20.500.12556/DiRROS-23529 Morphometrics of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic saline marsh under environmental stress The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean, raising concerns over its ecological and economic impacts. This study examines the morphometric characteristics and environmental influences on C. sapidus populations in the Palud-Palù swamp (western Istrian coast) from 2022 to 2024. A total of 203 specimens were analyzed for carapace width, length, depth, and body mass, alongside monthly measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen saturation, and pH. Statistical analyses (t-tests, ANOVA, PCA, and RDA) revealed pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males consistently larger than females. Interannual differences in size distribution showed larger individuals in 2022, followed by a decline in 2023 and 2024, likely due to environmental stressors (e.g., salinity, temperature, hypoxia) and increased anthropogenic pressures (e.g., trapping and illegal harvesting). RDA identified temperature, oxygen saturation, and pH as key abiotic drivers of morphometric variation. These findings suggest that while C. sapidus demonstrates physiological plasticity, enabling its persistence in estuarine environments, its growth and invasive potential may be constrained under extreme or suboptimal local conditions. This study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and integrated management to mitigate ecological disruption in sensitive coastal ecosystems. decapods invasive species crustacean morphometry length–weight relationship population structure size distribution decapoda invazivne vrste morfometrija rakov razmerje med dolžino in težo populacijska struktura porazdelitev velikosti true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2025-09-08 11:54:42 2025-09-08 11:54:43 2025-10-24 03:54:30 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Soavtorji: Paolo Paliaga, Matej Čief, Petra Burić, Valentina Pitacco, Moira Buršić; Opis vira z dne 22. 7. 2025; str. 1-20 iss. 14, [article no.] 7990 Vol. 15 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2025-07-17 574.5 2076-3417 10.3390/app15147990 243374595 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7990 1 d96f34f7-8c99-11f0-9bb7-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=34804 RAZ_Ivesa_Neven_2025.pdf RAZ_Ivesa_Neven_2025.pdf 1 20D4F1BEEF1EBD1A9FBA1AE61FE674A7 c01e240cdbf5704eb7814a418530c47866669e72f61fd462fd3a3032f1346e18 ef62a398-8c99-11f0-9bb7-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=34805 Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 0 0 0