Ecological study of a high-mountain stream ecosystem (Hincov potok, High Tatra Mountains, Slovakia)

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The objective of this study is to describe a high-mountain stream ecosystem, with the main emphasis on particulate organic matter, structure of food guilds and the impact of predation upon macroinvertebrates. In the brook Hincov the concentration of total phosphorus and coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) increased considerably with the increase in water flow that occurred at spring snow melt; fine organic matter (FPOM) and ultrafine organic matter (UFPOM) peaked in summer. Moss predominated during the cold period, whereas the biomass of periphyton was higher from March to November than in winter. Production of macrozoobenthos peaked in May, when water flow and benthic detritus reached their maximum and water temperature was rising, and dropped during summer. The macroinvertebrate food guilds indicated that this high-mountain stream is a typical autotrophic system. Annual production of macrozoobenthos was very low (2.4 g×m-²×yr-¹ dry weight) and influenced by fish predation. An unusual phenomenon was observed: the production of macrozoobenthos declined due to trout predation despite the increasing temperature of the stream. Macroinvertebrate production in comparable biotopes with no fish was two-times higher. Retention and turnover times of organic matter corresponded to those recorded in a recent study for springs in the same region. In contrast, transport and turnover of organic matter were analogous to the situation in larger streams with high greater flows of water. … full description

Bibliographic Details

Main Author

Iľja Krno, 1950-

Other Authors

Ferdinand Šporka, 1951- , Elena Štefková, Eva Tirjaková, Peter Bitušík, 1957- , Eva Bulánková, 1951- , Jozef Lukáš, Daniela Illéšová, Tomáš Derka, 1971- , Jozef Tomajka, Jaroslav Černý

Document Type

Articles

Physical Description

Grafy.

Published in

Acta Societatis zoologicae Bohemicae. -- ISSN 1211-376X. -- Roč. 69, č. 3-4 (2006), s. 299-316

Subjects

biologická systematika

bentos

biological systematics

benthos

Slovensko

Slovakia

Evropa střední

Europe, Central

palearktická oblast

Palearktic

taxonomie > vysokohorské potoky > organická hmota > pstruhový predátor > taxonomy > high-mountain stream > organic matter > production > trout predation > stream metabolism > river continuum

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