THE MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN SOME WATER ECOSYSTEMS IN STARA PLANINA MOUNTAINS (SOUTHEAST SERBIA)

Abstract

Due to its geographical location and paleogeographic history, the Stara Planina Mountains are one of the six biodiversity hotspots in Europe. This study aims to depict the composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrates situated on the Serbian side of the Stara Planina Mountains. Aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected at six sites: Jelovičko Spring, Dojkinačka, Visočica, Temštica, and Rakitska rivers, and the spring of Bigar Stream. We recorded 1974 specimens within 97 taxa and ten systematic groups. Insects dominated the macroinvertebrate community, comprising 82.5% of the total density. Specifically, Diptera (23.5%), Ephemeroptera (19.8%), and Trichoptera (19.3%) were the most abundant. Trichoptera was the most diverse group, represented by 27 taxa, followed by Diptera (25 taxa) and Ephemeroptera (15 taxa). The diversity of macroinvertebrate communities, expressed as the Shannon index of general diversity, varied spatially from 3.17 (Dojkinačka River) to 1.72 (spring of Bigar Stream), while Simpson's Diversity Index ranged from 0.73 (spring of Bigar Stream) to 0.95 (Rakitska River). This study contributes to filling knowledge gaps about benthic communities in rivers and streams in the Stara Planina Mountains, which is essential for evaluating the vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems.