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Shallow mountain lakes are highly sensitive to eutrophication. Cyanobacteria and microalgae in planktonic communities are the main producers in lake ecosystems, but stability of its communities is impacted by numerous factors. The aim of this study is to analyze seasonal diversity and community structure of cyanobacteria and microalgae in plankton and periphyton of the lake Paučko, physical and chemical properties of water and evaluate trophic status. The mountain lake Paučko is the shallow natural lake in Protected landscape Konjuh in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sampling of net – phytoplankton, periphyton and water for physical and chemical analysis was caried in two seasons in 2018. Light microscopes and immersion objective (magnification 1000x) were used for the identification and quantification of microalgae. Non metric multimensional scaling and Simper analysis were used to describe communities in periphytic and planktic samples. In total, 70 taxa were identified. The most numerous were Bacillariophyta with 52, and Chlorophyta with 7 taxa. Seasonal dynamics in plankton communities were observed in the direction of shift of abundant Cyclotella meneghiniana, Dinobryon divergens, Peridinum cinctum and Ankistrodesmus fusiformus in spring season to Rabdoderma lineare and Pantocsekiella comensis in summer sampling season. Physical and chemical analysis of water revealed high values of total phosphorus, which correspond to the evaluated meso to eutrophic status of the lake calculated by Rott Trophic Index. The lake Paučko is under high pressure caused by the influx and retention of nutrients, which makes it susceptible to eutrophication. The results of the study provide the first insight into the diversity of cyanobacteria and microalgae for this lake and can be useful in planning of restoration measures in the context of ecological monitoring.

Benthic diatoms have gained prominence as environmental bioindicators since the beginning of the twentieth century. Epilithic diatom taxa are frequently used for ecological water-quality assessments of rivers. Diversity of these dominant group of protists in the benthic communities can be indicative of changes in the freshwater ecosystem. The aim of this study was to analyze the diversity and ecology of diatoms of the Spreča River on the locations affected by urban and industrial pollution. Field sampling of the epilithic diatoms was carried out in the period of May 2021 at two locations, first before and second after the Lukavac city, which is known as industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Taxonomic verification was carried out using light microscope on permanent slides and revealed in total 38 diatom taxa. The genera with the largest number of species were Diatoma, Navicula and Nitzshia. Identified taxa are widespread species that are known for tolerating high levels of pollution. A slightly higher number of taxa was recorded at the first location, while at the second, a higher proportion of halophilic taxa was observed.

Invasive plant species are foreign species that usually have a negative impact to the native flora and vegetation, human health, or that cause damage to agriculture and the economy. Therefore, the spread of invasive species is one of the biggest problems in nature protection. The aim of the work is to determine the invasive plant species in the wider area of the city of Lukavac, to analyze the life forms and the geographical origin. The research was done during the summer months of 2021. This paper presents the results of research on invasive plant species in the wider area of the town of Lukavac, which is located in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina and administratively belongs to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Tuzla Canton. Total 12 invasive species from 8 families and 12 genera were recorded. The largest number of species belongs to the Asteraceae family, while the other families are represented by one species. Among life forms, therophytes (58, 33%) and phanerophytes (25%) dominate. Geophytes and hemicryptophytes are represented by only one plant species. Recorded invasive plant species come from North America (75%) and Asia (25%).

UDK: 581.9:574.5 (497.6) (285) The study presents the first data on biodiversity of macrophyte flora and vegetation of Paučko Lake, which is recognized as an area of great natural, landscape and hydrological value in the Protected Landscape “Konjuh”. Paučko Lake has a small surface and it’s located at 711 m a.s.l. in the catchment area of the Drinjača River. The aquatic and marsh vegetation were studied during spring and summer in 2018 using the traditional Zürich-Montpellier approach. The vegetation of Paučko Lake is comprised of aquatic and marsh associations of the classes Potamogetonetea Klika in Klika et Novák 1941 and Phragmito-Magnocaricetea Klika in Klika et Novák 1941. The following aquatic and marsh plant associations were identified: Myriophyllo-Potametum Soó 1934, Scirpo-Phragmitetum australis W. Koch 1926, Thelypterido palustris-Phragmitetum australis Kuiperex van Donselaar et al. 1961, Schoenoplectetum lacustris Chouard 1924, Typhetum latipholiae Lang. 1973 and Scirpetum silvatici Ht et H-ić prov. (in Ht et al.1974). Rare vulnerable taxa Thelypteris palustris Schott and Menyanthes trifoliata L. were recorded in emerged littoral communities, whose habitats are under successional changes caused by excessive macrophyte overgrowth by competitor species. Restoration measures are necessary to be taken to preserve the habitats of endangered species of the Paučko Lake.

