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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 76(6)

Environmental drivers shaping mayfly assemblages in a Ramsar-declared Danube floodplain

Marina Vilenica https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2053-2461 A * , Viktorija Ergović https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4580-3221 B , Antun Alegro C , Vedran Šegota C , Anja Rimac C , José Manuel Tierno de Figueroa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1616-9815 D , Manuel Jesús López-Rodríguez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6707-0992 E and Zlatko Mihaljević C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Trg Matice Hrvatske 12, HR-44250 Petrinja, Croatia.

B Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Ulica Cara Hadrijana 8/A, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia. Email: viktorija.ergovic@biologija.unios.hr

C Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Email: antun.alegro@biol.pmf.unizg.hr; vedran.segota@biol.pmf.unizg.hr; anja.rimac@biol.pmf.unizg.hr; zlatko.mihaljevic@biol.pmf.unizg.hr

D Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain. Email: jmtdef@ugr.es

E Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain. Email: manujlr@ugr.es

* Correspondence to: marina.vilenica@ufzg.hr

Handling Editor: Richard Marchant

Marine and Freshwater Research 76, MF25022 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF25022
Submitted: 2 February 2025  Accepted: 26 March 2025  Published: 16 April 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Floodplains play an important role in regulating regional water and nutrient cycles in riverscapes, also supporting high biodiversity. However, ecological requirements of aquatic macroinvertebrates in such habitats are still not sufficiently studied.

Aims

We analysed mayfly assemblages in two habitat types (near natural and anthropogenically disturbed) in a Danube floodplain.

Methods

Over a 2-year period, the mayfly nymphs were sampled at a total of 14 study sites in each season by using a benthos hand-net.

Key results

We recorded a low (five species) mayfly species richness. Owing to the reduced influence of the Danube River, i.e. the lower water level fluctuations and the greater habitat heterogeneity, the mayfly taxonomic and functional assemblage metrics were significantly higher in anthropogenically disturbed habitats than in near natural ones. Mayfly assemblages were correlated with higher macrophyte abundance and species richness, pH and water transparency, and lower oxygen and nitrate concentrations in the water.

Conclusions

Our results confirmed the high value of habitat heterogeneity for the conservation of aquatic macroinvertebrates in extreme habitats such as floodplains of large lowland rivers.

Implications

Those results can be used in planning management activities of freshwater habitats in protected areas.

Keywords: anthropogenic impact, aquatic macrophytes, Danube, Ephemeroptera, habitat heterogeneity, large lowland rivers, lentic habitats, life-history traits.

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