2025 Ecosystem Transformation 8 (2), 225-238

Revisiting the Yeghegis River for the purposes of hydrobiological monitoring

Dallakyan M.R.  , Mkrtchyan Z.H.  , Yepremyan H.V., Kobelyan H.H., Poghosyan L.N., Asatryan V.L.

Due to initiated in 2011 improvements in the water management system of Armenia, six Basin Management Areas were created and hydrobiological monitoring was introduced. It requires regular investigations of ecological status of surface water bodies. The current research aims to study the changes in the assemblage of benthic macroinvertebrates in the basin of the Yeghegis River ten years after the baseline studies. The results show higher taxonomic diversity for this basin in comparison with 2012. However, significant changes in its overall ecological status have not been revealed. This proves the assumption that existing multimetric index can be still used for the Ararat Basin Management Area, but further investigations of species structure of benthic macroinvertebrates are necessary to improve its performance.

M. R. Dallakyan
Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of the Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
P. Sevak str. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia

dallakyan.marine@gmail.com

Z. H. Mkrtchyan
Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
Sevak St. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia

zhanna.mkrtchyan@gmail.com

H. V. Yepremyan
Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
Sevak St. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia


H. H. Kobelyan
Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
Sevak St. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia


L. N. Poghosyan
Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
Sevak St. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia


V. L. Asatryan
Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of the Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
P. Sevak str. 7, Yerevan, 0014 Armenia

