Understanding the impact of vegetation on organic matter content in sediments is essential for sustainable reservoir management and water quality protection. This study examined the relationship between land cover, erosion processes, and organic matter accumulation in the sediments of four small water reservoirs in the Republic of Serbia. Organic matter content was quantified and analyzed in relation to basin characteristics, including land-use composition, absolute and mean flow gradients, and sediment grain size distribution. Field sampling was conducted across the catchments of four small water reservoirs—Duboki potok, Resnik, Ljukovo, and Sot—with sediment samples collected from main tributaries and accumulation basins. A multi-method approach was employed, combining remote sensing for vegetation-cover assessment, granulometric analysis, organic matter evaluation via loss-on-ignition at 350 °C, and statistical correlation analysis to assess the influence of land use and hydrological gradients on sediment composition. The results revealed a strong correlation (R = 0.892) between forest cover and sedimentary organic matter content, confirming the significant role of vegetation in stabilizing sediments and promoting organic matter deposition. Reservoirs with higher forest and shrub cover (e.g., Sot and Duboki potok) exhibited greater organic matter accumulation (5.79–5.98%), while the agriculture-dominated Ljukovo catchment (76.85% agricultural land) recorded the lowest organic matter content (3.89%) due to increased sediment displacement and reduced erosion resistance. These findings underscore the critical role of vegetation in regulating sediment dynamics and enhancing organic matter retention in small water reservoirs. To mitigate excessive organic matter deposition and improve water quality, sustainable watershed management strategies—such as vegetation buffer strips, afforestation, and erosion control measures—are recommended.

In the paper was investigated the variability of the morphological and anatomical traits of one-year-old seedlings of different species from the genus Quercus (Quercus robur L., Quercus petraea Matt. Liebl. and Quercus frainetto Ten.) cultivated in a plastic container Bosnaplast 18. The acorn was sown in November 2022, while the measurements of the studied elements were performed at the end of the growing season next year. In terms of morphological characteristics, the highest mean values of both researched parameters (root collar diameter and height) were recorded in Q. robur, followed by Q. frainetto, while the lowest mean values were found in Q. petraea. As for anatomical parameters, the following were analyzed: vessels width, the proportion of bark, pith and wood, as well as the participation of early- and latewood zones. Vessels width shows the least average values in Q. petraea, while no significant differences were recorded between Q. robur and Q. frainetto. The highest presence of wood, as well as the early zone within it, was found in Q. robur. The proportion of bark is a little bit higher in Q. frainetto compared to the other two species, while the pith proportion is significantly lower in Q. robur than in the other two species. Based on the obtained results, we can conclude that Q. robur seedlings show the best performance, before all from morphological point of view.

From productive and ecological point of view, Quercus robur L. is an extremely important species and the investigation of its anatomical properties is very significant in terms of its technical and technological utilization. The paper deals with the analysis of the wood fiber characteristics (fiber length, fiber lumen width, double-cell wall thickness, Runkel ratio) of mature pedunculate oak trees in the non-flooded (Management Unit "Vinična-Žeravinac-Puk") and flooded area (Management Unit "GVO 83 b"). One of the aims of the study is to determine the wood fiber quality and the possibility of use in paper and pulp production. When the mean values of the analysed anatomical characteristics are compared, the results show slightly higher values in the non-flooded area, except for the Runkel ratio. The radial pattern of the investigated characteristics depending on the age shows growth in the non-flooded area, while the same tendency in the flooded area was found for the fiber length only. It was recorded that fiber lumen width, double-cell wall thickness and Runkel ratio decreased in the final annual rings. The wood fiber quality for use in pulp and paper production is the greatest in the juvenile zone, unlike sapwood zone, regardless of the site conditions.

In the paper was analysed the influence of three different container types, used for cultivation of Pinus nigra and Pinus sylvestris seedlings, on dimensions of their anatomical (resin ducts width, resin ducts number, tracheid number, tracheid width, wood rays height) and morphological (height, root collar diameter, sturdiness coefficient) elements, and on proportion of wood, bark and pith, as well. Two-factorial ANOVA showed that container type affects a lot all investigated anatomical traits by both species, but on the other side, these species varied between each other just in terms of tracheid width and wood rays height. Based on descriptive statistics, significantly lower values of all studied anatomical elements were recorded by biodegradable compared to plastic containers. As for P. nigra seedlings, they showed the best anatomical performance in Plantagrah I, while Hiko V-120 SS was the most suitable for P. sylvestris. The highest proportion of pith and bark was recorded in biodegradable container. As for morphological parameters, such as height and root collar diameter, higher values were recorded by plastic containers.

