Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia

Round goby Neogobius melanostomus is one of the three invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies found in the Sava River basin in Croatia. It has a negative effect on the native ecosystems and is more abundant in highly polluted areas. The objective of this study was to determine the fluctuating asymmetry of fou...

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Main Authors: Planchet Valentine, Špelić Ivan, Piria Marina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2023-12-01
Series:Croatian Journal of Fisheries
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/cjf-2023-0018
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author Planchet Valentine
Špelić Ivan
Piria Marina
author_facet Planchet Valentine
Špelić Ivan
Piria Marina
author_sort Planchet Valentine
collection DOAJ
description Round goby Neogobius melanostomus is one of the three invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies found in the Sava River basin in Croatia. It has a negative effect on the native ecosystems and is more abundant in highly polluted areas. The objective of this study was to determine the fluctuating asymmetry of four morphometric characters, as well as otolith width and length. Thirty individuals of N. melanostomus were collected and analysed at two sampling sites in the main course of the Sava (Babina Greda, Slavonski Brod) and in a modified habitat (Sava-Odra canal). The squared coefficient of asymmetry variation was used to analyse potential differences between populations. We identified variations in the asymmetry values of the analysed characters, as well as otolith width and length between sampling sites. The highest fluctuating asymmetry was observed in individuals at the Babina Greda sampling site, which could be due to high environmental stress. The results of the study show that the study of fluctuating asymmetry can be used on invasive fish species as a simple approach to identifying habitat quality.
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spelling doaj.art-c3d3bdf3f5384014aa48b2a388e5e3782023-11-20T07:17:20ZengSciendoCroatian Journal of Fisheries1848-05862023-12-0181416717210.2478/cjf-2023-0018Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, CroatiaPlanchet Valentine0Špelić Ivan1Piria Marina2University of Montpellier, L’institut Agro Montpellier, Montpellier, FranceUniversity of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, CroatiaUniversity of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, CroatiaRound goby Neogobius melanostomus is one of the three invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies found in the Sava River basin in Croatia. It has a negative effect on the native ecosystems and is more abundant in highly polluted areas. The objective of this study was to determine the fluctuating asymmetry of four morphometric characters, as well as otolith width and length. Thirty individuals of N. melanostomus were collected and analysed at two sampling sites in the main course of the Sava (Babina Greda, Slavonski Brod) and in a modified habitat (Sava-Odra canal). The squared coefficient of asymmetry variation was used to analyse potential differences between populations. We identified variations in the asymmetry values of the analysed characters, as well as otolith width and length between sampling sites. The highest fluctuating asymmetry was observed in individuals at the Babina Greda sampling site, which could be due to high environmental stress. The results of the study show that the study of fluctuating asymmetry can be used on invasive fish species as a simple approach to identifying habitat quality.https://doi.org/10.2478/cjf-2023-0018bilateral asymmetryinvasive fishenvironmental stressbioindicator
spellingShingle Planchet Valentine
Špelić Ivan
Piria Marina
Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
Croatian Journal of Fisheries
bilateral asymmetry
invasive fish
environmental stress
bioindicator
title Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
title_full Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
title_fullStr Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
title_full_unstemmed Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
title_short Fluctuating Asymmetry in Morphological Characters of the Invasive Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus Populations from Different Habitats of the Sava River Basin, Croatia
title_sort fluctuating asymmetry in morphological characters of the invasive round goby neogobius melanostomus populations from different habitats of the sava river basin croatia
topic bilateral asymmetry
invasive fish
environmental stress
bioindicator
url https://doi.org/10.2478/cjf-2023-0018
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