Studies on benthic macroinvertebrates - Environmental and anthropogenic aspects

Introduction

SCIENTIFIC PROBLEMS AND HISTORY OF BENTHOLOGICAL WORKSHOPS

On May 17-19, 2007, the XIV Benthological Workshop on the subject „Hydromorphological assessment of water ecosystems” was held in Turawa, Opole Region in southwestern Poland. The meeting was organized by the Department of Land Protection of the University of Opole and by the Benthological Section of the Polish Hydrobiological Society. The workshop schedule was divided into two parts, namely theoretical and practical ones. The main aims of the first part were: (1) presentation and discussion of the research trends and current surveys of freshwater zoobenthos, (2) presentation of the River Habitat Survey (RHS) system, which is defined as “ecological status and classification of running water ecosystems” according to the EC Water Framework Directive. The RHS system was carried out as a field training to recognize the hydromorphological approach in river ecosystem classification. Additionally, a laboratory training was performed on caddiesflies (Trichoptera) identification. More than 60 participants from most of the hydrobiological research centers in Poland actively attended the Workshop. During the meeting, one plenary lecture on the RHS method/system as well as 14 oral communications and 31 posters within the scope of benthic fauna were presented. The majority of presentations focused on two general themes: (1) biodiversity and distribution of benthic assemblages/communities as well as individual taxa (e.i. Oligochaeta, Ostracoda, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Gastropoda) in relation to habitat
of the freshwater ecosystems, (2) benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of current status and changes in quality of water environment. A few presentations concerned the fish pressure on macroinvertebrates. The present volume contains 13 papers illustrating problems, which were presented and discussed during the Workshop.

History of the Benthological Workshops

A Benthological Workshop is an annual meeting of research workers interested in bottom fauna surveys, which has been organized by various Polish scientific centers since 1994. The Workshops took place on the initiative of the Benthological Section of the Polish Hydrobiological Society, established during the XV Polish Hydrobiologists Meeting in Gdynia in 1992 year. The first board of the Section was represented by Andrzej Kownacki (chairman), Małgorzata Kłonowska-Olejnik and Ryszard Kornijów (members), and was also the organizer of the first Workshop. Its aim was to integrate hydrobiologists interested in benthic invertebrates, exchanging of scientific information, and expanding practical usage of researches on zoobenthos in evaluation of water enviroment. Chronological order of the Benthological Workshops:
• I Workshop – Zakopane, 20-21 May 1994, entitled “Structure, functioning and protection of mountain water ecosystems”, organizers: M.Kłonowska Olejnik (Jagiellonian University in Kraków) and R. Kornijów (Agricultural University in Lublin).
• II Workshop – Piaseczno, 2-3 June 1995, “Ecology of water ecosystems of Polesie Lubelskie”, chairman of an organizing committee: R.Kornijów (Agricultural University in Lublin).
• III Workshop – Lidzbark Welski, 14-15 September 1996, “Using of bottom fauna in biomonitoring of running waters in Poland”, chairman: Lucyna Koprowska (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, former University of Agriculture and Technology).
• IV Workshop – Siedlce, 5-7 June 1997, “Bottom fauna of small freshwater bodies and streams”, chairmen: Teresa Nesteruk and Beata Jakubik (University of Podlasie in Siedlce, former Higher Teacher Training School).
• V Workshop – Bromierzyk, 4-7 June 1998, “Hydrobiological studies of small water bodies”, chairmen: Grzegorz Tończyk and Małgorzata Klukowska (University of Łódź).
• VI Workshop – Ojców, 27-29 May 1999, “Fauna of carst surface water and underground water”, chairmen: Elżbieta Dumnicka and Joanna Galas (Karol Starmach Department of Freshwater Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków).
• VII Workshop – Jeziory, 25-27 May 2000, “Benthic fauna of lakes”, chairman Piotr Domek (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań).
• VIII Workshop – Mikołajki, 9-12 May 2001, “Mazovian Great Lakes, threat and protection”, chairman: Andrzej Kołodziejczyk (University of Warsaw).
• IX Workshop – Toruń-Bachotek, 15-17 May 2002, “Benthic fauna of shallow lakes”, chairman: Janusz Żbikowski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń).
• X Workshop – Poznań-Ciążeń, 8-10 May 2003, “Studies on benthic fauna in various water types”, chairman: Piotr Domek (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań).
• XI Workshop – Jastrzębia Góra-Gdańsk, 6-8 May 2004, “Biodiversity of a bottom environment of water bodies”, chairman: Tadeusz Namiotko (Unviersity of Gdańsk).
• XII Workshop – Warszawa-Giżycko, 12-14 May 2005, chairman: Andrzej Kołodziejczyk (University of Warsaw).
• XIII Workshop – Ochotnica-Kraków, 18-20 May 2006,”The application of hydrology to biological studies of running waters”, chairman: Małgorzata Kłonowska-Olejnik (Jagiellonian University in Kraków).
• XIV Workshop – Opole-Turawa, 17-19 May 2007, “Hydromorfological assessment of water ecosystems”, chairman: Izabela Czerniawska-Kusza (University of Opole).