The Development of Epiphytic Diatoms in the Vjosa River and Their Impact on Water Quality Based on the IPS Index
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15157/IJITIS.2023.6.3.1186-1192Keywords:
Vjosa river, Epiphytic diatom, water quality, IPSAbstract
The focus of the biological investigation is a microscopic examination of diatom communities, which are frequently employed bioindicators of the health of freshwater systems. Epiphytic diatoms were gathered from five sampling locations along the Vjosa River, including Mifoli Bridge, Pocem, Memaliaj, Sajmola, and Tre Urat, which lies near the Albanian-Greek border. Between May 2022 and September 2022, a total of three field trips were undertaken on a quarterly basis. Chemical markers are frequently less informative than diatoms for detecting water quality. However, they are the organisms of choice for in situ biomonitoring because their communities can vary in response to rising concentrations of organic and inorganic chemicals. This study demonstrates that the shift in dominance of specific species, as shown by their relative abundances, is an indicator of alterations in the aquatic ecology of the Vjosa River. The detected dominating species comprise 131 diatom species, including, among others, Achnanthes neoexilis, Diatoma moniliformis, Brachisyra neoexilis, Achnanthes minutissima KŸtz. var. affinis, and Gomphonema clavatum Ehr. There were 129 penate species and 2 centric species. A penate diatom was the most abundant species at five survey sites across all sampling times. Therefore, we have computed the IPS (sensitive pollution index) Index in order to demonstrate the relationships between organic pollution (BOD, COD, total and P determination), ionic strength (chlorates, sulphates), and eutrophication (chlorophyll and nitrate). The Sensitive Pollution Index varied between good and excellent quality.