engleski

Spatio-temporal variability of environmental parameters in the intermittent Dinaric karst rivers

Flow intermittency, manifested in drying and rewetting events, is the main driver of ecological processes in intermittent rivers. It leads to an alternation of aquatic and terrestrial phases, forming a habitat mosaic of lotic, lentic and terrestrial patches, and resulting in spatio- temporal variability of environmental parameters. The objective of this study is to determine spatio-temporal differences in multiple environmental parameters in the intermittent Dinaric karst rivers. The study was conducted at four intermittent rivers belonging to the Adriatic watershed: the Krčić, Čikola, Guduča and Miljašić Jaruga rivers, with three study sites per river. Water and soil environmental parameters were measured in situ by point sampling at each study site and by continuous sampling using data loggers. Physico-chemical water parameters measured by point sampling with multiple replicates (e.g. temperature, velocity, pH, nitrate concentration), differed significantly among the studied sites. Physico-chemical soil parameters were measured in three main habitat types: dry riverbed, riparian and adjacent upland habitats. Statistically significant differences in soil temperature, moisture and pH were recorded using statistical models for both point and continuous sampling. These results indicate that differences in mean values of environmental parameters among the studied habitat types can be determined with equal efficiency by point sampling with multiple replicates and continuous sampling using data loggers.

intermittent rivers ; dry riverbed

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