Assessment of the impact of copper mining and related industrial activities on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of the Pek River (Serbia)

Abstract

The upper stretch of the Pek River is located in proximity to one of the largest mining sites in Serbia. To estimate the influence of copper mining on river biota, the quantitative and qualitative macroinvertebrate community structure was analyzed, and the ecological status of the river was assessed using standard biological indices. Data was gathered at 6 sites along the river. A total of 75 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded. The reference site had the highest number of recorded taxa (48) and a high biodiversity (diversity index H=2.3). In contrast, the lowest number of taxa (8), a low diversity index value (H=1.15), and a very poor overall ecological status were recorded at site 2, which is heavily influenced by mining discharge. The Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera group (EPT) constituted 46.30% of the community at site 1 but was completely absent at site 2 where Diptera (70%) and Oligochaeta (20%) were dominant, reflecting a strong impact of the mining industry on the upper river stretch. A gradual improvement of water quality downstream of the pollution sources indicates that this medium-sized river has the capacity to overcome intensive pollution and to revitalize itself along its course.

Importance of Changes in the Copper Production Process through Mining and Metallurgical Activities on the Surface Water Quality in the Bor Area, Serbia

“…This has confirmed the impact of the Bela River (W5) on the electrical conductivity of the Veliki Timok River (W9) after merging the Timok River (W8) and Bela River (W5). A similar situation is registered in the area of the Majdanpek copper mine [32].…”

Aquatic Insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) Metric as an Important Tool in Water Quality Assessment in Hilly and Mountain Streams

“…of taxa, SI, BMWP score, H index, No. of sensitive taxa, Tubificinae %) are known to be some of the most important indicators of water quality [33,45,46]. All these indices are a measure of the occurrence of taxa that are considered bioindicators of water quality.…”

“…All metrics calculations, based on macroinvertebrate taxa lists, were performed using the ASTERICS 4.04 software package [32]. This software is commonly used in similar studies [24,33] as a tool for assessing ecological quality in European streams with benthic macroinvertebrates.…”

Aquatic Insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) metric as important tool in Water Quality Assessment in hilly and mountain streams

“…of taxa, SI, BMWP score, H′ index, No. of sensitive taxa, Tubificinae %) are known to be some of the most important indicators of water quality [31,43,44]. All these indices are a measure of the occurrence of taxa that are considered bioindicators of water quality.…”

“…All metrics calculations, based on macroinvertebrate taxa lists, were performed using ASTERICS 4.04 software package [30]. This software is commonly used in similar studies [22,31] as a tool for assessing ecological quality in European streams with benthic macroinvertebrates.…”