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Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 May 2025) | Viewed by 6015

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Dr. Dariusz Halabowski

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Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Banacha 12/16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland
Interests: biological invasions; ecology; environmental sciences; hydrobiology; water management; water monitoring
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater species are globally threatened by overexploitation, pollution, habitat destruction, and invasive species, necessitating urgent conservation assessments. Species decline underscores the need for robust monitoring aligned with international conservation targets. The IUCN Red List plays a pivotal role in evaluating extinction risk in over 30,000 species, highlighting the critical condition of freshwater biodiversity, including concerning trends in freshwater taxa. Despite the establishment of some initiatives, like the use of environmental DNA for species detection, monitoring remains inadequate, highlighting a gap in protection efforts. Addressing these challenges requires enhanced monitoring and strategic conservation efforts to safeguard freshwater ecosystems and their diverse inhabitants.

This Special Issue entitled "Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment" presents a critical examination of biodiversity within freshwater ecosystems and an assessment of the environmental health, distribution, and threats faced by aquatic species. It emphasizes the development of freshwater species monitoring systems for pollution assessment and the integration of environmental monitoring data with toxicological information. This issue also focuses on the application of scientific principles in designing monitoring systems on various scales and the use of monitoring data to evaluate natural resource management and pollution risk. It highlights technical advancements in environmental monitoring, covering a wide range of pollutants and examining systems for estimating exposure at both the individual and population levels. Through these discussions, this issue aims to provide insights into managing renewable natural resources and assessing anthropogenic impacts at the species and ecosystem levels.

Dr. Dariusz Halabowski
Guest Editor

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Keywords

freshwater species
monitoring and ssessment
conservation
biodiversity
pollution assessment
anthropogenic impact
species indicator
invasive species
environmental emergency
management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Algal Community Dynamics in Three Water Intakes of Poyang Lake: Implications for Drinking Water Safety and Management Strategies

by Bo Li, Jing Li, Yuehang Hu, Shaozhe Cheng, Shouchun Li and Xuezhi Zhang

Water 2025, 17(13), 2034; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132034 - 7 Jul 2025

Viewed by 195

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate phytoplankton dynamics and water quality at three drinking water intakes (Duchang, Hukou, and Xingzi) in Poyang Lake through monthly monitoring from May 2023 to April 2024. The results showed that a total of 168 species of phytoplankton were identified in nine phyla, and there were significant spatial and temporal differences in the abundance of phytoplankton at the three waterworks intakes, with a spatial trend of annual mean values of Duchang > Xingzi > Hukou and a seasonal trend of summer and autumn > spring and winter. The dominant species of phytoplankton in the waterworks intakes of the three waterworks also showed obvious spatial and temporal differences. Cyanobacteria (particularly Pseudanabaena sp. and Microcystis sp.) dominated the phytoplankton communities during summer and autumn, demonstrating significant water degradation potential. In contrast, Cyclotella sp. prevailed in winter and spring assemblages. Based on water quality assessments at the three intake sites, the Duchang County intake exhibited year-round mild eutrophication with persistent mild cyanobacterial blooms (June–October), while the other two sites maintained no obvious bloom conditions. Further analyzing the toxic/odor-producing algal strains, the numbers of dominant species of Pseudanabaena sp. and Microcystis sp. in June–October in Duchang County both exceeded 1.0 × 10⁷ cells·L⁻¹. It is necessary to focus on their release of ATX-a (ichthyotoxin-a), 2MIB (2-Methylisoborneol), MCs (microcystins), etc., to ensure the safety of the water supply at the intake. Building upon these findings, we propose a generalized algal monitoring framework, encompassing three operational pillars: (1) key monitoring area identification, (2) high-risk period determination, and (3) harmful algal warnings. Each of these is substantiated by our empirical observations in Poyang Lake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment)

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22 pages, 2333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Assessment of Rivers Under Anthropogenic Pressure: Testing Biological Indices Across Abiotic Types of Rivers

by Dariusz Halabowski, Iga Lewin, Małgorzata Bąk, Wojciech Płaska, Joanna Rosińska, Jacek Rechulicz and Małgorzata Dukowska

Water 2025, 17(12), 1817; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17121817 - 18 Jun 2025