Arman, N.Z., Salmiati, S., Said, M.I.M., Aris, A., 2019. Development of macroinvertebrate-based
multimetric index and establishment of biocriteria for river health assessment in Malaysia. Ecological
Indicators 104, 449–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.04.060
Armitage, P.D., Moss, D., Wright, J.F., Furse, M.T., 1983. The performance of a new biological water quality scores system based on macroinvertebrates over a wide range of unpolluted running-water sites. Water Resources 17, 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(83)90188-4
Asatryan, V.L., Dallakyan, M.R., 2015. Development of the initial multimetric index for the assessment of
ecological state of lake Sevan (Armenia) basin rivers. Proceedings of the IWA 7th Eastern European Young Water Professionals Conference. Belgrade, Serbia, 19–28.
Asatryan, V.L., Dallakyan, M.R., 2018. Assessment of seasonal differences of ecological state of lotic
ecosystems and applicability of some biotic indices in the Basin of Lake Sevan (Armenia): case study of Masrik River. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply 19 (4), 1238–1245. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2018.182
Asatryan, V., Dallakyan, M., 2021. The baseline rapid biological assessment of the ecological status of the Debed River system (Armenia). Electronic Journal of Natural Sciences of NAS RA 1 (36), 14–26.
Asatryan, V., Dallakyan, M., Vardanyan, T., Barseghyan, N., Gabrielyan, B., 2020. An integrative evaluation of suitability of a river for natural reproduction of trout of Lake Sevan (Armenia). Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27 (6), 6352–6361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07151-1
Barbour, M.T., Gerritsen, J., Snyder, B.D., Stribling, J.B., 1999. Rapid bioassessment protocols for use
in streams and wadeable rivers: periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. 2nd edition. EPA
841-B-99-002. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, D.C., USA, 337 p.
Bikashvili, A., Kachlishvili, N., Japoshvili, B. Mumladze, L., 2022. Species diversity and DNA barcode
library of freshwater Molluscs of South Caucasus. Biodiversity Data Journal 10, e84887.
Birk, S., Wendy, B., Angel, B., Sandra, B., Anne, C. et al., 2012. Three hundred ways to assess Europe's surface waters: An almost complete overview of biological methods to implement the Water Framework Directive. Ecological Indicators 18, 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.10.009
Gevorgyan, G., Hayrapetyan, A., Mamyan, A. Gabrielyan, B., 2017. Hydroecological risk assessment of
small hydropower plants operation in Armenia (based on example of the Vardenis, Karchaghbyur and Arpa Rivers). American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 11(5), 59–67.
Hambaryan, L., Gevorgyan, G., 2019. Investigations of formation of phytoplankton community in the Arpa river (Armenia) and its main tributaries. Proceedings of the Yerevan State University. Chemistry and Biology 53 (1), 46–52.
Hering, D., Feld, C.K., Moog, O., Ofenbock, Th., 2006. Cook book for the development of a Multimetric Index for biological condition of aquatic ecosystems: experiences from the European AQEM and STAR
projects and related initiatives. Hydrobiologia 566, 311–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0087-2
Hrivniak, Ľ., Sroka, P., Godunko, R.J., Palatov, D., Polášek, M., Manko, P., Oboňa, J., 2018. Diversity of
Armenian mayflies (Ephemeroptera) with the description of a new species of the genus Ecdyonurus
(Heptageniidae). Zootaxa 4500 (2), 195–221.
Ivanov, V.D., Grigorenko, V.N., Arefina, T.I., 2001. Trichoptera. In: Tsalolokhin, S.Ya. (ed.), Opredelitel'
presnovodnykh bespozvonochnykh Rossii i sopredel'nykh territorii [Key for freshwater invertebrates of Russia and adjacent territories]. Nauka, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1–825. (In Russian).
Kalaninová, D., Bulánková, E., Šporka, F., 2014. Caddisflies (Trichoptera) as good indicators of
environmental stress in mountain lotic ecosystems. Biologia 69, 1030–1045. https://doi.org/10.2478/
s11756-014-0405-5
Kamidis, N., Koutrakis, E., Sapounidis, A., Sylaios, G., 2021. Impact of river damming on downstream
hydrology and hydrochemistry: the case of lower Nestos Rver catchment (NE. Greece). Water 13
(20), 2832. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202832
Kutikova, L.A., Starobogatov, Y.I., 1977. Opredelitel' presnovodnykh bespozvonochnykh Evropeiskoi
chasti SSSR (plankton i bentos) [Key to freshwater invertebrates of European part of USSR].
Gidrometeoizdat, Leningrad, USSR, 513 p. (In Russian).
Leeds-Harrison, P.B., Quinton, J.N., Walker, M.J., Harrison, K.S., Gowing, D.G., 1996. Buffer zones in
headwater catchments. Report on MAFF. English Nature Buffer Zone Project CSA2285, Cranfield University, Silsoe, UK.
Loucks, D.P., van Beek, E., 2017. Water resources planning and management: an overview. In: Water
resource systems planning and management. Springer, Cham, Germany, 635 p.
Ndatimana, G., Nantege, D., Arimoro, F.O., 2023. A review of the application of the macroinvertebratebased multimetric indices (MMIs) for water quality monitoring in lakes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 30, 73098–73115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27559-0
Peluso, J., Pérez Coll, C.S., Cristos, D., Rojas, D.E., Aronzon, C.M., 2021. Comprehensive assessment of water quality through different approaches: Physicochemical and ecotoxicological parameters.
Science of The Total Environment 800, 149510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149510
Quadroni, S., Crosa, G., Gentili, G., Espa, P., 2017. Response of stream benthic macroinvertebrates
to current water management in Alpine catchments massively developed for hydropower. Science of The Total Environment 609, 484–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.099
Schmidt-Kloiber, A., Nijboer, R.C., 2004. The effect of taxonomic resolution on the assessment of ecological water quality classes. Hydrobiologia 516, 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1023/
B:HYDR.0000025270.10807.10
Semenchenko, V.P., Razlutskiy, V.I., 2010. Ekologicheskoe kachestvo poverkhnostnykh vod [Ecological quality of surface water]. Belaruskaya Navuka, Minsk, Belarus,328 p. (In Russian).
Sørensen, T., 1948. A method of establishing groups of equal amplitude in plant sociology based on similarity of species and its application to analyses of the vegetation on Danish commons. Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab 5 (4), 1–34.
Surface waters, 2022. The quarterly report on the water quality of streams and lakes in river basin
management areas of Armenia. Интернет-ресурс. URL: http://www.armmonitoring.am/public/admin/
ckfinder/userfiles/files/mak_jur/eramsyak/ground-3.pdf (accessed: 16.01.2024) (In Armenian).
Waringer, J., Graf, W., 2011. Atlas of Central European Trichoptera Larvae.: Eric Mauch Verlag, Dinkelscherben, Germany, 468 p.
Wright, J., Furse, M., Armitage, P., 1993. RIVPACS – a technique for evaluating the biological quality of rivers in the UK. European Water Pollution Control 3 (4), 15–25.
Yan, T., Shen, Sh., Zhou, A., 2022. Indices and models of surface water quality assessment: Review and perspectives. Environmental Pollution 308, 119611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119611