Routine biomonitoring under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) follows a conventional methodology primarily based on the morphological identification of taxa within the five biological quality elements (phytoplankton, phytobenthos, macrozoobenthos, macrophytes and fish). This identification is particularly challenging for macrozoobenthos due to their high taxonomic diversity. Moreover, this approach is time-consuming and resource intensive. Our current study aims to: (i) evaluate the implementation of DNA metabarcoding in long-term monitored sites to assess the effectiveness of three sample types (bulk samples of macrozoobenthos, and eDNA from water and sediments), (ii) evaluate the ecological status of water bodies using metabarcoding data, and (iii) compare ecological metrics values using conventional and molecular approaches. Sampling was conducted at 17 localities in Slovakia, covering eight stream types. DNA metabarcoding detected 30% more species than conventional monitoring performed over 15 years without needing time-intensive sample processing and morphological identification. At the same time, the bulk samples captured more macrozoobenthos taxa than the other sample types. On average, the bulk samples detected 85% of the taxa captured by DNA metabarcoding. The differences in values of ecological metrics obtained within the conventional approach and between the conventional and metabarcoding approaches were relatively small, typically corresponding to differences within one ecological quality class. However, more pronounced differences were observed in non-abundance-based metrics, such as EPT and BMWP, indicating higher sensitivity of species detection with DNA metabarcoding. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of DNA metabarcoding across multiple metrics and highlights its potential to enhance routine biomonitoring.

The presented study introduces the most common and significant insect pests of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) in Slovakia, specifically the occurrence of the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) and the American grapevine leafhopper (Scaphoideus titanus). Historical records set prerequisites to studying the complex interactions between the pests and their host plant. If they are not understood sufficiently, they may have devastating consequences on the grape-growing. The research was carried out in the model vineyards in Jelenec, Ladice and Topoľčianky during the period from April to September 2019 and 2021. Jelenec and Ladice had six monitoring sites, Topoľčianky had seven monitoring sites. Data were collected in approximately 30-day cycles. The aim of research was to monitor the incidence of insect pests in selected vineyards and identify their relation to environmental conditions. Pheromone traps were used throughout the research. The insect traps in combination with species-specific pheromone represent a reliable method for the pest monitoring. Based on aim studying the link between insect pests and climate conditions, traps were dispersed at the place of installation of the microclimatic dataloggers and the automatic stations. Data on the occurrence of the pests were subsequently evaluated in the context of the climate variability (temperature, wind speed, precipitation) and distance of the locality from the forest using Redundancy Analysis. It was confirmed that the insect pests are unequally distributed in the studied region and also inside the vineyards. Using Redundancy Analysis, we were able to explain the bonds in a maximum of 40% insect pests-environmental factors relationships. This research results show the need for regular monitoring of insect species, taking into account microclimatic as well as other ecological factors to optimize agrotechnical interventions. URL: https://www.gcass.science.upjs.sk/

Our study provides insights into the spatio-temporal dynamics of macrophyte assemblages in the Danube Inland Delta, situated in the northwest part of the Pannonian lowland on the Slovak-Hungarian border. A total of 63 aquatic plant species were recorded at six monitored sites during the years 2003–2020, including 1 endangered, 2 vulnerable, and 1 neophyte species. Macrophyte data from long-term monitoring were used to test the hypothesis that aquatic plant assemblages in the hydrologically disturbed Danube riverscape have become more taxonomically and functionally similar over the past 17 years. Although a decline in the taxonomic and functional richness of macrophyte assemblages was observed at most monitoring sites, no evident year-to-year decrease in their heterogeneity was noted for either aspect of biodiversity. However, a significant decline in taxonomic and functional richness, as well as in the heterogeneity of the macrophyte community across the entire monitored area, was observed during the study period. While a decrease in species number represented approximately one species per year, the taxonomical beta diversity, including its taxonomical turnover component, also declined, with a mean annual decrease of 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively. Using abundance class data, the mean annual decrease in beta diversity was 0.6%. A time-series analysis of macrophyte functional traits (growth form, dispersal unit, and strategy) revealed that aquatic plant assemblages from different monitoring sites converged toward a narrower range of functional structure. The mean annual decline in macrophyte functional heterogeneity was 0.7% based on abundance class data and approximately 0.3% based on incidence data.