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Development of New Tools and Techniques for Aquatic Monitoring and...
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Development of New Tools and Techniques for Aquatic Monitoring and Conservation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 3362

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Pešić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put b.b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Interests: macroinvertebrates; water mites; taxonomy; crenobiology; ecological quality assessment
Prof. Dr. Andrzej Zawal

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Center of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: macroinvertebrate communities; water mites; taxonomy; parasitology; biodiversity; limnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent times, there has been a continuous trend of improving tools and methods for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. A large number of traditional tools and techniques of aquatic monitoring and conservation, rooted in fundamental ecology, are continuously being supplemented with methods and practices from other disciplines such as genetics, oceanography, limnology and a wide range of social sciences. An integrative approach is often highlighted as needed to address the growing challenges facing aquatic ecosystems. This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics, from global threats to biodiversity such as habitat destruction or degradation, overexploitation, species invasion and water pollution, to specific threats to particular habitats such as groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the interstitial environments that are largely neglected in both recent scientific studies and in management plans for aquatic ecosystems conservation.

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Pešić
Prof. Dr. Andrzej Zawal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic conservation
  • monitoring
  • aquatic ecology
  • aquatic biodiversity
  • biodiversity threats
  • aquatic invertebrates
  • bioindicators

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1624 KiB  
Article
Unraveling Zooplankton Diversity in a Pre-Alpine Lake: A Comparative Analysis of ZooScan and DNA Metabarcoding Methods
by Christian Vogelmann, Andrea Barco, Jean-Michel Knust and Herwig Stibor
Water 2024, 16(3), 411; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16030411 - 26 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Zooplankton, integral to aquatic ecosystems, face diverse environmental influences. To comprehend their dynamics, critical for ecological insights and fisheries management, traditional morphological analysis proves laborious. Recent advances include automated systems like ZooScan and DNA metabarcoding. This study examines two methods on the same [...] Read more.
Zooplankton, integral to aquatic ecosystems, face diverse environmental influences. To comprehend their dynamics, critical for ecological insights and fisheries management, traditional morphological analysis proves laborious. Recent advances include automated systems like ZooScan and DNA metabarcoding. This study examines two methods on the same samples to identify similarities and dependencies between them, potentially reducing the required workload and enhancing the quality of the results. Ten Lake Starnberg vertical tows in September 2021 provided zooplankton samples preserved in ethanol. Subsamples underwent ZooScan morphological identification and subsequent DNA metabarcoding. High concordance between ZooScan counts and DNA reads (86.8%) was observed, while biomass calculations from body length (major axis) and equivalent spherical diameter (ESD) showed slightly lower agreement (78.1% and 79.6%, respectively). Linear regression analysis revealed a correlation between counts and DNA reads (r2 = 0.59). This study underscores the complementary strengths and limitations of ZooScan and DNA metabarcoding for zooplankton analysis. ZooScan aids biomass estimation and morphological differentiation, whereas DNA metabarcoding offers superior taxonomic resolution and low-abundance taxon detection. Combining both methods on the same sample enhances understanding and facilitates future advanced analyses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of New Tools and Techniques for Aquatic Monitoring and Conservation)
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22 pages, 13207 KiB  
Article
River Habitat Survey: Does This Help to Explain the Nature of Water Mite (Acari and Hydrachnidia) Assemblages?
by Robert Stryjecki, Vladimir Pešić, Agnieszka Szlauer-Łukaszewska, Grzegorz Michoński, Aleksandra Bańkowska, Joanna Pakulnicka, Ewa Filip, Iga Lewin, Tapas Chatterjee and Andrzej Zawal
Water 2023, 15(21), 3751; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w15213751 - 27 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1066
Abstract
In the European Union, assessments of the quality of the aquatic environment based on aquatic invertebrates are mandatory. Biological methods are supplemented with hydromorphological assessments of watercourses. There are many studies analysing the relationships between aquatic invertebrates and the hydromorphological assessment of the [...] Read more.
In the European Union, assessments of the quality of the aquatic environment based on aquatic invertebrates are mandatory. Biological methods are supplemented with hydromorphological assessments of watercourses. There are many studies analysing the relationships between aquatic invertebrates and the hydromorphological assessment of the environment by the River Habitat Survey (RHS) method, but thus far, there has been no detailed study including water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) and the application of this method. In the present study, the following research hypothesis was put forth: a hydromorphological characterization of habitats is a significant element explaining the nature of water mite communities, and the RHS method can be used to predict the characteristics of Hydrachnidia populations in a river. The research was carried out in a small lowland river, the River Krąpiel (north-western Poland). Six locations were selected as representative of some state of habitat modification for the assessment of the hydromorphological conditions of the river and the collection of biological samples. The following conclusions can be drawn from the research: (1) the biology and ecology of water mites make them suitable as bioindicators of the environment, including hydromorphological modifications, and (2) the hydromorphological characteristics of habitats explain the nature of water mite communities in the river at the level of general population parameters (number of specimens and species), while at the species level, general regularities in water mite fauna distribution in river ecosystems, the continuity of the river ecosystem, and characteristics at a smaller spatial scale (habitat scale) better explain water mite community structure than the hydromorphological indices determined for a given site or section of the river. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of New Tools and Techniques for Aquatic Monitoring and Conservation)
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21 pages, 16178 KiB  
Article
Tall Herb Fringe Vegetation on Banks of Montenegrin Rivers as a Habitat Type of European Importance
by Monika Myśliwy and Vladimir Pešić
Water 2023, 15(20), 3684; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w15203684 - 21 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1106
Abstract
River valleys are known to be of high natural value; however, they are exposed to a strong human influence. Anthropogenic changes are evident in the structure and species composition of plant assemblages; therefore, vegetation is a very good indicator of the state of [...] Read more.
River valleys are known to be of high natural value; however, they are exposed to a strong human influence. Anthropogenic changes are evident in the structure and species composition of plant assemblages; therefore, vegetation is a very good indicator of the state of the environment. Convolvuletalia sepium tall herb communities are a natural component of riverside vegetation; they are protected in the EU (habitat 6430), yet have been very poorly studied, especially in SE Europe. Information regarding the geographical distribution of these communities, and their floristic composition and threats, along with effective conservation and restoration strategies, remains insufficient; therefore, this study was aimed at a comprehensive investigation of tall herbs. The paper presents results of the first detailed study of this group of communities in Montenegro. Classification of 70 vegetation samples (relevés) using the UPGMA produced six clusters corresponding to plant communities which were included in the Dorycnio recti-Rumicion conglomerati. Two of them were ranked as associations: Mentho longifolii-Pulicarietum dysentericae and Rubo sancti-Eupatorietum cannabini, the latter new to science. Others (communities of Rubus caesius, Rubus caesius-Eupatorium cannabinum, Helianthus ×laetiflorus, and Helianthus tuberosus) were left without a syntaxonomic rank. The ordination analysis with the CANOCO software confirmed the authors’ hypothesis that the variability of the vegetation patches studied was related to the land use type and river size. Relevés taken in watercourses flowing through built-up areas were dominated by invasive alien species (IAS). Vegetation samples taken in heavily flooded areas, along the Zeta, one of the largest rivers surveyed, had a simplified species composition. Studies in Montenegro should be continued. Moreover, comparative studies of the Convolvuletalia sepium communities described in the Mediterranean region are also necessary. Attention is drawn to the overly narrow interpretation of habitat 6430 in the lowlands, as it lacks a representation of Mediterranean tall herbs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of New Tools and Techniques for Aquatic Monitoring and Conservation)
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