Viewed by 279

Abstract

The ecological assessment of rivers under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the use of biological quality elements (BQEs) across defined abiotic types of rivers. However, limited evidence exists on how well biological indices perform across multiple typological classes, particularly under the influence of complex, overlapping stressors. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of four biological indices (IO—diatoms, MIR—macrophytes, MMI_PL—benthic macroinvertebrates, and EFI + PL—fish) in 16 river sites in southern Poland. These were classified into four abiotic types (5, 6, 12, and 17) and subjected to varying levels of human pressure. Biological, physical and chemical, and hydromorphological data were collected along environmental gradients including conductivity, nutrient enrichment, and habitat modification. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate patterns in community composition and index responsiveness. The IO and MMI_PL indices were the most consistent and sensitive in distinguishing between reference and degraded river conditions. MIR and EFI + PL were more variable, especially in lowland rivers, and showed stronger associations with habitat structure and oxygen levels. Conductivity emerged as a key driver of biological responses across all BQEs, with clear taxonomical shifts observed. The results support the need to consider both typological context and local environmental variation in ecological classification. The findings underscore the need for typology-aware, pressure-specific biomonitoring strategies that combine multiple organism groups and integrate continuous environmental variables. Such approaches can enhance the ecological realism and diagnostic accuracy of river assessment systems, supporting more effective water resource management across diverse hydroecological contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment)

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16 pages, 1475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Domestic Pollution on European Brook Lamprey Ammocoetes in a Lowland River: Insights from Microbiological Analysis

by Grzegorz Zięba, Magdalena Moryl, Dominika Drzewiecka, Mirosław Przybylski, Kacper Pyrzanowski and Joanna Grabowska

Water 2024, 16(16), 2349; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16162349 - 21 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1219

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of water faecal contamination on highly threatened European brook lamprey larvae (Lampetra planeri). Water samples and the midgut contents of lampreys collected from a small lowland river upstream (site 1) and downstream from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge (site 2) were analysed to check how the faecal microbial load of the habitat is reflected in the intestines of larval lampreys. The counts of viable mesophiles, psychrophiles, Escherichia coli and faecal streptococci as bacterial indicators of microbial (including faecal) water contamination were estimated. Microbial composition and abundance in larval midgut contents depended on the numbers of various microorganisms in the water environment. At site 2, the water was heavily microbiologically contaminated throughout the year by sewage inflow from the WWTP, and the amounts of studied bacteria were also high in the midgut of lampreys inhabiting site 2 regardless of the season. At site 1, water quality was better, and the levels of tested microbial indicators were lower in the intestines of the lampreys living there. The numbers of bacteria dependent on water temperature were growing in warmer seasons both in water and in intestines. Sewage pollution negatively influenced the condition of lampreys in site 2, where they exhibited lower body condition than in site 1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment)

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12 pages, 2488 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Stream Algal Biomass Associations with Environmental Variables in a Temperate Rainforest

by Elsa K. Toskey, Stephen M. Bollens, Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens, Peter M. Kiffney, Kyle D. Martens and Bernard T. Bormann

Water 2024, 16(11), 1533; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111533 - 27 May 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1412

Abstract

Benthic algae and autotrophic seston are important bases of stream food webs, and several different environmental factors may influence their biomass. We explored how benthic algae and autotrophic seston biomass (using chlorophyll-a as a proxy for algal biomass) were associated with stream temperature, channel width, canopy cover, stream cardinal orientation, benthic macroinvertebrate functional feeding group abundance, salmonid biomass, and water velocity in 16 small, fish-bearing streams in the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, in the summer of 2020. We performed a mixed-effects regression analysis of extracted chlorophyll-a (chl-a) and then used model averaging to determine significant (α = 0.05) algal–environmental associations for benthic algae and autotrophic seston separately. We found that benthic algae chl-a concentration increased significantly with stream temperature (p = 0.0085) and decreased significantly with water velocity (p = 0.0053). For autotrophic seston, we found that chl-a concentration increased significantly with benthic macroinvertebrate predator abundance (p = 0.0007) and stream temperature (p = 0.0160). This study underscores the need to consider a broad range of environmental variables when making research and management decisions concerning stream ecology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment)

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Review

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21 pages, 814 KiB

Open AccessReview

Aquatic Fungi as Bioindicators of Freshwater Ecosystems

by Juliana Barros, Sarra Ben Tanfous and Sahadevan Seena

Water 2024, 16(23), 3404; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233404 - 26 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2147

Abstract

Aquatic fungi, especially aquatic hyphomycetes, are promising bioindicators for assessing the health and integrity of freshwater ecosystems. Their sensitivity to a wide range of environmental stressors, coupled with their essential roles in ecological processes such as organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, establish them as important tools for monitoring ecological disturbances. By examining aquatic fungal responses at various biological levels—from molecular mechanisms to ecosystem dynamics—ecologists are able to uncover valuable information about the functioning of freshwater habitats. Despite challenges such as the complexity of fungal communities and knowledge gaps, the prospects for using aquatic fungi as bioindicators are encouraging. Advancing research and technological innovations are expected to refine our understanding of the ecological roles of aquatic fungi and enhance their use in detecting impacts on freshwater ecosystems. The inclusion of these organisms in environmental monitoring programmes alongside other bioindicators could significantly improve our ability to detect and mitigate the effects of both natural and anthropogenic environmental changes, leading to more effective conservation strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Species: Status, Monitoring and Assessment)

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