Ecological Potential Assesment of the Uvac Reservoirs Based on Phytoplankton Communities

Abstract

In the canyon of the Uvac River in west Serbia, three reservoirs have been built with an important role in the hydroelectric power supply system: Sjenica, Zlatar and Radoinja. Considering that research conducted in previous years recorded massive cyanobacterial blooms in some of those reservoirs whose ecological potential was estimated as moderate, there was a need for a characterization of the phytoplankton communities of these significantly modified water bodies as well as a reassessment of their ecological potential. The results of this research showed that all three of the investigated reservoirs are characterized by stable phytoplankton communities resistant to environmental stress and dominated prevalently by typical planktonic forms. In total, 64 cyanobacterial and algal taxa from 8 divisions were identified. It was also found that the phytoplankton parameters indicate that the investigated reservoirs have good ecological potential, even maximal, which was confirmed by the results of the chemical parameters, with the exception of the Sjenica Reservoir whose potential was assessed as moderate, because of the oxygen concentration.