Relationship between potentially toxic elements and macrophyte communities in the Sava river.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology
• Aquatic Ecology

Background:

• Freshwater ecosystems face risks from potentially toxic elements (PTEs) due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation.
• PTEs can negatively affect aquatic organisms and ecosystem health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate pollution patterns of PTEs (As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni, Fe) along the Sava River.
• To assess the impact of PTEs on aquatic macrophyte diversity and community structure.

Main Methods:

• Studied 945 km of the Sava River, analyzing water and sediment samples for PTE concentrations.
• Investigated aquatic macrophyte communities, assessing species richness and diversity.
• Employed Ordinary and partial Mantel tests to correlate macrophyte communities with sediment and water chemistry.

Main Results:

• Sediment concentrations of analyzed PTEs increased downstream along the Sava River.
• Macrophyte species richness and alpha diversity generally increased downstream.
• Macrophyte communities showed significant correlation with sediment chemistry but weak correlation with water chemistry.
• Species richness was low at sites with low Cr, Cd, Fe, and Cu concentrations, increasing with moderate concentrations before decreasing at higher levels.

Conclusions:

• Macrophyte community structure is significantly influenced by sediment-bound PTEs.
• Environmental conditions become more similar downstream, leading to decreased beta diversity.
• Certain macrophyte species exhibit tolerance to high PTE concentrations, while others have narrow ecological amplitudes.