Thermotolerant coliform counts and nutrient levels as indicators of water quality in sub-Mediterranean karst river

Objective: To evaluate temporal and spatial nutrient level regimes and thermotolerant coliform counts (TTC) as water quality determinants.Methods: The annual research was conducted from November 2014 to November 2015, over six sampling seasons at seven selected sites within the greater City of Mostar, the regional centre of Herzegovina. For determination of physical, chemical and microbiological parametres Standard Methods for the Examination od Water and Wastewater (APHA, 1995) were used.Results: The results indicate that nutrient levels are within prescribed limits, although they are raised along a longitudinal gradient, correlating with wastewater outlests. The water quality was found to be within the I/II class during all tested seasons, suggesting that the river Neretva is in good condition and meets the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000).The TTC counts, however indicate a high level of contamination, due to communal wastewater outlets.Conclusions: Raised nutrient and bacterial contents are noted in high number of waterways,worldwide. Hence a more thorough investigation from epidemiological and toxicological aspects is warranted for setting the water quality standards.

Fagus sylvatica and Quercus pyrenaica:Two neighbors with few things in common

Background:The Iberian Peninsula comprises one of the largest boundaries between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian vegetation,known as sub-Mediterranean zone.This ecotone hosts many unique plant species and communities and constitutes the low-latitude(warm)margin of numerous central European species which co-occur with Mediterranean vegetation.Two of the main species found in this region are the Eurosiberian European beech(Fagus sylvatica L.)and the Mediterranean Pyrenean oak(Quercus pyrenaica Willd.).It remains unclear how the different physiological and adaptive strategies of these two species reflect their niche partitioning within a subMediterranean community and to what extent phenotypic variation(intraspecific variability)is driving niche partitioning across Eurosiberian and Mediterranean species.Methods:We quantified functional niche partitioning,based on the n-dimensional hypervolume to nine traits related to resource acquisition strategies(leaf,stem and root)plus relative growth rate as an additional wholeplant trait,and the environmental niche similarity between Pyrenean oak and European beech.Further,we analyzed the degree of phenotypic variation of both target species and its relationship with relative growth rates(RGR)and environmental conditions.Plant recruitment was measured for both target species as a proxy for the average fitness.Results:Species’functional space was highly segregated(13.09%overlap),mainly due to differences in niche breadth(59.7%)rather than niche replacement(25.6%),and beech showed higher trait variability,i.e.,had larger functional space.However,both species shared the environmental space,i.e.,environmental niches were overlapped.Most plant traits were not related to abiotic variables or RGR,neither did RGR to plant traits.Conclusions:Both target species share similar environmental space,however,show notably different functional resource-use strategies,promoting a high complementarity that contributes to maintaining a high functionality in sub-Mediterranean ecosystems.Therefore,we propose that conservation efforts be oriented to preserve both species in these habitats to maximize ecosystem functionality and resilience.