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Blackfly assemblages (Diptera, Simuliidae) of the Carpathian river: habitat characteristics, longitudinal zonation and eutrophication

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Abstract

Investigations were carried out in 2003–04 within a project on trend biomonitoring of macrozoobenthos in the Hron River system. They were focused on blackfly assemblages of the Hron River (Slovakia), using the distribution patterns of blackflies (18 species) from 14 sites, representing a fluent transition from epirithral to epipotamal. Two main “sister” groups were distinguished using TWINSPAN analysis. Prosimulium rufipes is an indicator species within the first group. This group typically occurs in the zone representing a part of the river upstream and its tributaries. Simulium lineatum is an indicator species within the second group that occurs in the zone representing the middle and lower part of the river. The Upstream–Downstream gradient represents, in fact, the ecological position (EP) of the studied localities of the Hron River along the River Continuum Concept. The distribution fitting analysis divides the distribution amplitude data of blackfly species into three sets of nonoverlaping intervals: (1) 0.00–0.19 stenotopic (P. rufipes in the upper course of the river, Simulium erythrocephalum in the lower course of the river), (2) 0.20–0.39 mesotopic (Simulium argyreatum, S. equinum—hyporhithral) and (3) 0.40–0.50 eurytopic (Simulium reptans, S. variegatum). According to CCA the most important variables correlated with the first axis, and were linked to the nitrate and maximal water temperature which gradually increase from the upper stretch of the river.

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Acknowledgements

This study was a part of the Grant Projects 1/1291/04 and 1/1292/04 which were funded by the Slovak Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education and Science. We thank Prof. P.H. Adler from Clemson University, USA for correcting the English version of the manuscript and for giving very useful suggestions. We would like to express our thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845-06, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Daniela Illéšová

  2. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B-2, 842-15, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Jozef Halgoš & Il’ja Krno

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  1. Daniela Illéšová
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  2. Jozef Halgoš
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Correspondence to Daniela Illéšová.

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Handling editor: K. Martens

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Illéšová, D., Halgoš, J. & Krno, I. Blackfly assemblages (Diptera, Simuliidae) of the Carpathian river: habitat characteristics, longitudinal zonation and eutrophication. Hydrobiologia 598, 163–174 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9148-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9148-4

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