Seasonal Variability in Community Structure and Habitat Selection of Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) in the Nišava River (Serbia)

ABSTRACT

The sedentary nature of many members of the river macroinvertebrate community allows spatial and temporal analyses of disturbance effects. This characteristic also implicates their strong affinity towards certain types of microhabitats. The results of the mayfly (Ephemeroptera) community structure analysis in the Nisava River (Serbia) have shown a clear dependence of the mayfly community on habitat type (solid vs. loose bottoms), physical and chemical parameters (nutrient content), and season. Over a one-year period, on a monthly basis, 28 species of mayfly were identified at 12 localities along the 151 km long stretch of the Nišava River. The community structure changed longitudinally with the changes of physical and chemical parameters and habitat type. The lowest Shannon's diversity index was estimated for the localities with the lowest percentage of solid bottoms (rock, pebble). The highest diversity index was estimated for localities with the highest percentage of solid bottoms and the lowest average content of phosphorus and nitrogen.

Keywords:

• mayflies (Ephemeroptera)
• community structure
• nutrient content
• habitat selection