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Phototrophic microorganisms can be found in biofilms at entrances to caves where they have access to sufficient sunlight, water and nutrients; however, they can also be found inside caves, where they are carried by animals and people, and can proliferate in the presence of artificial light. Although the genus Humidophila includes some well-known cosmopolitan species, further exploration of its rare, insufficiently investigated representatives in different geographical areas and unusual habitats is necessary. Caves remain unknown, little-explored habitats, and many species currently known to science were recorded for the first time. This study aimed to report species belonging to the genus Humidophila that were identified in 19 caves in Serbia. A total of ten species of this genus were recorded and some of them are documented for the first time in Serbia. The most abundant species were H. contenta (found in 16 caves), H. paracontenta, and H. aerophila (found in 13 caves), whereas H. pyrenaica was identified in only one cave. The rare species, H. brekkaensoides and H. vidalii, were also documented and described, but with different dimensions from those provided in current identification keys. [Projects of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 176018, Grant no. 176020, Grant no. 37009, and Project FP7 “Capacities” Program]

Diatoms are a widespread group of organisms with well-known ecological preferences. Knowledge of their diversity is of great importance for assessing the environmental status of different aquatic ecosystems. The present study was based on 55 different localities that included rivers, streams, channels, accumulations and salt marshes throughout Serbia. The results of this study expanded the diatom checklist by 80 taxa, including two new recorded genera (Fistulifera and Microfissurata) for Serbia. The data were obtained by combining light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that provided reliable identification, which is very important in diatom diversity studies. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR 037009]

Large lowland rivers represent an important type of ecosystem that has been under a constant anthropogenic influence (industry, thermal power plants, untreated communal water, and agriculture) for centuries, which has led to most of them no longer meeting natural reference conditions. These pressures affect diatom communities which represent a reliable bioindicator of the overall degradation of water bodies. The current study provides detailed information about benthic diatoms from the large international lowland rivers Sava and Tisa, analyzed using digital microscopy. Using the digital method and the BIIGLE 2.0 image annotation system, a total of 205 and 206 diatom taxa in the Sava and Tisa rivers were identified, belonging to 65 and 63 genera, respectively. Some of the dominant genera in the Sava River were Achnanthidium, Cocconeis, Gyrosigma, and Navicula, while in the Tisa River, mostly centric diatoms (Discostella, Cyclotella, Stephanodiscus) were dominant. Most of the recorded species are alkaliphilic and characteristic of running waters with high trophic conditions. The presence of halophilic taxa was also noted (e.g. Bacillaria paxilifera, Tryblionella species, Nitzschia clausii, Navicula salinarum). These taxa are sensitive indicators of even short-term changes in lowland lotic ecosystems characterized by elevated conductivity. The diatom indices showed very consistent ecological status, mainly moderate in terms of the general pollution index IPS, and poor to bad ecological status according to trophic diatom indices (Rott TI and TDI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of diatoms was studied in three types of diatom communities (epiphytes, benthos and plankton) of a peat bog on the Pešter plateau. The observed diatom flora inhabited all investigated communities, comprising in total 250 taxa in 53 genera. Among them, 45 taxa were new records for the Serbian diatom flora. Identified taxa belonged to different groups of algae, however alkaliphile diatoms were dominant. New ecological data for Encyonopsis minuta, Pinnularia isostauron and P. marchica are presented here. All the diatoms were documented by light micrographs, and brief notes on their morphology, distribution and ecology are provided. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 037009]

The paper presents data on the composition of epilithic diatoms in the Raška River. Samples were collected by scraping stone surfaces with a brush from 5 localities along the Raška River in April, June, August and November 2011 and March and May 2012. Diatom frustules were cleaned using cold acid method, and mounted on permanent slides. An investigation of the Raška River resulted in description of 106 diatom taxa. The most species rich genera are Navicula (10), Gomphonema (10) and Nitzschia (9), while other genera are presented with one or more species. Detailed floristic analysis of the benthic diatom flora in this river has not been conducted before. Therefore, this paper provides a groundwork for future researches. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 037009]

