Abstract
Disturbance has long been recognized as an important determinant of community characteristics in aquatic systems. The aims of our study were to evaluate the impact of different disturbances on the macrophyte diversity and on river quality. To this end, we investigated the floristic composition for different stretches impacted by disturbances and we tested both diversity indices and the trophic index (IBMR) “Biological Index Macrophytes in Rivers” in the Moselle river (NE of France). The river was divided into four sections of different lengths based on uniformity of morphological characteristics, substrate conditions and flowing velocity: the upper, the wild, the resectioned and the downstream Moselle. Floristic composition and water chemical parameters were analysed from 1999 to 2001. The man‐made increase of nutrient concentration favoured the floristic richness in the last sites of the upper Moselle, whereas river dynamics and floods did not allow the development of vegetation in the wild Moselle. Disturbances caused by industrial sewage and eutrophication allowed the spreading of pollu‐tolerant and riparian alien species. The aquatic macrophyte approach is a useful means to detect impact of disturbances on diversity and on river quality. However, it was not effective in assessing disturbances such as flood overflow or chemical pollution. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)