Analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities from the Lower sections of Large river in relation to different environmental factors

Abstract

The aim of this study was to make a comparative analysis of macrozoobenthos composition at different sites at selected sections of lower the Odra River with relation to different physicochemical factors. The observations were made on the lower section of Odra River at five study sites: two of them were localized in the main channel, one in the left branch of river, another one in the channel carrying post-cooling water from Dolna Odra power plant, and the last one was in the channel connecting both branches of Odra River. At all sites, 26 taxa were found representing by: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Oligochaeta, Hirudinea, Malacostraca and Insecta. The greatest biodiversity and the highest abundance of zoobenthos organisms were noted in the channel joining the two branches of the river, site 5, characterised by the lowest water flow rates and the densest coverage of the macrophytes at the bottom. Temperature was the sole parameter to be studied that affected the composition of benthic invertebrates. A clearly negative impact of temperature on the diversity of invertebrates was observed only in the channel with post-cooling water discharged from the power plant.