Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened in the world, while providing numerous essential ecosystem services (ES) to humans. Despite their importance, research on freshwater ecosystem ...services is limited. Here, we examine how freshwater studies could help to advance ES research and vice versa. We summarize major knowledge gaps and suggest solutions focusing on science and policy in Europe. We found several features that are unique to freshwater ecosystems, but often disregarded in ES assessments. Insufficient transfer of knowledge towards stakeholders is also problematic. Knowledge transfer and implementation seems to be less effective towards South-east Europe. Focusing on the strengths of freshwater research regarding connectivity, across borders, involving multiple actors can help to improve ES research towards a more dynamic, landscape-level approach, which we believe can boost the implementation of the ES concept in freshwater policies. Bridging these gaps can contribute to achieve the ambitious targets of the EU’s Green Deal.
The
zooplankton community was analysed in two intermittent salt lakes in Serbia – Lake Velika and Lake Mala Rusanda. Samples were collected twice a month during the wet phase between March and May. A ...total of 15 zooplankton taxa were identified. Crustaceans were more diverse in Lake Mala Rusanda. The communities of both lakes were composed mainly of cosmopolitan, generalist, euryhaline species. Strictly haline species such as
Brachionus asplanchnoidis
and
Arctodiaptomus spinosus
were the dominant components of the zooplankton communities in both lakes.
Arctodiaptomus spinosus
was most abundant in March and April, accounting for up to 50% of all zooplankton specimens found in a sample. The proportion of juvenile stages of
A. spinosus
was highest in the March and early April samples. The ratio of males to females varied and was likely related to swarming behaviour as part of the species’ reproductive strategy.
Although the long-term exposure of aquatic organisms to cyanobacterial blooms is a regular occurrence in the environment, the prooxidant and neurotoxic effects of such conditions are still ...insufficiently investigated in situ. We examined the temporal dynamics of the biochemical parameters in the liver of Pelophylax kl. esculentus frogs that inhabit the northern (N) side of Lake Ludaš (Serbia) with microcystins (MCs) produced in a cyanobacterial bloom over three summer months. The obtained data were compared with data on frogs that live on the southern (S), MC-free side of the same lake. Our results showed that the MC-producing bloom induced oxidative damage to proteins and lipids, observed as a decrease in the concentration of protein –SH groups and increased lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the liver of N frogs in comparison to S frogs. Glutathione (GSH) played a key role in the transient defense against the MC-induced development of LPO. The low glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity detected in all groups of frogs from the N site was crucial for the observed prooxidant consequences. The bloom impaired cholinergic homeostasis as a result of a decrease in ChE activity. A delayed neurotoxic effect in relation to the prooxidant outcomes was observed. Our results also showed that even though the integrated biomarker response (IBR) of the antioxidant biomarkers increased during exposure, the individual biochemical parameters did not exhibit a well-defined time-dependent pattern because of specific adaptation dynamics and/or additional effects of the physicochemical parameters of the water. This comprehensive environmental ecotoxicological evaluation of the cyanobacterial bloom-induced biochemical alterations in the liver of frogs provides a new basis for further investigations of the prolonged, real-life ecotoxicity of the blooms.
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•Long-term in situ exposure to a cyanobacterial bloom affects biomarkers in frogs.•An MC-producing bloom induces oxidative damage of hepatic proteins and lipids.•The bloom impairs cholinergic homeostasis through a decrease in ChE activity.•Complex environmental factors can modify the toxicity of blooms.•Further studies of prolonged, real-life ecotoxicity of blooms are warranted.
Soda pans are protected in the European Union as Natura 2000 areas in the category of “Pannonic saline steppes and marshes”. There are at least six soda pans of reference status in Serbia and only a ...half have strict legal protection. The number of similar, but disturbed (modified) habitats that could be reconstructed is still unknown. We conducted sampling in five natural and two disturbed soda pans aiming to compare a difference in physical and chemical water properties and benthic diatom communities. In addition, we tried to apply recently developed Diatom Index for Soda Pans (DISP) and Trait-based index (TBI) to test the applicability of taxonomic and trait-based approaches in ecological status assessment of soda pans in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin. In contrast to natural soda pans, lower pH and nutrients levels were recorded in disturbed pans. A total of 86 taxa of benthic diatoms, including 11 new for diatom flora of Serbia, were identified. A lower species richness and Shannon index was recorded in natural soda pans.
Nitzschia austriaca, N. supralitorea
,
Navicula veneta
and
N. wiesneri
were dominant diatoms in soda pans of the reference status. Both diatom indices were in average lower in disturbed pans, and this difference was statistically significant for DISP index. We concluded that two indices, supplemented with indicator values for some local diatom species, can be a promising tool for soda pan conservation in this part of the Carpathian Basin.
To market products with geographical indications in the best possible way, it is necessary to examine the attitudes and habits of consumers. The subject of this paper is a survey on habits and ...attitudes of consumers about products with GI in Serbia. The aim of this paper is to examine the level of familiarity, attitudes, and habits of consumers, as well as to determine the knowledge and interest in these products. Citizens of Serbia participated in the research (n = 399). The methodology is based on a questionnaire that obtained the data that were processed via t-test statistical methods for independent samples, one-factor analysis of variance, the χ² test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Based on the conducted research, it can be stated that about 70% of respondents are willing to pay a higher price for these products.
