Typology and monitoring of ecological status of moving waters of Serbia

Abstract

The paper presents work carried out with the objective of the implementation of the European Union Water Framework Directive. The data on communities of water organisms, together with the abiotic parameters, are used to define the typology, the type of specifically reference conditions and the ecological status index, which present a basis for establishing a system of monitoring the ecological status/potential of the waters in Serbia. The results of the obtained investigations are used also in the continuation of this work in making a database on the biodiversity of landlocked bodies of water in the territory of Serbia. The investigations include phytoplankton, phytobenthos, aquatic macroinvertebrate, and ichthyofauna, as well as the biological elements used in the process of the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Furthermore, fish parasites are a subject of investigations for the reason that the level of parasite presence could have a significant effect on the structure of the community, and can consequently be used as a biological parameter for the ecological status/potential. The study covers all types of moving water. Field research is conducted with the aim of compiling complete data on certain biological components of moving waters. .

Keywords

• typology
• moving waters
• reference conditions
• ecological index
• biodiversity
• biological elements of quality
• ecological status