater Ostracoda (Crustacea) in Central Serbia

• Published in: Aquatic ecology 2024-09, Vol.58 (3), p.617-640
• Main Authors: Pokrajac, Jovo, Stojanović, Katarina, Stamenković, Srđan, Karan-Žnidaršič, Tamara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: altitude; anthropogenic activities; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic crustaceans; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cluster analysis; correspondence analysis; Cosmopolitan species; Crustaceans; Dissolved oxygen; Ecology; Ecosystems; Electrical conductivity; Electrical resistivity; Environmental degradation; Environmental factors; fauna; Freshwater; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Freshwater ecology; Geographical distribution; habitat destruction; Habitats; Inland water environment; Life Sciences; Mountain regions; Mountainous areas; mountains; Multivariate analysis; Ostracoda; Rivers; Serbia; Species; Water quality; Water temperature
• ISSN: 1386-2588; 1573-5125
• DOI: 10.1007/s10452-024-10094-6

The diversity of Ostracoda in Central Serbia is relatively unknown. With the aim of exploring this diversity, and increasing the overall knowledge on their ecology, this study was carried out over a mountainous area in Central Serbia and some parts of the Vojvodina province. In total, 46 samples were collected from 36 water bodies, with several different habitat types. Ostracods were present in 22 of those water bodies, at 27 sites. A total of 17 species were recorded, six of which are new additions to the fauna of Serbia. A multivariate analysis (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) of ostracod communities and their relationship with measured environmental factors is given, with four out of five measured environmental factors showing a significant relationship with the distribution of recorded species. These were water temperature, altitude, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen, while pH was not significant. A cluster analysis (UPGMA) of the samples in which ostracods occurred was also performed using Jaccard distances. It grouped samples into 7 clusters, primarily defined by presence/absence of certain species. In addition, the proportion of non-cosmopolitan ostracod species was calculated for each sample, as well as for geographically grouped samples, to investigate if the percentage of non-cosmopolitan species potentially correlates with the observable state of sampling sites, mainly in terms of anthropogenic pressure and/or habitat degradation.