POPULACIJSKE ODLIKE RIJEČNOG RAKA ASTACUS ASTACUS (LINAEUS, 1758.) IZ NEKIH HIDROEKOSISTEMA ZAŠTIĆENOG PEJZAŽA „KONJUH“
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS OF RIVER CRAB ASTACUS ASTACUS (LINAEUS, 1758) FROM SOME HYDROECOSYSTEMS OF THE PROTECTED LANDSCAPE "KONJUH"

Summary/Abstract: Crustaceans belong to the kingdom Animalia and the phylum Arthropoda. River crayfish are a monophyletic group within the order Decapoda, which includes two superfamilies: Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. In 1879, a fundamental study of this group of animals began, and a period of intensive research continues to this day, which resulted in the formation of the International Association of Astacology (IAA). River crayfish (Astacus astacus L.) is one of the four autochthonous species of freshwater decapod crustaceans from the Astacidae family that inhabit the rivers and lakes of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Apart from domestic waters, this species is widely distributed in a large part of Europe. Freshwater crabs play a key role in maintaining the functionality of ecosystems and food webs, which is why the preservation of their populations is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, these populations are currently threatened due to the pollution of freshwater habitats and the introduction of foreign and invasive species. It is known that organisms adapt to specific environmental conditions in different ways, and some of these adaptations can be reflected in the morphological characteristics of populations. The aim of this research is to analyze the morphological characteristics of this species in the hydroecosystems of the only protected area of the Tuzla Canton. For the purpose of this research, 37 noble crab individuals were collected and their body parts of interest were measured, after which the obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and geometric morphometric methods. The results showed that there are visible differences between the structure of the populations of the three investigated localities, but also differences between the physical and chemical characteristics of the waters inhabited by the river crab. The morphometric characteristics of river crayfish have recently been used in scientific-research works in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this work will serve as a basis for further research into the genetic, ecological, evolutionary and taxonomic characteristics of the species.

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