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Based on a distribution database brought together for the recently published Atlas of the European dragonflies and damselflies, we describe the patterns of diversity and endemism of these insect groups. Highest species richness, as well as richness of predominantly lentic species, occurs in central and western-central Europe. Strictly lotic species have their centre of diversity in southwest France and parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The highest number of endemic species is found in southwest France, the Iberian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula. A comparison of the diversity patterns of Odonata species listed in the EU Habitats Directive with those listed in the European Red List highlights a strong mismatch between species threatened in Europe, which are mainly found in the Mediterranean, and species legally protected by the European Union, which are concentrated in central and western Europe. This mismatch has a historical origin, as the species listed in the Habitats Directive were mostly selected in the 1970s and 1980s when water quality in western and central Europe was poor. Since the 1990s, water and habitat quality has improved in these parts of Europe while in the same period the pressure on aquatic habitats in the Mediterranean has increased greatly.Handling editor: Eric R. Larson Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3495-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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This is the first continent‐wide overview of insect diversity and status sufficiently fine‐scaled to be used in conservation planning. We analyze patterns of richness and the conservation status of African dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata), commonly referred to as dragonflies, to determine threats to species and freshwater habitats, location of diversity hotspots, necessary conservation actions, and research gaps. Major centers of dragonfly diversity in Africa are tropical forest areas that include highlands. Most threatened species – as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature global Red List – are concentrated in highlands from Kenya to South Africa (together with the Cape Floristic Region), western Africa (including mountains on the Cameroon–Nigeria border), and Ethiopia. Currently available knowledge can be applied throughout Africa's freshwater systems to help minimize or mitigate the impact of future development actions, allowing dragonflies to act as “guardians of the watershed”. The private sector can be advised to safeguard sensitive habitats and species when selecting sites for development. Key sites and species for monitoring can be identified by checking the distribution of threatened species at http://www.iucnredlist.org.

A retrospective follow-up study was conducted during the summer of 1986 in the French Ardèche basin in order to assess the relationship between swimming-related morbidity and the bacteriological quality of the recreational water. 5737 tourists in eight holiday camps were questioned as to the occurrence of illness and their bathing habits during the week preceding the interviews. The rate-ratio contrasting swimmers and non-swimmers for total morbidity is 2.1 (1.8-2.4) = 95% confidence interval); gastrointestinal illness is the major type of morbidity and differs significantly between the two groups (RR = 2.4 (1.9-3.0) for total gastrointestinal cases; RR = 2.3 (1.7-3.2) for 'objective' gastrointestinal cases). Faecal streptococci (FS) are best correlated to gastrointestinal morbidity, using direct linear regression models. Faecal coliforms (FC) are not as good predictors of the risk. The concentration of faecal streptococci above which the 'objective' gastrointestinal morbidity among bathers is significantly greater than among non-bathers is 20 FS/100 ml. Swimmers suffer skin ailments much more frequently than non-swimmers (RR = 3.7 (2.4-5.7]; although the relationship may be artefactual, this type of morbidity is well correlated with the concentration of faecal coliforms, aeromonas and pseudomonas. This study provides epidemiological data on which to base microbiological standards for river recreational waters dependent on what might be considered as an 'acceptable' risk.

Plants can induce significant changes in the rhizosphere through the uptake of water and ions, the exudation of organic compounds and the activities of micro-organisms. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of tree roots on the chemistry (pH, exchangeable cations, total organic carbon) of both the solid phase of the soil and the soil solutions, extracted by centrifugation, under a mature Douglas fir stand over two distinct seasons