Mesta River
Biological Quality Elements and Ecological Status

Wetlanet. The present book is aimed at summarizing the most of the studies have been carried out during the last three decades on the ecosystems of the Mesta – a transboundary river shared between Bulgaria (upper stretch) and Greece (lower stretch and Delta). This river was a subject of careful hydrobiological and ecological studies during the last decades, mostly because it was an excellent example to investigate processes of the heavy loads of the pollution with organic matter generated by cardboard and yeast industries in the Razlog Valley.

Preface
The Basin of the Mesta River: Physiography
Epilithic Diatom Flora and Evaluation of Ecological Status of the Mesta River during 2000-2009
Macrophytes alongside the Mesta River
Bottom Invertebrate Communities (The Macrozoobenthos): Key Biological Quality Element for Ecological Classification of the Mesta River Basin
Mesta River: Trophic Structure of the Macrozoobenthos
Recent Fish Fauna of the Mesta River Basin: Composition, Distribution and Ecological Quality Assessment
Importance of the Mesta - a Transboundary River in the Bulgarian long-term Ecosystem Research Network (LTER-BG)