University of Dubrovnik

About: University of Dubrovnik is a education organization based out in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Tourism. The organization has 351 authors who have published 954 publications receiving 7126 citations. The organization is also known as: University Durbrovnik.

Diel catch variations in a shallow-water fish assemblage at Duce Glava, eastern Adriatic (Croatian coast)

Abstract: An assemblage of shallow-water fishes was sampled with a small beach seine over monthly 24-hour periods between April 2000 and March 2001 at the sandy beach Duce Glava in the eastern Adriatic. Monthly sets of samples were divided into day and night catches to examine the stability of diel difference in assemblage structure over a 1-year period. A total of 61 species were caught, of which 6 were exclusively diurnal and 12 were nocturnal. According to abundance and biomass of individuals during day and night, the most abundant species were categorized into several groups. Ophidion rochei was exclusively nocturnal, while Nerophis ophidion and Echiichthys vipera were mostly nocturnal. Diplodus annularis and Mullus surmuletus were slightly nocturnal. Diplodus vulgaris, Pomatoschistus marmoratus and Atherina boyeri lacked a diel pattern. Sardina pilchardus, Lithognathus mormyrus, Atherina hepsetus, Sarpa salpa and Mullus surmuletus abundance peaked for a few months, probably related to timing of spawning and recruitment. At the assemblage level, the diel percent similarity index indicates that there were major differences between the day and night assemblages in April, September, March, and August with respect to number of individuals and September, October, May and March with respect to biomass.

Mass occurrence of the ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860) in the nearshore southern Adriatic Sea (Kotor Bay, Montenegro)

Abstract: The ctenophore Bolinopsis vitrea has been rarely observed in the Mediterranean Sea. A bloom of B. vitrea is here reported for the first time in the southern Adriatic Sea in the spring and summer of 2009, together with its effect on the plankton of Kotor Bay. Ctenophores were found below 5 m depth only. Results of the investigation indicate that mass occurrence of B. vitrea could have a great impact on the Kotor Bay ecosystem. Their predation on copepods would reduce grazing pressure on phytoplankton, favouring an uncommon bloom of the latter. It is evident that B. vitrea are capable of altering rapidly the composition and biomass of coastal plankton communities when present in large masses. This first evidence of such events for this species may indicate changes in the functioning of marine ecosystems of the southern Adriatic.

Cruise Tourism Demand Forecasting – The Case of Dubrovnik

Abstract: The purpose – Cruising is nowadays a mass phenomenon since an increasing number of passengers worldwide have been taking part in this form of tourism. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to forecast cruise tourism demand at the level of micro destination. Design/Methodology/Approach – Dubrovnik has become one of the most important and most frequently visited destinations for cruise tourism in the Mediterranean. The rapidly increasing number of passengers on cruise voyages has put Dubrovnik among the leading cruise destinations in the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik is now facing the problem of concentration of a large number of ships and passengers in a short period of time. Consequently, this paper aims at forecasting the number of passengers from cruise ships within the next five year period in order to highlight eventual consequences and the necessity for implementation of a different management policy in accepting cruise ships and passengers at the destination to satisfy the requirements of both the passengers from cruisers and stationary tourists on one side and on the other side to improve the living standards of the local community. For this purpose the seasonal ARIMA model has been used which incorporates both seasonal autoregressive and moving average factor in the modelling process. Findings – With application of the above mentioned model and having in mind that forecasting was carried out under assumption that there will be no significant changes in the existing conditions it is to be concluded the cruise ship passenger arrivals in Dubrovnik area in 2015 will reach 1.294.316 making an increase of 31% in comparison with the year 2011 at an average growth rate of 7.06%. Originality of the research – Research was carried out to indicate the necessity for implementation of the new model of management for passengers from cruise ships by tourism destination management.

The ethnobotany and biogeography of wild vegetables in the Adriatic islands

Abstract: Archipelagos of islands have played an important role in shaping some of the paradigms of biology, including the theory of the evolution of species. Later, their importance in biology was further emphasised by the theory of island biogeography, which contributed to a better understanding of the shaping of species richness not only on real islands, but on isolated habitat islands as well. Although ethnobotany is a well-established discipline, patterns of knowledge about plant uses in archipelagos have never been quantitatively analysed, and the whole concept has been only briefly mentioned in the ethnobiological context. The aim of our study was to record which taxa of wild vegetables have been consumed in the Adriatic islands and to establish if such variables as island size, population size, flora or its isolation are correlated with the number of wild vegetables used. We interviewed 225 people (15 from each island). Altogether, the use of 89 species of wild vegetables has been recorded. The largest number of wild vegetables is eaten on the islands of Korcula, Vis and Solta, and the lowest on Ugljan, Cres and Dugi Otok. The studied independent variables had a small and statistically not significant effect on the wild vegetable list length. The most visible effect was an increasing trend from north-west to south-east, overrunning the typical biogeographical island patterns. Moreover, one of the large and well-populated islands, Korcula, showed an ‘unusually’ high level of wild vegetable use. We hypothesise that the current use of so many species on this island has been maintained by the inhabitants’ awareness that they are the holders of relic knowledge, an awareness reiterated by ethnographic and popular publications, as well as a strong history of famine. The most interesting edible species used in the Adriatic islands are Bunium alpinum, Cytinus hypocystis (both mainly on Pasman), Lotus edulis (on Vis) and Posidonia oceanica (on Vis and Korcula). The recorded relationships between the demographic and geographical features of the islands were statistically not significant. We assume that cultural and historical factors diversifying the use of plants in particular islands are stronger than the above-mentioned measurable variables.