Diversity and ecology of diatoms from peat bog at Pester plateau (Serbia)

Abstract

The subjects of the study were various types of diatom communities including epiphytes, benthos and plankton of the peat bog at Pešter plateau. A specific diatom flora inhabits all types of communities, comprising in total 250 taxa in 53 genera. Among them 46 taxa were new records to the Serbian diatom flora. The most abundant genera were Pinnularia (23), Gomphonema (22), Nitzschia (22) and Navicula (17). The most dominant taxon in all diatom communities was Achnanthidium minutissimum var. minutissimum. Also, in benthic and epiphytic diatom communities were dominant Psammothidium subatomoides and Staurosira mutabilis, respectively. Peat bog at Pešter plateau was characterized by high diversity of diatoms. The results of the diatom indices calculation using OMNIDIA software show low organic pollution and low anthropogenic eutrophication.