PARTICIPATION IN CONGRESSES

In the last year of project implementation, project team members participated with oral and poster presentations at a total of 7 scientific conferences:

1. 23rd Symposium of the International Association of Astacology (June 20-25, 2022, Hluboka nad Vltavou, Czech Republic): Sandra Hudina (oral presentation)
2. 7th Croatian Congress of Microbiology with International Participation (May 24-27, 2022, Sveti Martin na Muri, Croatia): Paula Dragičević (poster presentation)
3. 14th Croatian Biological Congress (October 12-16, 2022, Pula, Croatia): Paula Dragičević and Sandra Hudina (oral presentations)
4. 1st Slovenian Microbiome Symposium (November 24, 2022, Bled, Slovenia): Paula Dragičević and Katarina Bačnik (poster presentations), Sandra Hudina (oral presentation)
5. 4th Symposium of Freshwater Biology (April 21, 2023, Zagreb, Croatia): Sandra Hudina and Paula Dragičević (oral presentations)
6. Regional European Astacology Congress – CrayfIT (September 5-8, 2023, Pavia, Italy): Anita Tarandek, Sandra Hudina, and Paula Dragičević (oral presentations)
7. European Conference on Ecological Modelling (September 4-8, 2023, Leipzig, Germany): Nina Marn (oral presentation)

PARTICIPATION IN CRAYFIT CONGRESS

In the first week of September, students and staff from the Department of Biology, as well as our alumni currently pursuing doctoral studies in Germany, participated in the regional astacology congress CrayfIT, held in Pavia, Italy, from September 5th to 8th. We presented a total of 4 oral and 4 poster presentations at the congress. Student Anita Tarandek received an award for the student oral presentation related to the Croatian Science Foundation project STRIVE, along with our alumni (Ljudevit Luka Boštjančić and Lena Bonassin), who received awards for their oral and poster presentations related to their doctoral research in Germany.

SCIENTIFIC TRAINING: Visit to the "Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre"

Postdoctoral researcher Paula Dragičević spent four weeks (June 26, 2023 - July 21, 2023) at the "Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre" in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. This collaboration was a part of the bilateral cooperation project between Croatia and Germany titled "Revealing effects of the crayfish plague disease on the immune system of freshwater crayfish," closely related to the STRIVE project. 
The postdoctoral researcher participated in laboratory experiments, sample processing, and data analysis.

A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS FOR GIFTED CHILDREN 

As part of PANDA6 workshops for gifted children organised by BIOTEKA, members of the STRIVE team (Paula Dragičević, Sandra Hudina, Ivana Maguire and student Anita Tarandek) in cooperation with members of the InteractOomyc team (recently completed HRZZ project) held a series of 3 workshops in the premises of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology on the topic: How to save sick crayfish?

Presentations of project results on conferences

Despite COVID-19 epidemics, team members and their associates have participated on four symposiums, out of which three were held online. Paula Dragičević, Ana Dobrović and Sandra Hudina participated with both oral and poster presentations. More information on these participations can be found under dissemination tab. 

Erasmus + traineeship for PhD students

Both PhD students had two-month long traineeship at scientific institutions in Europe via Erasmus + traineeship programme.  
Paula Dragičević  was at the University South Bohemia in Česke Budjovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, in Vodnany, Czech Republic. Within the traineeship Paula participated in research of effects of infection by a porcelain disease pathogen on immune response of crayfish. Additionally, Paula learned how to measure and use equipment for respirometry.  

Ana Dobrović was in Fraknfurt, Germany, in LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, where she performed gene expression analyses of immune and metabolic genes of marbled crayfish individuals from her experiments performed in Zagreb. 

Anita Tarandek awarded with Rector’s award for her student research within the scope of STRIVE project
Student Anita Tarandek participated in the research of the immune response of crayfish in the Korana River, within the scope of the project. Her research entitled “Comparison of the immune response of native and invasive alien species of decapod crayfish of the Korana river” was awarded by the Rector’s award.

Presentations of project results on conferences
Due to the circumstances of COVID-19 pandemics, PhD students Paula Dragičević and Ana Dobrović have participated at two online conferences FEMS 2020 and NEOBIOTA 2020) with the poster presentations of their research.

The research of effects of pathogen on growth of marbled crayfish juveniles is ongoing
During 2020/ 2021 we conducted the first part of our analyses of the effects of pathogen on growth of marbled crayfish juveniles. This study is the part of the PhD research of Ana Dobrović.

Filed and laboratory work on immune response of the signal crayfish in Korana River completed
During September 2020 we completed the fieldwork and laboratory work on immune response of the signal crayfish in the Korana River. This study is the part of the research of our PhD student Paula Dragičević.

New invasion fronts of signal crayfish in Korana River determined 
During September 2019, new invasion fronts have been determined along the Korana River. Non-indigenous invasive species, the signal crayfish, was recorded at the confluence of Mrežnica and Korana rivers.

Field and  laboratory analyses conducted
During October fieldwork sampling of signal crayfish was conducted. Caught specimens were brought to the lab where their encapsulation response was measured and the hemolymph samples were taken. 

Marbled crayfish filedwork research
During September 2019 PhD student Ana Dobrović investigated the distribution of the marbled crayfish in Koprivnički – križevačka county.

Presentations of project results on conferences
During July 2019, PhD student Paula Dragičević presented her research as a poster at international congress FEMS 2019 (8th Congress of European Microbiologists), held in Glagow, Scotland. 

Workshops and courses
During September 2019, PhD student Paula Dragičević visited the University of Turku, Finland, where she learned a new research method for measuring the immune response of arthropods.
During December 2019, PhD student Paula Dragičević attended a bioinformatics course on metagenomics, held at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. During her five-day stay, she adopted the basic principles of next-generation sequencing technology, including processes from sample preparation and sequencing to processing and analysis of the obtained results.

Invasion fronts of signal crayfish in Korana River determined

During August 2018, 10 locations along the Korana River were sampled and new invasion fronts have been determined. Before sampling, different meany of bait isolation have been tested.

Field and  laboratory analyses conducted

During October fieldwork sampling of signal crayfish was conducted. Caught specimens were brought to the lab for tissue sampling. Along with crayfish individuals, we sampled water and sediment samples from the locations.

Presentations of project results on conferences

During November 2018 and February 2019 PhD student Paula Dragičević presented her research as one poster and one oral presentation at two Croatian conferences with international participation (3rd Croatian Symposium on invasive species i 3. Symposium on Freshwater Biology), which were held in zagreb.