Preliminary Insights into Macroinvertebrate Communities Associated with Floating Islands in Two Rivers Under Contrasting Anthropogenic Pressures
Open Access
- 14 July 2026
- conference paper
- Published by MDPI AG in Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings
- Vol. 42 (1) , 16
Abstract
This study provides a preliminary baseline characterization of macroinvertebrate assemblages colonizing floating islands installed in two NE Portuguese river reaches with contrasting anthropogenic and hydromorphological conditions: the urban, weir-influenced Fervença River and the more rural, reservoir-like Côa reach within a former dam-work area. A single campaign in February 2025 combined water characterization and macroinvertebrate sampling on islands and adjacent margins. Fervença showed higher mineralization and microbiological contamination, but a more varied assemblage dominated by tolerant taxa. Côa showed better water quality but strong Astacidae dominance. Results indicate colonization only; robust replicated monitoring is needed before inferring ecological improvement.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Biodiversity assessment in a floating treatment wetland established in a stormwater pondEcological Engineering, 2025
- Floating Littoral Zone (FLOLIZ): A solution to sustain macroinvertebrate communities in regulated lakes?Ecological Engineering, 2022
- Performance of Pistia stratiotes, Salvinia molesta, and Eichhornia crassipes Aquatic Plants in the Tertiary Treatment of Domestic Wastewater with Varying Retention TimesApplied Sciences, 2020
- Floating Wetland Islands Implementation and Biodiversity Assessment in a Port MarinaWater, 2020
- Artificial Floating Island with Vetiver for Treatment of Arsenic-Contaminated Water: A Real Scale Study in High-Andean ReservoirWater, 2020
- Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from fish farming effluents using artificial floating islands colonized by Eichhornia crassipesAquaculture Reports, 2020
- A Floating Island Treatment System for the Removal of Phosphorus from Surface WatersEngineering, 2018
- The long-term effects of invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on instream macroinvertebrate communitiesScience of The Total Environment, 2016
- Phantom Limb Pain: Treatment StrategiesPain Management, 2013