UDK: 574.5(282.249 Bunica) Research into the benthic diatoms in the Bunica River was performed during the period from 5th May 2013 to 9th January 2014 on three different sites, from the headwaters to the mouth. The Bunica River is located in the south-eastern part of the Mostar valley, in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of this research was to test the use of benthic diatoms as indicators and the use of diatom indices as a tool for estimating water quality in an example of a small karstic river. For that purpose, diatom indices were calculated using OMNIDIA GB 5.3 software. This was the first testing of diatom indices for a small karstic river. Diatom indices showed different results and huge variations between sites on the Bunica River. According to the results, the indices in the OMNIDIA software are not applicable for karstic rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and they must be modified for this purpose. This paper can be the first step towards calibration indices for karstic region. Also, it can be useful for the development of biomonitoring tool for karstic rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aims of this paper were to describe seasonal changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of diatom taxa and the potential application of benthic diatoms for ecological status evaluation. Diatom indices (IPS and TI) were calculated from data from three different locations along a longitudinal profile of the Bunica, a small karstic river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 147 taxa were recorded in 12 samples. The most common taxa were Meridion circulare (Greville) C.Agardh and Ulnaria ulna (Nitzsch) Compère. Physical and chemical analyses showed low concentrations of nutrients, good oxygenation, typical pH for carbonate bed/origin and generally oligotrophic conditions and high ecological status. All sites had similar physico-chemical conditions and there were only few seasonal differences. Ordination of the diatom data showed that samples showed neither longitudinal nor seasonal patterns. Median value for IPS (16.8) and for TI (7.3) can be possible ‘‘expected’’ values for ecological status assessment for small karstic rivers in the Mediterranean region. We propose the use of the phytobenthos Intercalibration Common Metric (pICM - an index that combines the IPS and TI) as a national metric for countries developing WFD diatom methods at a late stage. One situation is described, and a solution, which is potentially transferable to other locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and also to other countries facing similar challenges.

Due to its geographical position, relief features, specific geological past and great heterogeneity of space in a relatively small area, Bosnia and Herzegovina has specific hydro-morphological features, with numerous spring habitats and unique aquatic biodiversity, mainly composed by stenothermic and relict taxa. Spring habitats, as well as the flora and fauna that inhabit them are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change and anthropogenic pressures, due to their isolation and fragmentation. According to forecasts, these ecosystems will be exposed to multiple pressures caused by changes in water regime, rising water temperatures and a continuous decline in water quality, which will lead to the disappearance of more sensitive crenobiont species and a reduction in biodiversity. Therefore, in this chapter we present the ecological characteristics and specifics of spring habitats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a preliminary list of species that inhabit them and special focus on endemic, sensitive and rare species, which are potentially threatened by predicted changes in habitat quality.

The biodiversity of algal communities and environmental conditions were investigated in the springs of Mt. Konjuh. The assemblages of 20 springs emerging from different lithologies (limestones and ophiolites, respectively) comprised 234 algal taxa. Diatoms and cyanobacteria were the most species-rich groups. The most common alkaliphilic, circumneutral, and eutraphentic diatoms were represented by the genera Gomphonema, Nitzschia, Navicula, Cymbella, and Achnanthidium, and by the cyanobacterial genus Phormidium. Hierarchical clustering and SIMPROF analysis based on relative algal abundance clustered springs into six groups, separating them mainly according to spring type and lithology. Indicator species for groups and springs on different lithological substrata were singled out, revealing 33 taxa with preferences for ophiolites, and 20 taxa with preferences for carbonates. The values of the Shannon-Wiener diversity index were moderately high per spring location, and similar for the two groups of springs on different lithologies. A higher similarity in species composition was noted between springs on ophiolites and limestones than between springs on ophiolites and other types of siliceous substrata. The present study suggests that algal assemblages in springs emerging from ophiolites, even those made up by a preponderance of silicates, should be analyzed separately from those related to springs on other siliceous substrata. The results obtained showed that most of the springs studied are affected by anthropogenic impacts and morphological alterations leading to the dominance of highly competitive meso- and eutraphentic algal species, thus emphasizing the importance of further investigation and conservation of these habitats.

