![]() They do so by altering both their biodiversity and integrity, which may in turn degrade the available ecosystem services. Globally, multiple stressors acting on large rivers strongly influence their ecosystem functions. ![]() Also the Danube River is divided into four sections according to geological and hydromorphological characteristics: (a) the Upper Danube with larger gradient and alpine influence (from the spring down to Bratislava), (b) the Middle Danube (between Bratislava and the Iron Gate Gorge), (c) the Lower Danube (between the Iron Gate and Tulcea), and (d) the Danube Delta (downstream Tulcea) with three main channels Chilia, Sfantu Gheorghe and Sulina (Schletterer et al., 2012). Nowadays, after the construction of the Volga cascade, the Gorky dam is considered as the border between upper and middle course and the Kuybyshev dam between the middle and the lower Volga (Litvinov et al., 2009 Schletterer & Füreder, 2011) and the section downstream Volgograd is considered as Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, respectively Volga Delta (Fig. Traditionally the Volga River is divided into three major sections: (a) the Upper Volga (from the spring down to the mouth of Oka River), (b) the Middle Volga (between Oka and Kama rivers), and (c) the Lower Volga (down to its confluence with the Caspian Sea). ![]() This knowledge covering the whole river system can build an important basis to formulate guidelines and measures for the improvement of water quality and to provide a sound framework for aquatic conservation issues. The intention of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview on hydrobiological data on the Volga River, including recent studies. Within a considerable stretch of the river the lotic system was altered into a cascade of large reservoirs, while the headwaters remained as an intact free-flowing section. This coincided with the major hydromorphological changes on the Volga River. The first hydrobiological river research station in Europe was founded in 1900 in Saratov ("Biological Volga Station"), followed by several research institutions which were established along the Volga River during the last century. Detailed scientific investigations began about 200 years ago later on that the Volga River was the subject of numerous expeditions and research programmes. ![]() This article provides a review on the scientific knowledge about the Volga River, including the characteristics of the river basin and an overview of historical and recent limnological research activities. ![]()
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