•Effect of a MC producing cyanobacterial bloom on the biochemical parameters in frogs was studied.•Bloom conditions induced protein carbonylation and inhibition of GSH-dependent machinery in the ...skin.•Cyanobacterial bloom prooxidant toxicity in the muscle was overcome due to GST activity.•Cyanobacterial bloom conditions evoked ChE activity in both tissues.•It is required to disclose the complex mechanisms involved in cyanobacterial bloom toxicity in real environmental conditions.
There is little information in scientific literature as to how conditions created by a microcystin (MC) producing cyanobacterial bloom affect the oxidant/antioxidant, biotransformation and neurotoxicity parameters in adult frogs in situ. We investigated biochemical parameters in the skin and muscle of Pelophylax kl. esculentus from Lake Ludaš (Serbia) by comparing frogs that live on the northern bloom side (BS) of the lake with those that inhabit the southern no-bloom side (NBS). A higher protein carbonylation level and lower antioxidant defense system capability in the skin of frogs living in conditions of the cyanobacterial bloom were observed. Inhibition of glutathione-dependent machinery was the major mechanism responsible for the induction of cyanobacterial bloom-mediated oxidative stress in frog skin. On the other hand, the detected higher ability of muscle to overcome bloom prooxidant toxicity was linked to a higher efficiency of the biotransformation system through glutathione-S-transferase activity and/or was the consequence of indirect exposure of the tissue to the bloom. Our results have also revealed that the cyanobacterial bloom conditions induced the cholinergic neurotransmitter system in both tissues. This study provides a better understanding of the ecotoxicological impact of the MC producing cyanobacterial bloom on frogs in situ. However, further investigations of the complex mechanism involved in cyanobacterial bloom toxicity in real environmental conditions are required.
Current knowledge of the microbiota of soda pans of the Carpathian Basin focuses mainly on diatoms. In studying six soda pans in Vojvodina (Serbia), we aimed to gain deeper insights into the diatom ...community by using not only traditional microscopic analysis but also high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. In addition, this study aimed to evaluate bacterial communities in these soda pans for the first time using the 16S rRNA gene marker. Although similar numbers of diatom taxa were found using both approaches, a significant discrepancy in species composition was found. The genus
Nitzschia
was one of the most represented and numerous genera according to the morphological and molecular analyses, but with lower diversity according to the molecular data, with the sequences mostly unassigned. Another major discrepancy was noticed with taxon
Halamphora veneta
, the results of metabarcoding showed high abundance in almost all soda pans, while microscopy detected it as very low. Diverse communities of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were detected in the studied soda pans, such as
Proteobacteria
,
Bacteroidota
,
Actinobacteria
,
Bacillaceae
, and
Peptoclostridium
. According to current knowledge, harsh environmental conditions and habitat homogeneity regulate diatom and bacteria community composition and enable the survival of taxa with predominantly high ecophysiological plasticity. Finally, uncovering the structure of the microbial community as the first phase in developing an efficient tool to assess the ecological status of these fragile ecosystems is an essential step towards their conservation.
Gastronomy, as one of the most important segments in tourism, allows tourists to discover the cultural roots of the destination, so it is motives for planning a tourist visit. This paper is a pilot ...study for Belgrade, and therefore can be used for other destinations in the country and the world. The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes of employees about the impression of guest tourists on the gastronomic offer of Belgrade. The methodology used in this paper is based on a questionnaire (n = 303), the survey was conducted among employees in the hospitality sector.Based on the obtained results it is proven that the guests are satisfied with the offer of food and drinks, and that traditional cousine and beverage are motives for visiting the restaurant. It can be concluded that when visiting a restaurant, the gastronomic offer is an important segment in the overall experience.
Combining morphological and molecular approaches, a new diatom species is described in the genus Mayamaea from a Special Nature Reserve, Okanj bara in Serbia, an alkaline and subsaline soda pan with ...pronounced seasonal drying. Mayamaea pannonica sp. nov. possesses typical characteristics of the genus Mayamaea, such as uniseriate striae and hymenes that cover the areolae from the outside. It can easily be distinguished from similar species by the valve outline and shape of the central area. Although presently no culture of the species is available, we identified in an amplicon data set from the same sample a partial 18S rRNA gene sequence that is thought to represent the new species, with high probability. A comparison of our sequence to those present in the Diat.barcode and NCBI databases showed that the sequence is closely related to, but significantly different from, that of Mayamaea terrestris. Natural saline habitats in Serbia and neighbouring countries are under anthropogenic threat and climate change, so knowing which species live here is the first step in preserving these unique habitats.
Tourism is one of the areas that has begun to develop in the last few year and one of the main reasons for that represent the intensive development of gastronomy. !e development of gastronomy and a ...quality offer of food and beverages is one of the means for ensuring the quality of the guest in a restaurant. Special attention in the gastronomic area is represented by the gastroenolic offer, ie the offer of food and wine, which requires special attention to the food on the plate and the wine that is served with it. This paper will present the results obtained after conducting research in several Belgrade restaurants in order to examine the satisfaction of users with their gastroenological offer. Over the past years, the literature has been enriched by numerous studies which examines the factors that affect the level of satisfaction with gastroenological offers which includes includes gender, age, education, occupation, family status. After detailed analysis of the obtained results, it has been concluded that the guests of Belgrade restaurants are satisfied with the gastrooenological offer, but a small percentage of respondents, who are not satisfied with this offer, increase the need for improve catering services and also gastroenological offer.
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