Bottom fauna communities of the Sava River (r-km 61.5-0.5) in Serbia

Abstract

Samples for analysis of qualitative composition of the bottom fauna were taken from five sampling sites along 61.5 km of the Sava's course in Serbia during the period between 2002 and 2006. In this five-year period, samples were collected under conditions of high and low water levels at five standard localities in the Belgrade region. A total of 106 taxa were recorded, including 31 identified species/taxa of oligochaetes, 28 of chironomids, 11 of gastropods, and 11 of bivalves. The purpose of the investigations was to present the results of qualitative study of the bottom fauna communities with more detailed treatment of the Oligochaeta and Chironomidae communities in the Sava on the territory of Serbia. These groups, together with Nemaloda, Isopoda (two species), and Amphipoda (five taxa), were the most frequent in the bottom fauna. Other faunistic groups were less diverse and showed sporadic distribution. The index of participation of the recorded taxa in bottom fauna communities varies and generally depends on the substrate at the investigated locality. Faunistic similarity between localities was estimated according to calculated values of SORENSEN'S Quotient of Similarity (QS). The majority of recorded benthocenoses showed a medium level of faunistic similarity (QS = 41-60 %).