Abstract (eng)
The molluscan assemblages inhabiting the leaf and rhizome layers of two shallow water (7.5 m water depth) Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile settlements with different anthropogenic impact (popular touristic bay with a lot of boat-anchoring vs. non-touristic uninhabited island) were studied in the Kvarner Bay (Croatia) in September 2016. The associated malacofauna of P. oceanica is well documented in the western Mediterranean Sea, but almost no data exists from the Adriatic Sea, especially from the northern Adriatic. This study revealed 86 molluscan species, belonging to 62 genera, 37 families and four classes. The foliar and the rhizome layers are represented by 12 and 14 character species, respectively, which differ significantly from studies of other regions. The leaf layer is less species-rich (40 species) than the rhizome layer (79 species) and this trend also applies to the feeding guilds. The direct human impact on one of the two seagrass beds seems to have a negative influence on the shoot density and on the abundance of molluscs but the molluscan species richness does not seem to be affected. However, the species composition between the two seagrass beds is significantly different in both, the leaf and the rhizome layer, and affects the trophic composition too.