Periphytic diatoms in the presence of a cyanobacterial bloom: A case study of the Vrutci Reservoir in Serbia

Abstract

Despite their unique ecology and implications for ecological assessment, diatoms in lentic ecosystems are still insufficiently studied in both scientific research and operational monitoring. In particular, the ecology of periphytic diatoms relative to the global expansion of cyanobacterial blooms in lakes has not been described at all. This study aims to describe the diversity and dynamics of a periphytic diatom community in the Vrutci Reservoir during Planktothrix rubescens bloom, and to evaluate the adequacy of standard diatom index implementation in lentic ecosystems relative to the diatom index adapted for lakes-the Trophic Diatom Index for Lakes (TDIL). The study was conducted in the Vrutci Reservoir in western Serbia. Periphyton was developed on an artificial glass substrate during the summer of 2015, following a depth gradient of a stratified water column. Diatom diversity and abundance, as well as diatom indices were estimated. Discounting the cyanobacterial bloom, 79 taxa of diatoms were recorded and among them the species Aneumastus stroesei as the first representative of the entire genus Aneumastus ever to be detected in Serbia. Diatom distribution along the depth gradient was clearly associated with shifts in environmental conditions. TDIL showed an advantage over standard diatom indices in terms of stability during experimental period and uniformity along the depth gradient, indicating the necessity for further testing of this index performance in lakes, and consequently local water-quality legislation update.

Changes in the diatom community in the great lake (Lurë National Park, Albania) from 2005 to 2017 and first steps towards assessment the water quality

“…Encyonopsis microcephala is not a rare species and may be locally abundant, but it is taxonomically still not distinguished from similar taxa (Lange-Bertalot et al 2017). It was previously recorded for instance in Ohrid Lake, North Macedonia and Albania (Miho et al 2004), in lakes in Spain in epilithic communities (Blanco et al 2004), in benthos in Işıklı Lake, Turkey (Barinova et al 2014), in the Vrutci Reservoir, Serbia (Trbojević et al 2019).…”

Substrate type selection in diatom based lake water quality assessment

“…A detailed review of Sava Lake's environmental parameters dynamic during this study period has already been reported (Jovanović et al, 2017, 2019 and these parameters were used in multivariate analyses, in terms of explaining the variability of diatom community composition and diatom indices.…”

“…The Sava Lake is a shallow urban reservoir (44°47 0 02.28 00 N, 20°23 0 25.64 00 E; 73 m a.s.l) formed in 1967 by embanking Sava river arm. Water volume of Sava Lake is about 4 000 000 m 3 , average depth is 4.5 m (maximum recorded 12 m), it is about 4.4 km long and about 250 m wide (Trbojević et al, 2017, 2019. Sava Lake is located in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia.…”

“…Sava Lake is located in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. It serves in supplying drinking water (by means of bank filtration) to Belgrade citizens, and it is extensively used for recreational activities, especially during the summer months, when many cafes and restaurants host visitors near the lake shore (Trbojević et al, 2017(Trbojević et al, , 2019. In Serbia, the Belgrade region, and Sava Lake, a moderate continental climate is predominant, but climate change effects in recent years are evident.…”

One new species of Aneumastus D.G. Mann et Stickle (Bacillariophyceae) from Krka River, Croatia

“…Aneumastus species have been infrequently recorded on the Balkan Peninsula. Beside Lake Ohrid and Prespa (N. Macedonia, Levkov et al 2007), there is a single record in Serbia (Trbojević et al 2019) and in Croatia (Plenović-Moraj 1995). In the previous research on diatoms from Krka River two taxa have been recorded as Navicula pseudotuscula Hustedt and N. tuscula (Ehrenberg) Grunow (Plenović-Moraj 1995).…”