Elevated concentrations of heavy metals result in soil degradation, a reduction in plant yields, and a lower quality of agricultural products, which directly endangers people, animals, and the ecosystem. The potential of three clones of Salix alba (347, NS 73/6, and B-44) and one genotype of S. viminalis for the phytoextraction of heavy metals was investigated, with the aim of identifying the most physiologically suitable willow genotypes for use in soil phytoremediation. The experiment was placed on the contaminated soil substrate collected in Kolubara Mining Basin (Serbia), enriched by high loads of heavy metal salts, and a control medium. Significant differences in the concentrations of heavy metals were recorded between the contaminated and control plant material, especially when it comes to nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), confirming that S. alba and S. viminalis are hyperaccumulator species of heavy metals. Clone 347 shows the greatest uptake of Cd and chromium (Cr), and clone B-44 takes up these metals only to a lesser extent, while clone NS 73/6 shows a less pronounced uptake of Cr. The roots have the greatest ability to accumulate Ni and Pb, Cu is absorbed by all plant organs, while Cd is absorbed by the leaves. The organ that showed the greatest ability to accumulate heavy metals was the root, which means that willows have a limited power to translocate heavy metals to above-ground organs. The studied genotypes of S. alba have a higher potential for the phytostabilization of Cu and Cd, as well as the phytoextraction of Cd, compared with S. viminalis. The results confirm the assumption of differences between different willow genotypes in terms of the ability to phytoextract certain heavy metals from soil, which is important information when selecting genotypes for soil phytoremediation.

Abstract Water is one of the key ecological factors that has a great impact to development and productivity of lowland species such as Quercus robur. This paper deals with water regime influence to site conditions of these species and how actually changeable soil moisture affects Q. robur. Studied area includes a protective embankment built on the river bank in order to eliminate flooding effect, which means that all needs for water these associations provide from rainfalls and groundwater. Water regime was monitored during two critical years (extremely dry and extremely wet) on four soil types – Planosol, Fluvisol and Gleysol that belong to hydromorphic (three experimental plots) and Chernozem which belongs to automorphic soils (three experimental plots), respectively. It was studied the distribution of rainfalls and groundwater during the growing seasons and how it affects total and available water amount in the soil. The main focus should be given to available water, because it is located in capillary pores and plants can utilize it. Bearing in mind rainfalls makes just 15–20% of the total water amount in the soil it is much more significant to evaluate its proportion in available water. Based on obtained results, we can deduce that much more suitable site conditions for Q. robur are present on hydromorphic soils due to much greater proportion of groundwater.

In this paper, the variability of morphological (stem height, stem basal diameter, proportion of pith, wood and bark) and wood anatomical characteristics (fiber length, fiber diameter, fiber lumen diamater, double cell-wall thickness, vessel diameter, wood rays width and height) of three Salix alba clones (B-44, 347 and NS 73/6) and one Salix viminalis clone both in the control plot and in the site contaminated with a mixture of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb) was investigated. The observed results showed that individuals of all four clones had significantly higher average values of stem height and stem basal diameter at the control plot compared to the polluted site. As for the proportion of pith, bark and wood, heavy metals caused an increase in the share of pith and a decrease in the share of bark and wood in all clones with the exception of clone NS 73/6. The analysis of wood fiber dimensions showed that the values of all parameters were higher at the control site with the exception of fiber lumen diameter where higher values were observed for clones B-44 and NS 73/6 at the polluted site. Higher values of vessel diameter were recorded for all clones at the control plot, while wood rays width of all individuals was greater at the contaminated site. Regarding the wood rays height, only Salix viminalis showed higher value at the polluted site. These results confirmed that pollution-induced heavy metal stress significantly altered the morphological and wood anatomical characteristics of all researched clones and that it may affect their utility properties.

The research was conducted in the area of Northern Serbia. The lowland hygrophilous forests of Gornji Srem where pedunculate oak is the dominant tree species were studied. In the paper was investigated the content of essential and non-essential heavy metals (Cu, Zn, As, Mn, Co, Pb, Ni, Cd) on two different soil types: hydromorphic (fluvisol) and automorphic (chernozem). Three experimental plots were analyzed on each soil type. Soil loading with heavy metals was studied by soil horizons. Based on the obtained results, it was established that the concentrations of all elements are within the allowed concentrations, except for nickel (Ni), whose values on some experimental plots and horizons exceed the maximum allowed concentrations. Content of all investigated elements are higher on fluvisol, except for As, whose amount is similar on both soil types. The obtained results indicate that the loading of heavy metals in both soil types is within the allowed limits and there is no significant negative impact on the development and production characteristics of the forest ecosystems located in researched area.

In the spacious inundation area on the left bank of the lower course of the Sava River in Serbia, there is an abandoned meander Special Nature Reserve, “Obedska bara”, which represents a very important floodplain in this part of Europe. This area is characterized by an exceptional wealth of biodiversity with a significant presence of rare and endangered species of national and international importance. Hydrological conditions in the mentioned area were analyzed from the aspect of surface water movement in nature and conditions altered by human factors (after the construction of the road network, canals, etc.). The movement of surface water, i.e., the filling and emptying of the investigated area, parallel to the water level of the Sava River, is shown using a digital terrain model. Our simulation of the change in surface water level within the studied area included the display of underwater areas, both with the formation of a flood wave (i.e., increasing water level of the Sava) and with the outflow of water from the pond when the water level in the Sava was reduced in both scenarios (natural and conditions altered by human factors). GIS and terrain digitalization were used for geospatial and hydrological analyses and, based on this, maps that display endangered areas could be made. The obtained results show that the largest human impact was recorded at the water level of the Sava River 74 m above sea level. The aforementioned water regime changes were shown to negatively affect dominant vegetation, such as pedunculate oak and ash.