I SI RR 2003. Section I I I . Hunedoara, Romania, 2003 95 AQUATI C MACROPHYTES – ROLE I N MONI TORI NG AND REMEDI ATI ON OF NUTRI ENTS AND HEAVY METALS Slobodanka PAJEVIĆ 1 , Žarko KEVREŠAN 2 , Snežana RADULOVIĆ 1 , Dragan RADNOVIĆ 1 , Mirjana VUČKOVIĆ 1 , Milan MATAVULJ 1 1 FACULTY OF SCIENCES, DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NOVI SAD, NOVI SAD 2 FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NOVI SAD, NOVI SAD Abstract: Monitoring of the aquatic environment by chemical analyses of dominant aquatic macrophytes from DTD (Danube-Tisza-Danube) canal indicating possible chemical contamination of water and littoral zone were surveyed. Although significant variations of concentrations as related to plant species and surveyed site were found the highest accumulations of nutrients and heavy metals, especially Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn and Cu were obtained in submerged plant C. demersum and P. communis rizome. An extremely high P accumulation was obtained in P. communis rhizome at site 6 (1.83%) showing that the Krivaja river loads DTD canal complex with remarkable amounts of organic matter. Concentrations of Pb in plant tissues were below 10 μg ·g -1 and concentrations of Hg in C. demersum from the localities nearly Novi Sad were all but 40 μg · g -1 . The significant increase in Ni, Zn and Cu concentrations in plant tissues from Canal section nearly Vrbas were also recorded indicating a strong human impact reflecting in the presence of wastes discharged by factories and agricultural areas. Key words: Aquatic macrophytes, DTD canal system, nutrients, heavy metals, accumulation 1. INTRODUCTION Aquatic macrophytes define the ecology of water ecosystems by integrating their role in the primary production (and decomposition) of organic matter, in food chains, light regime (shading), oxygen producing. They influence nutrient, heavy metal, and pollutant cycling, sediment stability, and characteristically determine the eutrophication degree [4, 13]. Monitoring the structure (species abundance, diversity) of macrophytic communities can provide indications of environmental impacts upon aquatic ecosystems [8]. Aquatic macrophytes have no mechanisms regulating the uptake of nutrients and heavy metals. Therefore, their impact upon environment is demonstrated through the process of chemical bioconcentration and excretion while increased nutrient and metal accumulation in their tissues may be the result of increased concentrations in aquatic environment [20]. Biomonitoring of aquatic environments by plants hyperaccumulators of pollutants is based upon the