Water resources and associated ecosystems are becoming highly endangered due to ongoing global environmental changes. Spatial ecological modelling is a promising toolbox for understanding the past, present and future distribution and diversity patterns in groundwater-dependent ecosystems, such as fens, springs, streams, reed beds or wet grasslands. Still, the lack of detailed water chemistry maps prevents the use of reasonable models to be applied on continental and global scales. Being major determinants of biological composition and diversity of groundwater-dependent ecosystems, groundwater pH and calcium are of utmost importance. Here we developed an up-to-date European map of groundwater pH and Ca, based on 7577 measurements of near-surface groundwater pH and calcium distributed across Europe. In comparison to the existing European groundwater maps, we included several times more sites, especially in the regions rich in spring and fen habitats, and filled the apparent gaps in eastern and southeastern Europe. We used random forest models and regression kriging to create continuous maps of water pH and calcium at the continental scale, which is freely available also as a raster map (Hájek et al., 2020b; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4139912). Lithology had a higher importance than climate for both pH and calcium. The previously recognised latitudinal and altitudinal gradients were rediscovered with much refined regional patterns, as associated with bedrock variation. For ecological models of distribution and diversity of many terrestrial ecosystems, our new map based on field groundwater measurements is more suitable than maps of soil pH, which mirror not only bedrock chemistry but also vegetation-dependent soil processes., This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (grant no. 19-01775S provided support for Borja Jiménez-Alfaro, Petra Hájková, Veronika Horsáková and Michal Horsák; grant no. GX19-28491X to the Centre for European Vegetation Syntheses provided support for Michal Hájek, Tomáš Peterka and Ondřej Hájek). Jutta Kapfer was supported by the Fram Center (grant no. A36214). We thank Sabine Bergmann and Dirk Hinterlang (State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) and Rossitza Gorova (Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria) for providing us with the public water chemistry data, Andraž Čarni for alerting us to the open data on Slovenian groundwater, and Valerijus Rašomavičius for providing us with the data from Kadūnas et al. (2017). We thank Tatyana Ivchenko for providing us with the data for the Ural Mountains, which were not included in the paper. Paweł Pawlikowski (P.P.), Lucia Sekulová (L.S.), Jana Navrátilová (J.N.) and Dag-Inge Øien (D.-I.Ø.) kindly agreed for us to use their unpublished pH and EC data. We further thank Ilona Knollová, John Rodwell (J.R.), Kiril Vasilev (K.V.) and Idoia Biurrun (I.B.) for providing pH data from vegetation databases via the European Vegetation Archive.

The process of travertine formation and carbonate deposition in the rivers is unique, delicate, and depends on the activity of algae and mosses. Although diatoms have been used extensively in hydrobiological studies, the comparative analysis data on diatom communities of the travertine barriers in karstic rivers are still scarce. The study aimed to detect the diatom composition on travertine barriers in the Una River, the large karstic river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An integrated classical morphological identification approach with metabarcoding was applied on eight samples across the river length profile. Morphological analyses were performed using both light and scanning electron microscopes. Subsequent DNA metabarcoding of the chloroplastic gene 312bp rbcL was done. The DADA2 pipeline was used for the bioinformatic treatment of the demultiplexed MiSeq reads to infer Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). ASVs were taxonomically assigned using the Diat.barcode v7 reference database. A total of 126 species were identified using the morphological approach, while 133 ASVs were taxonomically assigned to 58 unique taxa with the molecular approach. Diatom community structures in terms of molecular and morphological approaches were congruent with 49 shared species. Species from genera Gomphonema, Navicula and Encyonema were less assigned in molecular analysis. The most abundant taxa in the Una River are alkaliphilous, belonging to the genera Gomphonema, Nitzshia and Navicula. Although specific for their extremely good chemical status, the travertine barriers of the Una River are largely inhabited with meso-eutraphentic taxa.

