Diatom species composition of the Nišava river and its tributaries Jerma and Temska rivers (Southern Serbia)

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to report the diatom taxa identified from the Nišava River and its tributaries, the Jerma and Temska rivers. The study area included 11 sampling sites along the Nišava River, with one site on the Jerma River and one on the Temska River. Monthly samples (from stones, sediments and macrophytes) were collected from May 2008 to May 2009. Diatom frustules were cleaned with chemical agents, and mounted on permanent slides. In total, 194 diatom taxa were identified. The most species rich genera are Navicula (25), Nitzschia (17) and Gomphonema (13), while other genera are presented with one or more species. Detailed floristic analysis of the benthic diatom flora has not been conducted before on these rivers. Therefore, this paper provides a baseline for future research.