The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe
Historically, rivers have been anthropogenically modified for different purposes worldwide (e.g., flood control, drinking water abstraction, and land drainage). Although the majority of European lowland rivers are under the impact of multiple stressors (water quality, hydromorphological alterations,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/5/436 |
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| author | Marina Vilenica Iva Vidaković Maoduš Zlatko Mihaljević |
| author_facet | Marina Vilenica Iva Vidaković Maoduš Zlatko Mihaljević |
| author_sort | Marina Vilenica |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Historically, rivers have been anthropogenically modified for different purposes worldwide (e.g., flood control, drinking water abstraction, and land drainage). Although the majority of European lowland rivers are under the impact of multiple stressors (water quality, hydromorphological alterations, land-use), the consequences of these influences on aquatic macroinvertebrates, including mayflies, have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, with the aim of providing additional data on the response of mayflies to anthropogenic disturbances in riverine habitats, we studied mayfly assemblages and their relationship to environmental factors along a mid-sized lowland river in Croatia. No significant differences in mayfly species richness and their functional traits were observed among the three habitat groups with different levels of hydromorphological alterations (near-natural, moderately altered, and severely altered habitats). This could be related to the river’s connection to the numerous tributaries, and the variety of available microhabitats along the studied system, despite the existing hydromorphological pressures. A stronger relationship was found between mayflies and the physico-chemical water characteristics and land-use. Water temperature, water velocity, oxygen content, and nutrient (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous) concentrations related to agricultural and urban land-use were found to be the most important factors shaping mayfly assemblages in the studied lotic lowland system. These results can contribute to the planning of management and conservation activities for lowland rivers and their biota according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:41:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f9da7c127904ece8e0442d2c8716eeb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:41:20Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f9da7c127904ece8e0442d2c8716eeb2023-11-23T11:31:34ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502022-05-0113543610.3390/insects13050436The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern EuropeMarina Vilenica0Iva Vidaković Maoduš1Zlatko Mihaljević2Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, 44250 Petrinja, CroatiaElektroprojekt d.d., Civil and Architectural Engineering Department, Water Resources, Nature and Environmental Protection Section, Alexandera von Humboldta 4, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDivision of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaHistorically, rivers have been anthropogenically modified for different purposes worldwide (e.g., flood control, drinking water abstraction, and land drainage). Although the majority of European lowland rivers are under the impact of multiple stressors (water quality, hydromorphological alterations, land-use), the consequences of these influences on aquatic macroinvertebrates, including mayflies, have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, with the aim of providing additional data on the response of mayflies to anthropogenic disturbances in riverine habitats, we studied mayfly assemblages and their relationship to environmental factors along a mid-sized lowland river in Croatia. No significant differences in mayfly species richness and their functional traits were observed among the three habitat groups with different levels of hydromorphological alterations (near-natural, moderately altered, and severely altered habitats). This could be related to the river’s connection to the numerous tributaries, and the variety of available microhabitats along the studied system, despite the existing hydromorphological pressures. A stronger relationship was found between mayflies and the physico-chemical water characteristics and land-use. Water temperature, water velocity, oxygen content, and nutrient (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous) concentrations related to agricultural and urban land-use were found to be the most important factors shaping mayfly assemblages in the studied lotic lowland system. These results can contribute to the planning of management and conservation activities for lowland rivers and their biota according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/5/436Ephemeropteraenvironmental stressabiotic parameterslotic habitatsfunctional traits |
| spellingShingle | Marina Vilenica Iva Vidaković Maoduš Zlatko Mihaljević The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe Insects Ephemeroptera environmental stress abiotic parameters lotic habitats functional traits |
| title | The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe |
| title_full | The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe |
| title_short | The Impact of Hydromorphological Alterations on Mayfly Assemblages of a Mid-Sized Lowland River in South-Eastern Europe |
| title_sort | impact of hydromorphological alterations on mayfly assemblages of a mid sized lowland river in south eastern europe |
| topic | Ephemeroptera environmental stress abiotic parameters lotic habitats functional traits |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/5/436 |
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