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Combining morphological and molecular approaches, a new diatom species is described in the genus Mayamaea from a Special Nature Reserve, Okanj bara in Serbia, an alkaline and subsaline soda pan with pronounced seasonal drying. Mayamaea pannonica sp. nov. possesses typical characteristics of the genus Mayamaea, such as uniseriate striae and hymenes that cover the areolae from the outside. It can easily be distinguished from similar species by the valve outline and shape of the central area. Although presently no culture of the species is available, we identified in an amplicon data set from the same sample a partial 18S rRNA gene sequence that is thought to represent the new species, with high probability. A comparison of our sequence to those present in the Diat.barcode and NCBI databases showed that the sequence is closely related to, but significantly different from, that of Mayamaea terrestris. Natural saline habitats in Serbia and neighbouring countries are under anthropogenic threat and climate change, so knowing which species live here is the first step in preserving these unique habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a new species, Nitzschia haloserbica Vidaković, Ector, C.E.Wetzel & Krizmanić, sp. nov., is described from alkaline saline ponds and channels from Vojvodina Province (Serbia). In 2019 the new species was found in four saline ponds: Bela Bara, Čoka Kopovo, Velika Rusanda and Slatina. The same species was recorded four years ago in saline lakes in Hungary, but the authors listed it as Nitzschia sp. 2. The sigmoid valve outline of the new Nitzschia Hassall species is similar to N. austriaca Hust. but differs in striae density and fibulae distribution. In N. haloserbica sp. nov. the transapical striae are so dense that they are not visible in light microscopy. Both species have fibulae that are quite regularly distributed along the raphe canal, but in N. austriaca the central two fibulae are more widely spaced, reflecting the presence of central raphe endings, which are absent in N. haloserbica sp. nov. At the type locality (Bela Bara) both species were found with relative abundances of 94.93 % for N. haloserbica sp. nov. and 1.21 % for N. austriaca (of the 400 valves counting per slide). The valve morphology, ultrastructure and autecology of the new species are discussed and compared with morphologically similar taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Botanica Serbica is the property of University of Belgrade, Institute of Botany & Botanical Garden Jevremovac and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aerophytic phototrophs, colonizers of different substrates exposed to air, among which are rock substrates in cave habitats, are in general not sufficiently investigated and studied. From the ecological point of view, seasonal/temporal variations and parameters that influence aerophytic phototrophic communities through seasons still remain largely unknown. Seasonal analysis of phototrophic microorganisms from biofilms developed at entrances of Samar and Jezava caves in Eastern Serbia was performed four times a year. All identified phototrophic representatives were assigned to a certain division or group. The relationship between documented groups and different measured, determined and observed ecological parameters was illustrated using principal component analysis (PCA). A high diversity of cyanobacteria and algae was observed as a result of seasonal sampling: 141 taxa in Samar and 61 taxa in Jezava Cave. Cyanobacteria were dominant in both caves (coccoid forms prevailing) and were followed by Bacillariophyta. Bacillariophyta were positively correlated with light intensity and sites where seeping water was present, and cyanobacteria with water content in biofilm, Chl a and relative air humidity. Higher diversity of phototrophs was documented in December and March, and lower in May and August in both caves with Chl a values having the same trend as the diversity of phototrophic microorganisms. This was especially the case with biofilms in which diversity was more prone to seasonal changes and where Cyanobacteria dominated. Only 24 taxa were documented during all four seasons in Samar Cave (Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta representatives) and three in Jezava Cave (Cyanobacteria only). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Botanica Serbica is the property of University of Belgrade, Institute of Botany & Botanical Garden Jevremovac and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Project "Boosting Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy in Water Biomonitoring" (BIOLAWEB) aims to strengthen the research and innovation capacity of the Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade (UB-ICTM) in biodiversity assessment and biomonitoring. UBICTM researchers made a noticeable contribution to the study of biodiversity, community ecology, and conservation of water bodies in South-Eastern Europe. However, a knowledge on index development and intercalibration following the EU standards for lakes and watercourse monitoring is still lacking in this geographic region. Similarly, there is a knowledge gap in DNA-based ecological status assessment in SEE. Overcoming these gaps and achieving the objectives of the BIOLAWEB isrealized through networking with international institutions with a strong expertise in metabarcoding approach and in biological indices development: the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). Staff exchange, common field, and laboratory work, and a variety of courses are used for an effective knowledge transfer from the partnering institutions to UB-ICTM. In order to strengthen research and innovation capacity, through BIOLAWEB project the International Cooperation and Project Office