UNRAVELLING BIOINDICATORS IN FRESHWATERS THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF eDNA METABARCODING AND MORPHOLOGICAL METHODS

doctoral thesis

• Title (english): ISTRAŽIVANJE BIOINDIKATORSKIH ORGANIZAMA SLATKIH VODA INTEGRACIJOM eDNA METABARKODIRANJA I MORFOLOŠKIH METODA
• Author: Antonija Kulaš
• Mentor: Marija Gligora Udovič (mentor)
• Committee member: Petar Žutinić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Sandi Orlić (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Biology); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2023, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Biology
• Universal decimal classification (UDC): 57 - Biological sciences. Physical anthropology. Biodiversity

Abstract

Microbial communities are widely used in biomonitoring assessments as planktic or benthic
organisms, but most attention has been given to one algal group - diatoms, while other
eukaryotic and bacterial groups have been largely overlooked. The objective of this thesis was
to evaluate the reliability of using measurable results of microbial diversity in ecological
researchesin assessing the status of aquatic ecosystems; and to propose potential bioindicators
of microorganisms and water body types that are not currently included in routine monitoring.
Based on the first three publications, it was shown that the comparison of the results obtained
with both approaches allows a comprehensive assessment of the microbial community structure
in the karstic Krka River and in small water body in the alluvial area of the Drava River. The
last publication highlighted the diversity of the overall protist communities in the periphyton,
showing that such information is also crucial for further effective management and protection
of aquatic biodiversity.

Abstract (english)

Mikrobne zajednice koriste se u biomonitoringu kao planktonski ili bentoski organizmi, no
najviše pažnje pridaje se jednoj skupini algi - dijatomejama, dok su drugi eukariotski
mikrorganizmi i bakterije uglavnom zanemarene. Cilj ove doktorske disertacije je bila
usporedba mjerljivosti rezultata dobivenih molekularnim i morfološkim analizama u ekološkim
istraživanjima pri procjeni stanja vodenih ekosustava; te prijedlog potencijalnih
bioindikatorskih skupina mikroorganizama i tipova vodnih tijela koji trenutno nisu uključeni u
rutinski monitoring. Na temelju prve tri publikacije pokazalo se da usporedba rezultata
dobivenih s oba pristupa omogućuje sveobuhvatnu procjenu strukture mikrobne zajednice u
krškoj rijeci Krki i u malim vodnim tijelima u aluvijalnom području rijeke Drave. Posljednja
publikacija istaknula je raznolikost sveobuhvatne zajednice protista u perifitonu, pokazujući da
su takve informacije također ključne za daljnje učinkovito upravljanje i zaštitu slatkovodnih
sustava.

• Keywords: microbial community; morphological approach; eDNA; freshwater assessment
• Keywords (english): mikrobna zajednica; morfološki pristup; okolišna DNA (eDNA); ocjena stanja vodenih sustava
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:937054
• Promotion: 2023
• Study programme: Title: Biology; Study programme type: university; Study level: postgraduate; Academic / professional title: doktor/doktorica znanosti, područje prirodnih znanosti, polje biologija (doktor/doktorica znanosti, područje prirodnih znanosti, polje biologija)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2023-03-01 13:13:43