Indicative status assessment of the Velika Morava River based on aquatic macroinvertebrates

Abstract

The objective of this study is to provide an indicative ecological status assessment of the Velika Morava River, based on aquatic macroinvertebrates. Eight metrics were used for this evaluation – Saprobic Index (SI), Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) score, Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT), Number of Ephemeroptera, Plecotera, Trichoptera (EPT) taxa, percentage participation of Oligochaeta in the total macroinvertebrate community (%-Oligochaeta), total number of taxa, number of genera, and number of families. A total of 84 taxa have been identified. Based on analyses of the selected metrics, the indicative status of the Velika Morava River could be assessed as moderate to poor (Class III-IV), which corresponds to the water quality assessment based on the evaluation provided by national water quality monitoring for the 1999-2008 period. There is still a need for system improvement, which will be the topic of further research.