20.500.12556/RUL-176697 Shifts in dragonfly (Odonata) assemblages and morphological traits in response to goldfish (Carassius auratus) presence in sub-Mediterranean ponds The introduction of non-native fish species can substantially alter aquatic ecosystems; yet, their impact on invertebrate assemblages remains understudied. We investigated how goldfish presence influences the abundance, species richness and diversity, assemblage composition, species turnover rates, and morphological traits of Odonata nymphs in sub-Mediterranean ponds. Both Odonata species abundance and richness were higher in fishless ponds, Shannon diversity index was greater for Anisoptera, while the Dominance index was higher for Zygoptera. Species turnover rates between fishless and goldfish-occupied ponds were significantly different for Zygoptera and Anisoptera, indicating shifts in Odonata assemblages in response to goldfish presence. Morphological analysis revealed significant differences in body size between nymphs from fishless and goldfish-occupied ponds, especially in Anax imperator, which also displayed well-developed defensive structures in goldfish-occupied ponds, possibly as an adaptation to predation. While certain species exhibited adaptive morphological changes to withstand predation pressure, others showed differences in occurrence between fishless and goldfish-occupied ponds (e.g., Cordulia aenea, Sympetrum sanguineum, and Sympetrum striolatum), suggesting species-specific responses to goldfish presence. These findings underscore the ecological consequences of introducing fish species into aquatic habitats and highlight the importance of conservation efforts to protect vulnerable Odonata populations. predator–prey interaction Odonata diversity dragonfly abundance morphological response Carassius auratus gold fish odnos plenilec - plen raznovrstnost kačjih pastirjev kačji pastirji številčnost populacije morfološki odziv Carassius auratus zlata ribica true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-12-09 12:44:13 2025-12-09 12:44:19 2026-06-04 15:28:57 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Str. 227–246 iss. 1 Vol. 853 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 630*14:630*15 1573-5117 10.1007/s10750-025-05926-x 242142979 RAZ_Jugovic_Jure_2026.pdf RAZ_Jugovic_Jure_2026.pdf 1 62EB5B71F43F3BE64A19408B2D56D545 7025e52f056bf00dcd768aae7590d716c5bad028116278ce797e96327016b327 2c366f05-d4f4-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=223204 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-025-05926-x 1 fd0e50cb-d4f3-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=223203 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0