Benthic diatom assemblages and their response to human stress in small-sized volcanic-siliceous streams of central Italy (Mediterranean eco-region)

Bella, Valentina Della; Pace, Giorgio; Barile, Mariachiara; Zedde, Andrea; Puccinelli, Camilla; Ciadamidaro, Simone; Danieli, Pier Paolo; Andreani, Paolo; Aulicino, Francesca Anna; Belfiore, Carlo; Mancini, Laura

doi:10.1007/s10750-012-1195-9

Cited by 16 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Most of these species are characterised by being widespread and highly tolerant to environmental disturbances. For instance, species such as F. saprophila, N. desertorum and N. frustulum are resistant to organic pollution (Tornés et al ., ), and others such as S. seminulum, H. veneta and N. aurariae are commonly found in highly disturbed rivers (Fore & Grafe, ; Rimet, ; Della Bella et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Flow intermittency decreases nestedness and specialisation of diatom communities in Mediterranean rivers

Tornés

Ruhí

2013

Freshwater Biology

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1. Due to their ubiquity and highly efficient passive dispersal, benthic diatoms are an ideal group in which to explore the drivers of community spatial structure and the ultimate links between such patterns and species autoecology. However, studies addressing these issues have largely overlooked unicellular taxa to date. 2. We examined the spatial order (i.e. nestedness) of a diatom meta-community of 122 lotic sites in the north-east Iberian Peninsula and the relationship between the contributions of individual species to nestedness and their niche breadths [measured using outlying mean index (OMI) analyses]. 3. We observed a significantly nested pattern in the meta-community (T = 14.05, NODF = 22.57), although idiosyncratic species accounted for a substantial fraction (34%) of the global species pool. Hydrological stability was identified as the main driver of nestedness. Highly stable, moderately stable and intermittent sites differed in nestedness and in alpha diversity, with intermittent sites being the most species poor and the least nested. 4. We also observed a significant association between nestedness and niche attributes, with idiosyncratic species exhibiting wider distributions and larger niche breadths compared with nested species. Overall, our results indicate that diatom communities inhabiting hydrologically stable rivers present a higher level of order in community spatial pattern and a higher proportion of specialist taxa than communities in intermittent streams. 5. Because recent hydroclimatic models predict an increase in stream intermittency in the Mediterranean region, our findings may help anticipate future diatom biodiversity patterns resulting from global change. We suggest that the current need to protect a diverse network of sites (as opposed to a few species-rich sites) will be even greater in the near future because local communities are not only probably to become taxonomically and functionally poorer but also less predictable, making it more difficult to implement efficient programmes for biodiversity conservation at the regional scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Flow intermittency decreases nestedness and specialisation of diatom communities in Mediterranean rivers

Tornés

Ruhí

2013

Freshwater Biology

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“…Moreover, several papers based on posters presented during the 7th International Symposium are included in this issue of Hydrobiologia Blanco et al, 2012;Della Bella et al, 2012;Elias et al, 2012;Falasco et al, 2012;Novais et al, 2012;Proia et al, 2012;Romanov & Kirillov, 2012;Rusanov et al, 2012;Sorokovikova et al, 2012;Triest et al, 2012).…”

Section: Oral Session 8: Taxonomy and Monitoring In Different Countriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preface: Use of algae for monitoring rivers

Éctor¹,

Hlúbiková²,

Hoffmann³

2012

Hydrobiologia

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on sharing experiences in the use of algae to monitor river water quality.The Luxembourg symposium provided the opportunity to present new approaches and innovative methods in bioindication and use of various algal groups in water quality monitoring in different types of water bodies. The symposium also focused on uncovering the major gaps and uncertainties in existing methods or recent adaptations, as well as experiences with the application of these methods and intercalibration exercises.During the symposium, invited speakers had the opportunity to present their research activities and results in plenary sessions. The main sessions focused on the following topics: algal ecology, toxicology (including cyanotoxins), river phytoplankton and phytobenthos monitoring, implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), water quality monitoring in different countries. This 7th Symposium gathered about 80 participants and included 87 contributions (6 keynote conferences, 26 oral presentations and 55 poster presentations), submitted by researchers from 34 countries around the world:

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