Epiphytic diatoms as bioindicators of trophic status of Lake Modrac (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Authors : Jasmina Kamberovi?, Vedran Stuhli, Zorana Luki?, Mirela Habibovic, Emina Me?iki?

Pages : 420-430

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Publication Date : 9999-12-31

Article Type : Makaleler

Abstract :Biodiversity of diatoms and applicability of diatom indices in biomonitoring based on littoral epiphytic samples of Lake Modrac were investigated. Diatoms were taken mostly from Phragmites australis stems in 2017, during which physical and chemical parameters of the water were measured. A total of 85 diatom taxa were identified. Gomphonema (13 spp.), Navicula (11 spp.), and Nitzschia (8 spp.) were the most abundant genera. Obtained values of trophic indices (TID, TvD, and TDIL) pointed to meso- to eutrophic status for most localities, while values of the IBD, EPI, ?D, and IPS indices indicated good ecological status, except for localities at the mouth of 2 main tributaries which had moderate or poor ecological status. Based on the hierarchical group average clustering and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, 4 groups were identified, mainly related to the sampling period, with higher spatial variation in species composition during summer. Since environmental legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina still does not provide detailed instructions on using diatoms in biological assessment, results of this study can be useful for the development of biomonitoring tools for lakes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Keywords : Epiphyton, diatoms, biodiversity, biomonitoring, Lake Modrac, diatom indices, trophic status