Fish Communities Over the Danube Wetlands in Serbia and Croatia

Abstract

Wetland ecosystems are recognized to play a crucial role in the conservation of fish biodiversity. River-associated wetlands are characterized by a high diversity of fishes as they use that type of aquatic ecosystem as a refuge for breeding, feeding, and nesting purposes at one or the other stages of their life cycle. This chapter aims to present fish community structure and composition in several wetland ecosystems as a type of small water bodies (SWB) over the Danube floodplain in Serbia and Croatia. Also, the effect of different ecosystem types on fish community structure and diversity will be discussed. This chapter contains the first published data regarding fish fauna in the Danube floodplain on the territory of Serbia and Croatia, providing a detailed insight into the community structure and composition of fish fauna.