Struktura ribljih naselja na okomitim koraligenim staništima u Hvarskom kanalu

This dissertation consists of 5 combined papers and is based on research of fish communities on underwater vertical coralligenous reefs using the underwater visual census technique (square method and vertical transect method) and catching non - fishing techniques. Data were collected at 4 locations in the Hvar Channel over a five years period. The maximum diving depth during the research was 65 m, and with the use of the technique of deep decompression stops, in addition to compressed breathing air, Nitrox50 and Trimix gas mixtures were also used. The first paper includes quantitative sampling by the method of squares from the surface to a depth of 45 m, and 220 cryptobenthic and 61 epibenthic individuals were collected. Cryptobenthic fish communities were dominated by the gobiid family, both in terms of biological diversity (> 60% of all species) and in terms of abundance (> 90% of all samples). Species previously considered as rare were present, some of them even numerous in this locality. The second paper describes the first-used quantitative sampling method for deep cryptobenthic and epibenthic ichthyofauna using Trimix gas mixtures conducted at a depth of 57 to 62 m. Two of the collected species, Thorogobius macrolepis and Vanneaugobius dollfusi, were previusly considered rare in the Mediteranean, due to the very few reported records. In the third paper, daily differences in the composition of cryptobenthic and epibenthic fish populations were tested. A total of 27 cryptobenthic and epibenthic fish species were recorded. The results suggest that cryptobenthic fish settlements are mostly composed of permanent residents with very little daily change. The fourth paper describes a new method of underwater visual census suitable for deeper vertical underwater reefs. We named it as Deep Vertical Transect (DVT) and we performed it at depths of up to 50 m. The study recorded a total of 51 fish species, with 41 species categorized as permanent inhabitant of the coralligenous reef, while 10 species are considered occasional residents. In the transects below the thermocline, the smallest number of species was observed, which indicates temperature as one of the most important parameters influencing the depth distribution of fish settlements in the summer period. The fifth paper describes the method of underwater visual census based on the use of a transect and an underwater scooter with the use of closed-circuit diving apparatus - CCR rebreather. Three environmental variables, depth, zoocover and eastern reef position, were identified as very significant for species occurrence, but significant variables were also slope, seabed with cracks and cavities, and substrate with more or less smooth surface.