First detection of azaspiracid-2 in shellfish from the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea

At the international conference in Vienna, the EGU General Assembly (EGU25), Dr.Sc. Romana Roje Busatto gave a poster presentation entitled “First detection of azaspiracid-2 in shellfish from the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea”, which she co-authored with her colleagues Ivana Ujević, Antonija Bulić, Stjepan Orhanović, Ivana Pezelj and Tanja Bogdanović. More under the link.

Presentation of the BioPlan project at the national Science Festival 2025

As part of the national Science Festival, the public event “How science began on my island” was held on May 6, 2025, organized by the public institution Nature of Šibenik-Knin County, Kanal Sv. Ante Visitor Center (available at the link). Members of the research team, Dr.sc. Natalia Bojanić and Valjbone Rama Thür, presented the research and results of the BioPlan project (National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026), with a special focus on the role of zooplankton in pelagic food webs and maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. This presentation was fully integrated into the concept of this year’s Science Festival with the theme “Nets”, which stands for the connection of people, ideas, technology, nature and knowledge. The event was attended by students and teachers from primary and secondary schools in Šibenik-Knin County, which opened up additional opportunities to popularize science and reach out to the local community. The event was opened by the Prefect of Šibenik-Knin County, Dr.sc. Marko Jelić, and the welcoming speech was given by the director of the public institution Nature, M.Sc. Anita Babačić Ajduk. The event was widely covered in the local and national media (morski.hr, sibenski.in, sibenskikanal.hr, mojadalmacija.com, dalmatinski portal, HRT). We would like to thank the staff of the Kanal Sv. Ante Visitor Center for their hospitality and exceptionally successful organization of the event and look forward to future cooperation on new projects.

Paper published in journal Marine Pollution Bulletin

The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Faculty of Science Split, led by dr. sc. Ivana Ujević and dr. sc. Stjepan Orhanović, conducted the first systematic study of the presence of cyclic imines in shellfish from the southern Adriatic. By analyzing 126 mussel samples using the mass spectrometry method, 13-desmethylspirolide D, pinatoxin G and the isomer of gymnodimine A were detected for the first time in the southern Adriatic. You can find more about the research results at the link.

Popular science lecture “Zooplankton – small and mighty sea creatures”

Natalia Bojanić Ph.D, member of the research team of the BioPlan project, gave a lecture on March 28, 2025 as part of the project “Reconnect Science with the Blue Society (Blue-connect 2.0)” at the Public Institution Nature of Šibenik-Knin County, Visitor Center St. Anthony’s Channel (available via the link).The aim of the presentation was to introduce the public to the morphotaxonomy and ecology of the most important groups of eukaryotic zooplankton, from unicellular organisms such as ciliates, radiolarians and foraminifera to multicellular organisms such as rotifers, copepods, gelatinous zooplankton and meroplankton larvae. The latest plankton research carried out at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries as part of the BioPlan project (National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026) was also presented. Particular attention was paid to the importance of zooplankton in food webs, its role in the “biological pump” and its importance in assessing the health of marine ecosystems.

Investigation of the genetic diversity of plankton communities in the Bay of Kaštela

Marine planktonic eukaryotes are organisms with high morphological, phylogenetic and genetic diversity and include primary producers and consumers at the base of the marine food web. As part of the BioPlan project (National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026), we conducted a pilot sampling of planktonic communities in Kaštela Bay in June 2024. Samples of unicellular photoautotrophic organisms (phytoplankton), heterotrophic/mixotrophic protists (microzooplankton) and other multicellular heterotrophic organisms (mesozooplankton) were collected, whose isolated DNA will provide new insights into the genetic diversity of planktonic communities in this area.

Paper published in journal Biology

As part of the project BioPlan – Eukaryotic Plankton in the Pelagic System – Biodiversity, Biotoxicity and Environmental Impact (National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 – 2026), Dr. Sc. Sanda Skejić and co-authors published the research paper “Phytoplankton Assemblage over a 14-Year Period in the Adriatic Sea: Patterns and Trends“, which is of exceptional importance for the study of phytoplankton communities in the Adriatic Sea. This study provides a rare long-term perspective of phytoplankton diversity and abundance in the central eastern Adriatic Sea, with 14 years of continuous time-series data collected in trophically diverse environments. The observed increase in diversity, especially in dinoflagellates, which outnumber diatoms, could be a possible adaptation of dinoflagellates to increased natural solar radiation in summer and increased sea surface temperature. The study was published in a special issue of the journal “Biology” dedicated to the effects of climate change on marine plankton. It was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from the University Department of Marine Studies in Split and the National Institute of Biology, Marine Biological Station Piran.

BioPlan project has begun

The implementation of the project „BioPlan – Eukaryotic plankton in the pelagic system – biodiversity, biotoxicity and environmental impact“ has started. The project is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021-2026 and will run for four years. On this page you can follow our activities and the progress of the project.