Aleksandar Bozic
Fruška Gora Mountain is the first officially declared national park in Serbia. At an altitude of 539m, it is one of the last forest areas in the Vojvodina, the northern part of Serbia. Fruška Gora is rich in small streams and lakes and is home to many aquatic insects. Modern urbanization and climate changes are leading to the drying up of aquatic ecosystems and thus to a decline in caddisfly habitats. Our goal is to monitor the condition of aquatic habitats, by studying the biodiversity and ecology of Trichoptera, which will help us take future steps in freshwater management.
Helicopsyche bacescui, larva. ©Aleksandar Bozic.
Caddiesflies are very important bioindicators of freshwater and generally their important role in the ecosystem is not recognized. Knowledge of the biodiversity of these insects is very useful for good water management and the prevention of water pollution. The order Trichoptera includes more than 16,000 described species, which is more than the number of all other primary aquatic insect orders (Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera) together. Trichoptera are one of the three insect orders belonging to the EPT group and are considered important bioindicators of freshwater quality. Because Fruška Gora is very rich in streams and springs important for the environment and yet capture of these springs is still an ongoing process, we decided to research the biodiversity of Trichoptera to prevent the degradation of ecosystems in Fruška Gora, but also in other parts of Vojvodina and Serbia.
Moharac lake, Fruska Gora. ©Aleksandar Bozic.
Since Trichoptera inhabit fragile ecosystems that are under strong anthropogenic influence, the conservation of their populations in these ecosystems is our main task. Unfortunately, due to over exploitation and degradation, many ecosystems in Serbia, including the Fruška Gora NP, are endangered by species loss, water pollution, spring capture, deforestation and agricultural development. In this sense, our research will lead to a better knowledge of sensitive species, which are important indicators of freshwater ecosystems.
Header: Limnephilus flavicornis. ©Aleksandar Bozic.