Branchiobdellidan population on alien species of crayfish in the Czech Republic

The thesis summarizes the current knowledge about the class Branchiobdellae including their anatomy, ecology and geographic distribution with respect to the presence of introduced species in Europe. Using samples of Branchiobdellidan obtained from two introduced species of crayfish caught in a pond near Čáslavice u Moravských Budějovic (signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus) and in Černíský stream (eastern crayfish, Orconectes limosus), two out of seven European species of Branchiobdellidan were identified, namely B. parasita with 100% presence in the eastern crayfish and 58.7% presence in the signal crayfish, and B. pentodonta with 41.3% presence. Based on data collected from the caught crayfish and samples of Branchiobdellidan, the individual weight of eastern crayfish was proved to influence the quantity and biomass of Branchiobdellidan on the body of crayfish (p<0.001), i.e. increased quantity and biomass of Branchiobdellidan was found on more robust specimens of crayfish, however the effect of gender was not statistically significant. With respect to the signal crayfish, a significant difference was observed in the quantity and biomass of Branchiobdellidan depending on the weight of the crayfish (p<0.001), and the influence of the gender of the crayfish was detected (p