This report presents the outcome of the joint work of PhD students and senior researchers working with DNA-based biodiversity assessment approaches with the goal to facilitate others the access to definitions and explanations about novel DNA-based methods. The work was performed during a PhD course (SLU PNS0169) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. The course was co-organized by the EU COST research network DNAqua-Net and the SLU Research Schools Focus on Soils and Water (FoSW) and Ecology - basics and applications. DNAqua-Net (COST Action CA15219, 2016-2020) is a network connecting researchers, water managers, politicians and other stakeholders with the aim to develop new genetic tools for bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems in Europe and beyond. The PhD course offered a comprehensive overview of the paradigm shift from traditional morphology-based species identification to novel identification approaches based on molecular markers. We covered the use of molecular tools in both basic research and applied use with a focus on aquatic ecosystem assessment, from species collection to the use of diversity in environmental legislation. The focus of the course was on DNA (meta)barcoding and aquatic organisms. The knowledge gained was shared with the general public by creating Wikipedia pages and through this collaborative Open Access publication, co-authored by all course participants.

Epipelic diatom communities were studied in the Šerićka bara marsh in northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout 2009. During spring and summer a total of 57 species was found at 6 sampling points. The highest number of species was noted for genera Gomphonema (8) and Nitzschia (5). The most abundant species were Melosira varians C.Agardh, Gyrosigma acuminatum (Kützing) Rabenhorst, Lemnicola hungarica (Grunow) F.E.Round & P.W.Basson, Navicula cryptocephala Kützing, Cocconeis placentula var. placentula Ehrenberg, Hippodonta capitata (Ehrenberg) Lange-Bertalot, Metzeltin & Witkowski, Fallacia pygmaea (Kützing) A.J.Stickle & D.G.Mann, Anomoeoneis sphaerophora E.Pfi tzer, Craticula cuspidata (Kutzing) D.G.Mann, Cyclotella meneghiniana (Kutzing) D.G.Mann and Tryblionella hungarica (Grunow) Frenguelli. The spatial variation of the epipelic community was higher in summer as summarized by PCO analysis. Values of the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index ranged from 2.47 to 2.96, while the Rott Trophic Index ranged from 2.7 to 3.4. Most of the species were eutraphentic (61%) and alkaliphilous (60%), indicating the eutrophic and polytrophic status of this wetland., U radu su istraživane epipelonske zajednice dijatomeja tijekom 2009. godine u Šerićkoj bari u sjeveroistočnoj Bosni i Hercegovini. Determinirano je 57 vrsta na 6 lokaliteta u proljetnoj i ljetnoj sezoni uzorkovanja. Rodovi najbrojnij i vrstama su Gomphonema (8) i Nitzschia (5), a dominantne vrste bile su Melosira varians C.Agardh, Gyrosigma acuminatum (Kützing) Rabenhorst, Lemnicola hungarica (Grunow) F.E.Round & P.W.Basson, Navicula cryptocephala Kützing, Cocconeis placentula var. placentula Ehrenberg, Hippodonta capitata (Ehrenberg) Lange-Bertalot, Metzeltin & Witkowski, Fallacia pygmaea (Kützing) A.J.Stickle & D.G.Mann, Anomoeoneis sphaerophora E.Pfizer, Craticula cuspidata (Kutzing) D.G.Mann, Cyclotella meneghiniana Kutzing i Tryblionella hungarica (Grunow) Frenguelli. Struktura epipelonske zajednice bila je prostorno raznolikija u ljetnoj u odnosu na proljetnu sezonu uzorkovanja. Shannon-Wienerov indeks raznolikosti iznosio je od 2,47 do 2,96, dok se trofički indeks prema Rott-u kretao u rasponu od 2,7 do 3,4. Najveći broj vrsta pripadao je kategoriji alkalifi lnih (60%) i eutrofnih (61%) pokazatelja i upućuje na eutrofni i politrofni status močvare.

