Abstract-The main objective of this study was to assess the ecological status of the Mlava River based on epilithic diatoms and to test the use of diatom indices as a tool for estimating the quality of fl owing waters in Serbia. Quantitative analysis showed that in April Achnanthidium minutissimum was dominant at each site, except at the fi fth site, where Amphora pediculus was dominant. In July and September, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Achnanthidium pyrenaicum, Amphora pediculus, Denticula tenuis, Diatoma vulgaris, Gomphonema elegantissimum, Cocconeis pseudolineata and Cocconeis placentula var. lineata dominated. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to detect the major patterns of variation in species composition. The fi rst DCA axis summarizes the distribution of the diatom community, mainly through temperature, conductivity, oxygen and water hardness gradient. The second DCA axis was weakly correlated with few variables. Based on the average values of the pollution sensitivity index (IPS), commission for economical community metric (CEE) and biological diatom index (IBD), the water of the Mlava River belonged to water class I during all three seasons. Values of the diatom-based eutrophication/pollution index (EPI-D) indicated class II water quality. According to calculated trophic diatom index (TDI) values, water of the Mlava River was characterized by intermediate nutrient concentrations during three seasons. Principal components analysis was used to represent the correlation between diatom indices, and the highest correlation among the selected diatom indices is seen between EPI-D, IPS and IBD.

Epilithic diatoms from the Vrla River (Serbia) have been used to assess the ecological status of water. A total of 227 diatom taxa belonging to 50 genera were identified in the Vrla River during six research seasons with 13 dominant species recorded.

No abstract

Diatoms are a widespread group of organisms with well-known ecological preferences. Knowledge of their diversity is of great importance for assessing the environmental status of different aquatic ecosystems. The present study was based on 55 different localities that included rivers, streams, channels, accumulations and salt marshes throughout Serbia. The results of this study expanded the diatom checklist by 80 taxa, including two new recorded genera (Fistulifera and Microfissurata) for Serbia. The data were obtained by combining light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that provided reliable identification, which is very important in diatom diversity studies.

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the water quality based on diatom indices in the study area of the Danube-Tisa-Danube (DTD) canal system. We used four diatom indices: Watanabe?s index (DAIpo), biological diatom index (BDI or IBD), the trophic diatom index (TDI) and index of pollution sensitivity (IPS). Benthic samples were collected in the spring and autumn 2002 and 2003 from nine sampling sites. The standard method with concentrated sulfuric acid was used for treatment of the algological samples [Krammer and Lange-Bertalot 1986] and then permanent slides of diatoms were made. The abundance was estimated by counting 400 valves of each taxa present on slide [Round 1991, 1993]. Investigation of the DTD canal system resulted in description of 145 diatom taxa. Based on the indicator values of identified taxa we calculated four diatom indices (DAIpo, BDI, TDI and IPS) and estimated water quality in the study area of the DTD canal system. [[Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 037009]