Observation of the quality of Danube water in the Belgrade region based on benthic animals during periods of high and low water conditions in 2002

The present paper states conclusions about the quality of Danube water in the Belgrade Region based on analyses of the invertebrate community. The investigation was performed during periods of high (May, 2002) and low (October, 2002) water conditions. Meio- and macrozoobenthos were observed. Qualitative, quantitative, and saprobiological analyses were performed. The sampling area covered five stations along 66 km of the river. The community was represented by 26 species. Aquatic worms were the principal component of the benthos with respect to both species richness (six species) and abundance (58.39-99.47 % of the total community). Gastropods were also diverse (six species). Snails were found to be subdominant as far as participation in the total community density is concerned. Structure of the benthic community and the saprobity index (S= 2.78-3.43) indicated the presence of organic pollution. No notable differences of estimated environmental quality were observed between a station upstream from Belgrade and one situated below the exit from the broader territory of Belgrade. Since Belgrade is recognized as one of the main contaminants in regard to biodegradable pollutants in the Middle Danube, this finding points to an impressive self-purifying ability of this huge river.Rad predstavlja studiju kvaliteta vode Dunava u regionu Beograda koja je obavljena u vreme perioda visokog (maj 2002) i niskog vodostaja (oktobar 2002) i koja je bazirana na analizi zajednice beskičmenjaka. Razmatran je meio- i makrozoobentos. Prikazuju se rezultati kvalitativnih i kvantitativnih saprobioloških istraživanja. Područje uzorkovanja obuhvatilo je pet lokaliteta duž 66 km reke. U okviru zajednice konstatovano je 26 vrsta. Oligochaeta su bile najznačajnija komponenta bentosa u odnosu na raznovrsnost (šest vrsta) i abundancu (58,39-99,47 % ukupne zajednice). Puževi (Gastropoda) su zastupljeni sa šest vrsta i oni su subdominantna grupa u odnosu na učešće u ukupnoj gustini zajednice. Struktura bentosne zajednice, kao i vrednosti indeksa saprobnosti (S = 2,78-3,43) ukazuje na organsko zagađenje reke. Bitne razlike u procenjenom stanju okruženja na lokalitetima uzvodno i nizvodno od užeg područja Beograda nisu uočene. Kako je Beograd prepoznatljiv kao jedan od glavnih zagađivača biodegradabilnim materijama u srednjem toku Dunava, ovaj nalaz ističe impresivnu sposobnost samoprečišćavanja ove moćne reke.nul