Invertebrate and fish environmental preferences as the key factor for lowland riverbed biodiversity

Abstract

Invertebrate and fish environmental preferences as the key factor for lowland riverbed biodiversity. Detailed biological surveys were carried out on four small and medium lowland rivers (regulated and close-to-nature ones). The typical, repeatable types of microhabitats of peculiar parameters were singled out and the relationships between the microhabitat types and animal taxa were studied. The paper presents the results of such analyses and points out the fact that some microhabitats (irrespective of the fact of river regulation or not) are especially important for the riverbed biodiversity and ecological stability.