Pristupačnost
Where are you going? To college
Within the project "Where are you going? To college," initiated by the ZEPS association (Scientific Educational Programs for High School Students, a nonprofit association for the popularization of science and the development and promotion of education), the first workshop with students from Zagreb high schools (XV and XVIII Gymnasiums) that had expressed an interest in scientific research in the field of natural sciences, particularly biology, was held on November 28, 2024.
The project's idea and goal were to connect high school students with professors from the University of Zagreb, involving them in ongoing research projects. This approach aims to familiarize students with the skills needed for work in a scientific-research environment, giving them a clearer picture of whether this field aligns with their future aspirations.
The students were introduced to intermittent rivers and the aquatic world of macroinvertebrates inhabiting these ecosystems. The initial activity was a workshop led by Associate Professor Andreja Brigić (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology), the principal investigator of the HRZZ-funded research project DinDRY (UIP-2020-02-5385), and her collaborator Assistant Professor Marina Vilenica (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education). The workshop, titled "Can aquatic insects live in Mediterranean intermittent streams?" included an introductory lecture called "Intermittent streams – challenges for animals and scientists in the future."
After the lecture, students were introduced to organisms collected during the DinDRY project, examining the morphology of larvae (nymphs) and adult specimens, learning to use species identification keys, and participating in sorting organisms to higher taxonomic levels.
Day and Night at the Faculty of Science
Postdoctoral researcher Zuzana Redžović held an engaging workshop as part of the event "Day and Night at the Faculty of Science" on May 10, 2024. During the workshop, she presented a model of intermittent rivers and shared her knowledge about the animals inhabiting them. Through the workshop, children and parents learned about biodiversity and the importance of these ecosystems.
8th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium
Members of the DinDRY team, Zuzana Redžović and Lea Ružanović, participated in the 8th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium held on April 26-27, 2024. Lea presented the results of a part of the DinDRY project research with an oral presentation titled "Should I stay or should I go? The use of newly formed intermittent river habitats by terrestrial invertebrates". At the same time, Zuzana was involved in organizing the symposium.
Festival of Science
Members of the DinDRY team participated in the Festival of Science held on April 25, 2024, at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum. They led a workshop for children titled "Adaptation School: Invertebrates in Extreme Habitats." Through the workshop, students learned about the types of invertebrates inhabiting terrestrial and aquatic environments of intermittent rivers and how they adapt to challenges such as drying out and sudden water flow return. Children, as well as team members, had fun at the workshop, crafting caddisfly casings, observing animals under the stereomicroscope, and comparing human inventions with invertebrate adaptations!
Field course for students of Queen Mary University of London
Our team members, Fran Rebrina and Zuzana Redžović, participated in a field course for undergraduate biology students from Queen Mary University of London. They held a field exercise on " The concept of ecotone" (developed by Associate Professor Andreja Brigić, Ph.D.) at the Krčić River and the Vrlika Ecological Station, where students learned about the riparian habitat of intermittent rivers as an ecotone between aquatic and terrestrial habitats and what terrestrial organisms can be found in it.
SEFS13
We are thrilled to share the exciting news about our PhD student, Lea, who recently participated in the 13th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS13) in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. Lea delivered an oral presentation titled Terrestrial invertebrates strike back: Colonisation of the dry riverbed by air and ground. She thoroughly enjoyed the symposium, which with over 400 delegates in attendance, provided a valuable opportunity to engage with fellow scientists, attend insightful presentations, and participate in social events and trips. Her enthusiasm and hard work paid off as she was awarded the Early Career Researcher Award for the second-best oral presentation, which made her happy and excited for future endeavours. Congratulations, Lea and stay tuned to see what the DinDRY team does next!
