No abstract

Hydropower plants (HPPs) have a strong environmental impact on freshwater wetlands. Small diversion HPPs (SDHPPs) with 0.1–10 MW of installed power, redirect water from small mountainous rivers into several-kilometer-long tubes, disrupting complex dynamics of local aquatic food webs and their interactions with neighbor terrestrial food webs. It certainly affects local aquatic communities, but it is often neglected that two highly threatened vertebrate groups—amphibians and reptiles—which live in and around these wetlands, could be affected as well. In the Balkan peninsula, a part of Southeastern Europe, SDHPPs recently became very attractive and profitable for potential investors after they were proclaimed as eligible for subsidies from the national budget. As a result, in year 2020, the maximal projected number of SHPPs in the Balkans increased to 4,556. According to the literature data, ~28% of amphibian species in the Balkan Peninsula use small rivers and streams in the upper parts of watersheds as feeding, breeding and/or nursery habitats. Additionally, 38% of the total number of reptile species in Europe are registered in the hilly/mountainous areas of the peninsula, and 33% of these species strictly need humid habitats. The attempt of this mini-review is to present the facts which show that SHPPs and DSHPPs, in the way they are currently being installed, present harmful energy solution for the biodiversity of the mountain parts of Balkan peninsula, particularly for local amphibian and reptile populations which rely on lotic aquatic ecosystems and/or humid terrestrial habitats.

The basin of Lake Skadar with its drainage area represents one of the Balkan Peninsula's hotspots regarding amphibian and reptile fauna. The value of the batracho-and herpetofauna of the Lake Skadar region is reflected in a rich and diverse composition of species. This is undoubtedly the result of the basin's specific geographic position and complex geological history. Recent studies revealed that Lake Skadar's watershed is inhabited by 15 amphibian and 36 reptile species. Among these, one amphibian (Pelophylax shqipericus -EN) and two reptile species (Dinarolacerta mosorensis and Vipera ursinii, both VU) are considered to be globally threatened according to IUCN criteria. An additional three reptile species (Emys orbicularis, Testudo hermanni, and Elaphe quatuorlineata) could become threatened in the future. As an attractive tourist area, a significant part of the Lake Skadar region could be impacted by fast and intense anthropogenic changes. Therefore, preserving the network of suitable habitats, maintaining continuous monitoring, and investing in additional research are essential for maintaining this rich local amphibian and reptile diversity.

Seven genetic clades have been recognized within the species Vipera ammodytes (nose-horned viper); however, the precise phylogenetic position of many Balkan populations is unknown. We used Bayesian analysis of the mtDNA sequences from the 16S rRNA mtDNA gene obtained from 47 individuals (26 novel samples sequenced in this study and 21 sequences available from GenBank). Our results show that sampled nose-horned vipers from localities in Serbia are clustered within three clades: the northeastern (23 individuals), the northwestern (two individuals) and the southeastern (one individual). Results revealed an overlapping distribution of the northeastern and the northwestern clades in two populations. We have revealed that the northeastern clade extends further south than previously suggested, to the Ohrid/Prespa lakes in North Macedonia. Our findings contribute to the knowledge of the genetic diversity of this species in Serbia and help to clarify the geographical distributions of mtDNA-defined clades.

In this study, we present updated distribution data for all three brown frog species (Rana spp.) inhabiting Serbia. The data provided consists of newly UROŠEVIĆ, A. ET AL.: FROGS (RANA SPP.) IN SERBIA 228 collected field records and compiled data previously published in literature or via Internet. Of the three species found in Serbia, Rana dalmatina is the most widespread, present in all three altitudinal regions and all biogeographical regions. Rana graeca is confined to Mountain-valley altitudinal region in permanent fastflowing rivers or streams and it reaches its northern range boundaries in Serbia. Rana temporaria is the rarest of the three, with fragmented range restricted to the high mountains or few isolated lowland populations, and in the northeastern Serbia, it is vicariant with R. graeca in canyons and gorges of montane rivers. The presence of Rana arvalis in Serbia is mentioned in literature but was not confirmed during the subsequent field surveys, so we consider it only as a potential species for the Serbian batrachofauna. The brown frog faunal composition of Serbia is identical to that of Albania,