An Assessment of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Diversity and Ecological Preferences in Some Smaller Watercourses from Srem (Vojvodina, Serbia)

Abstract

A total of 80 aquatic macroinvertebrates taxa were recorded at six localities situated on the smaller watercourses in the province of Srem (Vojvodina, Serbia). The sampling was performed in November of 2015. Diptera were found to be the most important part of the recorded communities, both in terms of taxa richness and abundance/percentage participation. The greatest number of taxa was found at the site upstream of the City of Inđija with 41 taxa, while the lowest (only one taxon) was recorded at the downstream Inđija locality. High median values of diversity metrics used indicate the presence of taxa rich and diverse aquatic macroinvertebrate communities . Pelophilous and phytophilous, potamal and rhithral taxa were the dominant component of a community in relation to their microhabitats and habitat preferences, respectively. A very low diversity found at localities downstream of larger settlements (Inđija and Ruma) points to pronounced negative anthropogenic impacts on these small capacity components of the hydrological network in this lowland part of Serbia.