STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF RIVER ECOSYSTEMS’ BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF MINERAL WATER FLUX

Abstract

The Government of the Republic of Armenia strives to ensure a better management of surface water resources by establishing regular hydrobiological monitoring system in accordance with the EU WFD requirements. However, there is a very limited use of biological quality elements in monitoring of the ecological status of surface waters due in part to a lack of studies on their reflection towards different stressors. Thus, the aim of the study was to estimate the structural changes of benthic macroinvertebrates and macrophytes under the influence of the mineral water flux. The hyperlocal studies have been conducted in the area where the single stressor is mineral water. The results have shown that benthic macro invertebrates are more sensitive towards mineral water flux than macrophytes which allowed also to conclude on the higher efficiency of use of macrophytes in the estimation of water trophic status in case of mixed effects of organic pollution and mineral waters.