Acarological Society of Iran Persian Journal of Acarology 2251-8169 15 3 2026 07 01 Water mite fauna (Acari: Hydrachnidia) as an indicator of the preliminary assessment of the effects of the remediation of Lake Jeziorko (Poland) using probiotic bacteria 150301 150301 10.22073/pja.150301 EN Maja Krakowiak Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0001-7806-562X Andrzej Zawal Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0002-5838-6060 Maryam Asif University of Education Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan 0009-0000-4739-2847 Aleksandra Bańkowska Institute of Biology, Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0003-1037-0550 Grzegorz Michoński Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0001-7668-0493 Edyta Stępień-Zawal Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0002-5638-7676 Karolina Sobolak Institute of Biology, Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland 0009-0003-3678-0483 Aleksandra Kozłowska Institute of Biology, Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland 0009-0004-5165-5565 Anna Mieszała Institute of Biology, Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0003-2313-8398 Vladimir Pešić Department of Biology, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put b.b., 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro 0000-0002-9724-345X Robert Stryjecki Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland 0000-0003-0397-8517 Agnieszka Szlauer-Łukaszewska Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0009-0004-5165-5565 Tapas Chatterjee Crescent International School, Bario, Govindpur, Dhanbad 828109, Jharkhand, India 0000-0001-5532-2726 Anna Seniczak Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Postboks 400, Vestad 2418, Elverum, Norway 0000-0003-0224-5397 Alireza Saboori Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran 0000-0002-3101-1330 Ewa Filip Institute of Biology, Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, Wąska 13, 71–415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0003-2313-8398 Lucia Montes-Ortiz Intercultural University of the State of Mexico, San Felipe del Progreso, Mexico 50640, México; Intercultural University of the State of Mexico, San Felipe del Progreso, Mexico 50640, México 0000-0001-5959-7188 Przemysław Śmietana Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Szczecin, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland 0000-0002-5238-0653 Journal Article 2026 02 15 Sustainable restoration of eutrophic lakes remains a vital challenge, with probiotic bioremediation providing a non-invasive alternative to conventional chemical approaches. This study assesses the effectiveness of Effective Microorganisms (EM) technology in restoring Lake Jeziorko (Poland), using water mites (Hydrachnidia) as sensitive bioindicators of habitat change. During the monitoring period lasting a total of 35 months (samples were taken each time in July for three years) across littoral and profundal zones, collecting 9,739 water mite individuals from 38 species. Bathymetric analysis confirmed a decrease in bottom sediment thickness, which probably triggered a clear response in benthic fauna. Although the initial year showed a lake-wide increase in species richness, long-term trends reveal a split: littoral communities declined due to external nutrient inputs and cyanobacterial blooms, while profundal communities (dominated by typical lake taxa such as Neumania limosa and Piona stjordalensis) remained stable and showed signs of improved sediment oxygenation. These findings indicate that while probiotic bioremediation effectively conditions deep-water habitats and reduces sediment volume, it is not sufficient alone to counter external eutrophication pressures. Additionally, these studies indicate that profundal aquatic mite communities show a clear improvement in profundal conditions, while littoral water mites indicate that the ecological situation did not improve permanently. https://www.persianacarology.org/article_242639_9d43b6d8bc2e0cf1e0e67c0257f26497.pdf