| Title | Assessing lake typologies and indicator fish species for Italian natural lakes using past fish richness and assemblages |
| Abstract | In order to establish a fish-based typology of Italian lakes and identify possible reference and indicator fish species for each lake type, we analysed historical data on fish assemblages of all Italian natural lakes > 0.5 km(2) from the period prior to the major decline in water quality in the 1950s. General linear regression models showed the ecoregion and lake altitude being the best predictors of fish species richness. The number of species was significantly higher in the Alpine than in the Mediterranean ecoregion. Among Alpine lakes, the number of fish species increased significantly with lake volume whilst decreased with altitude. In the Mediterranean lakes, none of the selected parameters was significant. Cluster analysis of fish assemblages (presence/absence) divided the lakes of the Alpine and Mediterranean ecoregions into four and two types, respectively. Pike (Esox lucius), rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) and tench (Tinca tinca) were the main indicator species for the small and mostly shallow lakes in both the Alpine (Type 1) and Mediterranean (Type 6) ecoregions, minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) for the alpine high altitude lakes (Type 2) and landlocked shad (Alosa fallax lacustris), European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and burbot (Lota lota) for the large and very deep alpine lakes (Type 4). The European whitefish was the only indicator species for the deep Mediterranean lakes (Type 5). These species and associated fish assemblages may be useful indicators in future assessments of the ecological status of Italian lakes according to the European Directives (2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC). |
| Source | Hydrobiologia (The Hague. Print) 671 (1), pp. 227–240 |
| Keywords | Fish faunaBiodiversityBioindicatorsReference conditionsBiomonitoring |
| Journal | Hydrobiologia (The Hague. Print) |
| Editor | Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2011 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10750-011-0720-6 |
| Authors | Volta, P (Volta, Pietro)[ 1 ] ; Oggioni, A (Oggioni, Alessandro)[ 1 ] ; Bettinetti, R (Bettinetti, Roberta)[ 2 ] ; Jeppesen, E (Jeppesen, Erik)[ 3,4,5 ] |
| Text | 203310 2011 10.1007/s10750 011 0720 6 ISI Web of Science WOS 000291740900018 Fish fauna Biodiversity Bioindicators Reference conditions Biomonitoring Assessing lake typologies and indicator fish species for Italian natural lakes using past fish richness and assemblages Volta, P Volta, Pietro 1 ; Oggioni, A Oggioni, Alessandro 1 ; Bettinetti, R Bettinetti, Roberta 2 ; Jeppesen, E Jeppesen, Erik 3,4,5 1 CNR, Inst Ecosyst Study, I 28922 Verbania, Italy 2 Univ Insubria, Dept Chem Environm Sci, I 22100 Como, Italy 3 Aarhus Univ, Natl Environm Res Inst, Silkeborg 8600, Denmark 4 Greenland Inst Nat Resources, GCRC, Nuuk 3900, Greenland 5 Sino Danish Ctr Educ Res SDC, Beijing, Peoples R China In order to establish a fish based typology of Italian lakes and identify possible reference and indicator fish species for each lake type, we analysed historical data on fish assemblages of all Italian natural lakes > 0.5 km 2 from the period prior to the major decline in water quality in the 1950s. General linear regression models showed the ecoregion and lake altitude being the best predictors of fish species richness. The number of species was significantly higher in the Alpine than in the Mediterranean ecoregion. Among Alpine lakes, the number of fish species increased significantly with lake volume whilst decreased with altitude. In the Mediterranean lakes, none of the selected parameters was significant. Cluster analysis of fish assemblages presence/absence divided the lakes of the Alpine and Mediterranean ecoregions into four and two types, respectively. Pike Esox lucius , rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus and tench Tinca tinca were the main indicator species for the small and mostly shallow lakes in both the Alpine Type 1 and Mediterranean Type 6 ecoregions, minnow Phoxinus phoxinus for the alpine high altitude lakes Type 2 and landlocked shad Alosa fallax lacustris , European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus and burbot Lota lota for the large and very deep alpine lakes Type 4 . The European whitefish was the only indicator species for the deep Mediterranean lakes Type 5 . These species and associated fish assemblages may be useful indicators in future assessments of the ecological status of Italian lakes according to the European Directives 2000/60/EC and 2008/105/EC . 671 ID_PUMA cnr.ise/2011 A0 007 Assessing lake typologies and indicator fish species for Italian natural lakes Assessing_lake_typologies_and_indicator_fish_species.pdf Articolo in rivista Kluwer Academic Publishers 0018 8158 Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia. The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Dordrecht The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Boston The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia London The Hague. Print alessandro.oggioni OGGIONI ALESSANDRO pietro.volta VOLTA PIETRO TA.P04.016.004 Ecologia teorica e applicata degli ecosistemi acquatici |
