Composition and structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in watercourses of Donji Vakuf

Abstract

Zoobenthos are one of the most significant communities in aquatic habitats. Remediation of aquatic ecosystems depends on maintaining a healthy zoobenthos community. The first step in restoring aquatic ecosystems is to understand the hydrology and water quality parameters that influence zoobenthos variation. Based on field sampling of the river zoobenthos in the watercourses of Donji Vakuf, the current study used principal component analysis to identify the key habitat elements affecting zoobenthic communities. Bray-Curtis similarity was used to compare analyzed zoobenthic communities. The findings in this study demonstrate that water temperature, dissolved oxygen, total Phosphourous and total Nitrogen were the main physical and chemical water quality parameters affecting the zoobenthic populations in investegated watercourses. The highest similarity of analyzed macrozoobenthos communities was observed between Semešnica river and Sokolinski stream. All of the approaches described in this work can be used for studies on different communities, such as fish, algae, and zooplankton in aquatic ecosystems. Managers can use the techniques and findings in this report as important references to safeguard and revitalize deteriorated water ecosystems.