Application of the River Habitat Survey Method in the Assessment of the Human Pressure Within the Lowland River Catchment: The Mollusc Biodiversity Versus Habitat Features
2024
Iga Lewin | Przemysław Śmietana | Joanna Pakulnicka | Robert Stryjecki | Edyta Stępień-Zawal | Vladimir Pešić | Aleksandra Bańkowska | Agnieszka Szlauer-Łukaszewska | Grzegorz Michoński | Magdalena Achrem | Maja Krakowiak | Dominik Zawadzki | Tapas Chatterjee | Andrzej Zawal
The objectives of our study were to analyse the degree of human pressure within the lowland river catchment in relation to the mollusc communities and to assess the usefulness of the River Habitat Survey as a field method in determining the human pressure in the mollusc biodiversity context. The River Habitat Survey (RHS), an essential method for hydromorphological studies of rivers under the requirements of the European Union Water Framework Directive, was applied. This study showed that the diversity of molluscs was impacted by several environmental factors acting simultaneously, including pH, concentration of ammonium nitrogen in water, and the habitat features depending on the degree of human pressure on the river. The result of the RHS method confirmed that the occurrence of molluscs including Unio crassus and Pseudanodonta complanata, the endangered species on a global scale, was associated with the extensive presence of several natural habitat features in the river channel. The RHS method proved to be an indispensable tool for assessing the relationships between the diversity of aquatic organisms and the degree of habitat anthropogenic modification of river environments. It seems innovative and necessary, especially in restoring the natural character of rivers.
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