was established at UB-ICTM to support project application, management, and reporting at the international level. The implementation of the BIOLAWEB results will raise the research profile of the coordinator and partner institutions and contribute to UB-ICTM's vision of becoming a lighthouse for attracting the best talents and tackling the burning issues of environmental assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline soda lakes are unique habitats found in specific geographic regions, usually with dry climate. The Carpathian Basin is one of those regions very important for habitat and biodiversity conservation in Europe, with natural soda lakes found in Austria, Hungary and Serbia. In comparison to other two countries from Central Europe, algal biodiversity studies of saline soda lakes in Serbia are scarce. Lake Velika Rusanda has the highest measured salinity of all saline lakes in the Carpathian Basin and there were no reports of its diatom species richness and diversity till now. We conducted 2-year investigation programme to study biodiversity and seasonal dynamics of diatoms in this lake. A total of 27 diatom taxa were found, almost all of them attached to reed and much less in benthos and plankton. Five new diatom species for Serbia were recorded, Craticula halopannonica, Navicymbula pusilla, Hantzschia weyprechtii, Nitzschia thermaloides and Navicula staffordiae. The last mentioned is new for Europe as well. Lake Velika Rusanda is inhabited mostly by alkaliphilous and halophilic diatoms. Since diatoms are used as bioindicators in soda lakes, our results will improve their further application in ecological status assessment of these fragile habitats in the Carpathian Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their specific physical and chemical properties of water and soil soda pans of the Vojvodina region represent a unique type of habitats. Salinity is a major structuring factor which strongly affects species richness. Many halotolerant, alkalotolerant and halophilic organisms, together with numerous eurytopic elements inhabit these kinds of ecosystems. In this review we tried to compile the biodiversity information from various literature sources and give the best representation of what can be expected to be found in these shallow, temporary and intermittent aquatic environments. Only a few groups of organisms are fairly well studied, while many others are insufficiently investigated or the knowledge of them is lacking altogether. Best investigated are certain groups of algae and birds. Bacterial communities, as well as many invertebrate groups, are poorly studied or not investigated at all. Characteristic elements of flora and fauna, together with growing anthropogenic pressures make soda pans prime targets for protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to assess the ecological status of the Mlava River based on epilithic diatoms and to test the use of diatom indices as a tool for estimating the quality of fl owing waters in Serbia. Quantitative analysis showed that in April Achnanthidium minutissimum was dominant at each site, except at the fi fth site, where Amphora pediculus was dominant. In July and September, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Achnanthidium pyrenaicum, Amphora pediculus, Denticula tenuis, Diatoma vulgaris, Gomphonema elegantissimum, Cocconeis pseudolineata and Cocconeis placentula var. lineata dominated. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to detect the major patterns of variation in species composition. The fi rst DCA axis summarizes the distribution of the diatom community, mainly through temperature, conductivity, oxygen and water hardness gradient. The second DCA axis was weakly correlated with few variables. Based on the average values of the pollution sensitivity index (IPS), commission for economical community metric (CEE) and biological diatom index (IBD), the water of the Mlava River belonged to water class I during all three seasons. Values of the diatom-based eutrophication/pollution index (EPI-D) indicated class II water quality. According to calculated trophic diatom index (TDI) values, water of the Mlava River was characterized by intermediate nutrient concentrations during three seasons. Principal components analysis was used to represent the correlation between diatom indices, and the highest correlation among the selected diatom indices is seen between EPI-D, IPS and IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Botanica Serbica is the property of University of Belgrade, Institute of Botany & Botanical Garden Jevremovac and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Diatom samples were collected during July 2010 at 15 localities from different types of substrate (stone surfaces, sand, mud, filamentous algae and submerged mosses) from the Dojkinci River. During the research period, 124 taxa were determined within 43 genera. Among numerous common diatoms we recorded three taxa for the first time in Serbia: Brachysira intermedia (Øst.) Lange-Bertalot, Chamaepinnularia mediocris (Krass.) Lange-Bertalot and Navicula tridentula Krass. Also, we observed 21 taxa which are rarely recorded taxa for Serbia. The most interesting was Diatomella balfouriana Grevill. that was previously known only from the River Tisa near Titel. In the studied material, it was identified only in samples collected from the surface of boulders with mosses at the third locality. Their morphology, distribution and ecology are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]