Research Article

The longitudinal pattern of crustacean (Peracarida, Malacostraca) assemblages in a large south European river: bank reinforcement structures as stepping stones of invasion

¹ University of Zadar, Department of Teacher Education Studies in Gospić, 53000 Gospić, Croatia
² Hrvatske Vode, Central Water Management Laboratory, Ulica grada Vukovara 220, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
³ University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
⁴ Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142 Blvd, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
⁵ Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, 12 Radoja Domanovica str, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
⁶ University Clinical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
⁷ National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

^* Corresponding author: kzganec@unizd.hr

Received: 23 August 2017
Accepted: 26 February 2018

Abstract

The spread of alien crustaceans has significantly contributed to the homogenization of macroinvertebrate fauna of European freshwaters. However, little is known about alien Peracarida crustaceans of the Sava River, which represents the most important corridor for the spread of invasive species into Dinaric rivers with highly endemic fauna. In this study, we investigated Peracarida (Amphipoda, Isopoda and Mysida) collected during three years (2011, 2012 and 2015) from a total of 61 sites along the entire course of the Sava River. Besides describing the longitudinal pattern of Peracarida assemblages, we tested the hypothesis that bank reinforcement structures facilitate peracarid invasions by comparing densities and assemblages on natural and artificial substrate at 15 sites. In a total, 14 peracarid crustacean species (5 native and 9 alien) were recorded. The Upper third of Sava was inhabited by native peracarids only, while the Middle and Lower Sava were dominated by alien species. The invasive amphipods Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, Chelicorophium sowinskyi and Chelicorophium curvispinum, and invasive isopod, Jaera istri, were the most abundant species along the middle course. Densities of alien peracarids in the Middle Sava were the highest and their share in macroinvertebrate assemblages was very variable, while the Lower Sava had the highest number of alien species in low densities. The densities of alien amphipods and isopods were in most cases significantly higher on bank reinforcement structures than on natural substrate. Therefore, artificial stony substrates act as stepping stones of invasion for alien peracarids and largely contribute to their success in large lowland rivers.