The Role of Habitat Protection in Maintaining the Diversity of Aquatic Fauna in Rural and Industrial Areas

Abstract

In Natural Landscape Complexes and Ecological Sites, local environmental protection is used to cover previous industrial activities, fragments of the cultural landscape, and habitats of both vertebrates and invertebrates. In water bodies within the different types of habitat protection, aquatic invertebrate fauna was studied to investigate whether it is a general rule that different forms of protection ensure the diversity of aquatic invertebrates in rural and industrial areas. The research revealed differences between invertebrate assemblages within complexes and between reservoirs. Compared with unprotected reservoirs located in the same area, in the majority of the studied water bodies, either no alien species were found or their relative abundance in assemblages was very low. Significant differences in the density, the number of taxa, the diversity, and the percentage of alien species were observed between different geographical locations. The location of water bodies within the protected area plays an important role in maintaining benthos diversity in industrial areas. These findings are useful for comparison with those of future research to document possible improvements or ongoing ecological regression in the quality of aquatic ecosystems in industrial areas. This study can help guide revisions of protected habitat networks for adequate protection of freshwater biodiversity in industrial areas.