FRESHWATER MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES AS BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENT (BQE) IN SEMI-MOUNTAINOUS AND MOUNTAINOUS RIVERS IN BALKANS - ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIONS AND CLIMATE CHALLENGES

Rimcheska, Biljana (2025) FRESHWATER MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES AS BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENT (BQE) IN SEMI-MOUNTAINOUS AND MOUNTAINOUS RIVERS IN BALKANS - ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIONS AND CLIMATE CHALLENGES. In: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sustainable Development Goals 2025, 14-15. 11. 2025, Bitola, N. Macedonia.

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Abstract

Introduction: Semi-mountainous and mountainous rivers are important sources of water, sediments, and biota for downstream reaches, and they play an important role in maintaining regional biodiversity in river ecosystems. For over a century, freshwater macroinvertebrates have been used as key indicators, with their community structure reflecting environmental conditions. This study aims to discuss the ecological status of such "reference watercourses" based on present aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Methods: In this study, the macroinvertebrate dataset from the Struma, Mesta, Vardar, and Drim river watersheds, collected during various monitoring campaigns (2010-2022), was used. The specimens were collected with a hydrobiological hand net (mesh size 500 μm) using the kick-and-sweep multihabitat procedure. Results: Overall, insects (>70%) predominate in semi-mountainous and mountainous rivers. Therefore, the diversity and abundance of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, as the most sensitive groups/taxons were discussed. Most studied rivers do not achieve good ecological status due to hydromorphological habitat degradation and/or organic/anthropogenic pollution. Discussion: Gained results contribute to knowledge of the current ecological state of some rivers in a poorly studied area and assist in selecting appropriate metrics for water-quality assessment based on macroinvertebrates as BQE. Long-term negative pressure and ongoing climate change have led to the loss of microhabitats, affecting the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems by transforming macroinvertebrate communities.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)
Subjects:	Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Natural sciences > Biological sciences
Divisions:	UKLO Network
Depositing User:	UKLO Mrezha
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2025 07:59
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2025 07:59
URI:	https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/11213

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