Small Water Bodies of the Western Balkans (eBook)

The small water bodies such as headwater streams, springs, ditches, small lakes, and ponds are critical to maintaining freshwater biodiversity. This is especially true for Dinaric karst, where they are often the only water bodies present. However, despite their importance, they remain widely overlooked and excluded from government policies like the EU Water Framework Directive. This book includes information on different aspects of these essential but still neglected habitats.  This book intends to be of interest to a wide range of audiences, from researchers and conservationists to the public and decision-makers.

Prof., Dr. Vladimir Pešic is a full professor at the Department of Biology, University of Montenegro. His research interest covers: taxonomy, ecology, and biogeography of freshwater macroinvertebrates; ecological research of spring ecosystems and intermittent streams; environmental monitoring. He discovered more than 350 species new for science from all parts of the world. Publications: He is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed papers, author and/or editor of several books including 'Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa. Bd. 7/2-3 Chelicerata', 'The Skadar/Skodra Environment', and 'The Rivers of Montenegro' published by 'Springer'. He is the editor-in-chief of 'Ecologica Montenegrina' and a member of the editorial board of several international journals. 

Prof., Dr. Djuradj Miloševic is an associate professor at the Department of Biology and Ecology Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics University of Niš. His specific areas of interest are community ecology and bioindication and biomonitoring, as well as the ecology of the Chironomidae family. He is using sophisticated multivariate techniques (an artificial neural network) in modelling community structure of aquatic biota including both local and spatial processes. Using the integrative approach, he is working on defining the bioindicatiors and biomonitors with increased sensitivity, enable to response in a fine-tuned manner. During his time as a lecturer at the University of Niš, he has been the coordinator and main instructor of unique courses in ecology, conservation biology, and bioindication and biomonitoring. He has also supervised a number of M.Sc. and Ph.D. dissertation students. To date, he has published 41 peer-reviewed contributions and reviewed more than 40 papers for 11 journals, including Scientific Reports - Nature, Science of Total Environment, Ecological Indicators, Fundamental and applied limnology, CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water. He is awarded 'Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing' from Science of total Environment (2017). Finally, he is a principle investigator of one national (III43002) and co-principal investigator in one international (ECOBIAS) project. 

Prof., Dr. Marko Miliša is an associate professor at the Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, and researched the topics in freshwater ecology for the last two decades. He is a renowned ecologists with expertise in karst streams and lakes, focusing on energy sources dynamics, stress in freshwaters, and macroinvertebrate community responses. He authored two university textbooks in the field of invertebrate biology, and more than 40 papers. He is a founder of the Croatian association of freshwater ecologists and he chaired the organizing committee of Symposium for the European freshwater sciences. He is a national representative in European federation for freshwater sciences, national coordinator, member of the management board and/or principal researcher in several international and domestic research and educational projects.