| Title | Macroinvertebrate assemblages at mesohabitat scale in small sized volcanic siliceous streams of Central Italy (Mediterranean Ecoregion) |
| Abstract | According to the guidelines of the European Water Framework Directive, assessment of the ecological quality of streams and rivers should be based on type-specific reference conditions. Moreover to support
biological indicators an hydromorphological analysis is also requested for each river type. The rationale for including an habitat assessment in biomonitoring study is that a biological community can be influenced by habitat quality just as water chemistry. In the present work benthic macroinvertebrates were analysed in a specific river type of Central Italy (small-sized streams, volcanic-siliceous), to identify taxa assemblages at the mesohabitat scale and to test how common measures of benthic community used in biomonitoring differ between riffles and pools in order to evaluate if differences may influence water quality classification. Macroinvertebrates were collected in 10 selected streams, covering the whole quality range present in the geographic area from 'reference sites' to human-impacted sites, along a pool-riffle sequence following a multihabitat sampling protocol. We compared assemblage of macroinvertebrates found in different mesohabitats using principal component analysis (PCA). Similar site grouping was obtained in riffle, pool and abiotic analysis. The measures of diversity and abundance were used as replicates in ANOVA analysis to test differences between pools and riffles within the groups of sites. There were no significant differences in terms of taxa richness and total abundance. When we compared the abundance of each taxon we found significant differences only in the group of
reference sites with 18 taxa (about 25%) that showed a significant habitat preference. Our findings support that macroinvertebrates assemblages reflected primarily the environmental conditions and differences at mesohabitat scale are strongly correlated to hydromorphological condition and are maximized in reference sites. However such differences do not influence the ecological status assessment in this typology. |
| Source | Ecological indicators 11, pp. 688–696 |
| Keywords | MacroinvertebratesMesohabitatSmall-sized volcanic streamsHydromorphologyWater quality |
| Journal | Ecological indicators |
| Editor | Elsevier Science Ireland., Shannon, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2011 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ecolind.2010.09.008 |
| Authors | Pace G., Andreani P., Barile M., Buffagni A., Erba S., Mancini L., Belfiore C., |
| Text | 42443 2011 10.1016/j.ecolind.2010.09.008 ISI Web of Science WOS 000285035000052 Macroinvertebrates Mesohabitat Small sized volcanic streams Hydromorphology Water quality Macroinvertebrate assemblages at mesohabitat scale in small sized volcanic siliceous streams of Central Italy Mediterranean Ecoregion Pace G., Andreani P., Barile M., Buffagni A., Erba S., Mancini L., Belfiore C., Department of Ecology and Economic Sustainable Development DECOS , Tuscia University, Largo dell Universita, blocco C, 01100 Viterbo VT , Italy; Department of Environment and Primary Prevention, National Institute of Health ISS , Via Regina Elena 299, 00181 Roma RM , Italy; Province of Viterbo, Via Saffi, 49, 01100 Viterbo VT , Italy; Water Research Institute CNR IRSA , Via del Mulino 19, I 20047 Brugherio MI , Italy According to the guidelines of the European Water Framework Directive, assessment of the ecological quality of streams and rivers should be based on type specific reference conditions. Moreover to support biological indicators an hydromorphological analysis is also requested for each river type. The rationale for including an habitat assessment in biomonitoring study is that a biological community can be influenced by habitat quality just as water chemistry. In the present work benthic macroinvertebrates were analysed in a specific river type of Central Italy small sized streams, volcanic siliceous , to identify taxa assemblages at the mesohabitat scale and to test how common measures of benthic community used in biomonitoring differ between riffles and pools in order to evaluate if differences may influence water quality classification. Macroinvertebrates were collected in 10 selected streams, covering the whole quality range present in the geographic area from reference sites to human impacted sites, along a pool riffle sequence following a multihabitat sampling protocol. We compared assemblage of macroinvertebrates found in different mesohabitats using principal component analysis PCA . Similar site grouping was obtained in riffle, pool and abiotic analysis. The measures of diversity and abundance were used as replicates in ANOVA analysis to test differences between pools and riffles within the groups of sites. There were no significant differences in terms of taxa richness and total abundance. When we compared the abundance of each taxon we found significant differences only in the group of reference sites with 18 taxa about 25% that showed a significant habitat preference. Our findings support that macroinvertebrates assemblages reflected primarily the environmental conditions and differences at mesohabitat scale are strongly correlated to hydromorphological condition and are maximized in reference sites. However such differences do not influence the ecological status assessment in this typology. 11 http //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X10001688 Macroinvertebrate assemblages at mesohabitat scale in small sized volcanic siliceous streams of Central Italy_Buffagni_2011 Pace_etal2011_ECOIND 0.pdf Articolo in rivista Elsevier Science Ireland. 1470 160X Ecological indicators Ecological indicators Ecological indicators. andreastefano.buffagni BUFFAGNI ANDREA STEFANO stefania.erba ERBA STEFANIA TA.P04.032.003 La risposta delle comunita acquatiche bioindicatori e WFD |