UDK: 574.587:582.26/.27(234.422 Konjuh) Springs are recognized as hotspots for freshwater biodiversity conservation. The study objective was to analyze and compare the biodiversity of epilithic diatom communities of spring and stream habitats in the Konjuh Mountain (B&H). The measuring of basic water physical and chemical parameters and diatom sampling were carried out during summer and autumn period in 2013. Diatom assemblages were collected from 10 locations: (i) five locations were placed in small mountain springs that flow into headwater streams, where another 5 localities were placed. Diatoms were collected by scrubbing the rocks using standard methodology. Relative diatom cell abundances were established by counting up to 400 frustules on permanent slides prepared in Naphrax. Spring habitats were more diverse in diatoms (H' loge =1.67 average) in comparison with headwater stream habitats (H' loge=1.15 average), which was confirmed by t-test (t=2.79; p=0.013). The similarities of community structure from different habitats were investigated by non-metric multidimensional scaling, on the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix in software package Primer 6. Using Permutational Manova test, a different diatom composition was proved between spring and stream communities (Pseudo F=2.66, p=0.012), while the seasonal difference in the community structure was not confirmed (F=0.586, p=0.876). The most abundant and frequent species in spring habitats were: Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki, Cocconeis pseudolineata (Geitler) Lange-Bertalot, Gomphonema pumilum var. elegans E.Reichardt & Lange-Bertalot, Meridion circulare (Greville) C.Agardh and Planothidium lanceolatum (Brébisson ex Kützing) Lange-Bertalot. The most frequent and abundant species in headwater stream habitats were: Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki, Cocconeis placentula var. euglypta (Ehrenberg) Grunow, Cocconeis placentula var. lineata (Ehrenberg) van Heurck and Cymbella tridentina Lange-Bertalot, M.Cantonati & A.Scalfi. In comparison with streams habitats, the springs are heterogeneous with specific diatom composition due to more stable water flow. Although the springs cover very small areas, the diversity of species that inhabit them must not be neglected in planning the use of these natural resources.

During 2008, 259 ticks were collected from 33 dogs in the Canton of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Two tick species were identified: Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758). 193 ticks were collected from 18 dogs from the villages surrounding Tuzla, and 66 ticks from15 dogs from the city of Tuzla. The preferred sites of Dermacentor reticulatus attachment on village dogs were the lateral parts of the body, neck and head, while on city dogs it was the neck. Furthermore, on the village dogs a significantly higher number of Ixodes ricinus were sampled on the head and lateral part of the body. With regard to city dogs, a significantly higher number of Ixodes ricinus were sampled on the head and neck than on the other body parts. The most abundant tick species in both of the examined areas was Ixodes ricinus., Na području Tuzlanskog kantona uzorkovano je 259 krpelja s 33 psa tijekom 2008. godine. Uzorkovani krpelji svrstani su u dvije vrste: Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) i Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758). U selima iz okolice grada Tuzle uzorkovana su 193 krpelja s 18 pasa, dok je na 15 pasa iz grada Tuzle uzorkovano 66 krpelja. Na seoskim psima vrsta Dermacentor reticulatus uzorkovana je u signifikantno većem broju na glavi, vratu i bočnoj strani tijela, nego li na ostalim dijelovima tijela, dok je vrsta Ixodes ricinus uzorkovana u signifikantno većem broju na glavi i bočnoj strani tijela psa. Na gradskim psima vrsta Ixodes ricinus uzorkovana je u signifikantno većem broju na glavi i vratu, nego li na ostalim dijelovima tijela, a vrsta Dermacentor reticulatus uzorkovana je u signifikantno većem broju na vratu. Najbronija vrsta krpelja na oba područja (selo i grad) je Ixodes ricinus.

The algal and macrophytic occurrence in the pit lakes of the wider area of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina) was investigated in 2008. The purpose of this investigation was to establish the qualitative composition and the relative abundance of the phytobenthos and epiphyton communities and the structure of the aquatic vegetation in the littoral area of the seven pit lakes. The basic physical and chemical parameters were measured and in total 73 algal taxa and 8 macrophytic species were determined. Most of the algal species belonged to Bacillariophyceae. The macrophytic vegetation was differentiated into two types of habitat. Using the statistical method of the numeric classification, a grouping of samples of phytobenthos and epiphyton compared to the habitat type in which samples were taken was established., Struktura zajednica algi i makrofita je istraživana tijekom 2008. godine na umjetnim jezerima koja su nastala na mjestima okončane površinske eksploatacije ugljena u široj okolici Tuzle (Bosna i Hercegovina). Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrđivanje kvalitativnog sastava i relativne brojnosti algi i makrofita u litoralnom području sedam umjetnih jezera. Mjereni su osnovni fizikalno-kemijski pokazatelji, a u uzorcima algi su utvrđena 73 taksona algi, od kojih su najzastupljenije bile dijatomeje. Makrofitska vegetacija s determiniranih 8 vrsta diferencirana je u dva tipa staništa. Koristeći se statističkom metodom numeričke klasifikacije, utvrđeno je grupiranje uzoraka fitobentosa i epifitona u odnosu na tip staništa na kome su uzorkovani.