Festival of Science
Members of the DinDRY team participated in this year's Science Festival with a lecture and interactive workshop on intermittent rivers. The festival is the largest science popularization event in Croatia, and this year, it took place from April 24th to 29th with the theme "Nature and Society." We held a lecture titled "Intermittent Rivers - a Challenge for the Future of Animals and Scientists" for all ages and an interactive workshop for children called "My home has dried up! - Adaptations of organisms in intermittent rivers." Ana and Nina Randić, third-year undergraduate biology students, also contributed to the workshop preparation. Through educational activities, visitors gained insight into the mechanisms of intermittent stream drying in karst rivers and the animal species that adapt to different phases of intermittent rivers. Participants had the opportunity to observe these animals under a microscope and learn more about our project and the protection of these ecosystems. Our participation in the Science Festival aimed to educate visitors about the importance of preserving intermittent rivers and inspire young people to think about nature conservation and develop an interest in scientific research. We would like to thank everyone who joined our event and supported our work.
4th Symposium on Freshwater Biology (SOBS)
The DinDRY team participated in the 4th Symposium on Freshwater Biology (SOBS) with three oral presentations. Fran Rebrina talked about Freshwater gastropod assemblages in Mediterranean intermittent rivers: the influence of physico-chemical water properties, and Marina Vilenica shared findings about Mayfly assemblages in lentic phase of karst intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, Lana Židak, a master's student supervised by DinDRY members, could not attend due to illness, but Marina Vilenica gave a talk on her behalf about Spatial variability of Diptera assemblages in lotic phase of karst intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean.
We want to thank the symposium organisers for their excellent work, and we wish a quick recovery to Lana!
7th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium
Our PhD student Lea participated in the 7th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium. She presented a poster titled Party in the dry riverbed! How spiders use different intermittent river habitats about how spiders colonise the terrestrial phase of intermittent rivers. She connected with other colleagues from different departments and had a great time listening to their presentations.
14th Croatian Biological Congress
Members of the DinDRY team participated in the 14th Croatian Biological Congress with two oral presentations and one poster, the topics related to the intermittent rivers of the Dinaric karst studied in this project. Marina Vilenica talked about “How suitable are Mediterranean intermittent rivers as mayfly habitats?” and Lea Ružanović had a presentation titled “Dispersal patterns of flying invertebrates in a dry riverbed.” Andreja Brigić participated with the poster “Spatio-temporal variability of environmental parameters in the intermittent Dinaric karst rivers.” We also went on a trip to Brijuni National Park with other congress participants and had a great time!
We would like to thank the organizers for the wonderful congress! 😊
6TH EUROPEAN CONGRESS ON ODONATOLOGY
At the end of June 2022, a member of our research team, Dr. Marina Vilenica, participated with a poster presentation titeled Can Odonata promote conservation of intermittent rivers in the Mediterranean? at the 6th European Congress on Odonatology in Kamnik, Slovenia, discussing IRES conservation value based on Odonata assemblages: https://ecoo2016.wordpress.com/
(https://ecoo2016.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/ecoo2022_abstracts_fin_splet_wp.pdf)
6TH FACULTY OF SCIENCE PhD STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
In April 2022, our PhD student Lea Ružanović participated in the 6th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium.
She presented preliminary results of dry riverbed colonization research conducted using window traps in July 2021.
TEACHING
In April, Fran Rebrina and Lea Ružanović held a field exercise “The concept of ecotone” (designed by Andreja Brigić) to the 2nd year biology undergraduate students from the Queen Mary University of London. The exercise took place at the intermittent Krčić River and the Vrlika Ecological Station where students learned about ecotones on the example of the riparian zones of intermittent rivers.
BIOLOGY NIGHT PREPARATIONS
Pavel Ankon, Matej Vucić, and Lea Ružanović participated in educational Biology Night manifestation by creating an online video lecture: Aquatic ecosystem instability. They talked about the importance of seas and freshwater habitats, how drying events impact intermittent and perennial river biodiversity, and the threats aquatic ecosystems face today. The video lecture is available on the Biology Night web page (https://nocbiologije.biol.pmf.unizg.hr/predavanja/).
