The new checklist of the Italian Fauna: Rotifera

5openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorWe present a data set reporting the checklist of the species of the phylum Rotifera for Italy, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995. The records of the updated checklist refer to the 483 taxa at the species and subspecies level currently known from national Italian territories (119 Bdelloidea, 362 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea) at the regional level (22 terrestrial and nine marine geographical units). The records refer to various freshwater, limno-terrestrial, and marine coastal habitats. The previous checklist reported 245 taxa (54 Bdelloidea, 189 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea): three taxa were removed because currently considered not valid and 241 were added,scanning 21 papers we found that were published between 1993 and 2020, expanding the regional records and including four papers older than 1993 with overlooked records in the previous checklist. The Rotifera data are part of the updated Checklist of the Italian Fauna, which is viewable on the LifeWatch Italy platform at https://www.lifewatchitaly.eu/en/initiatives/checklist-fauna-italia-en/checklist and is freely available on the LifeWatch Italy Data Portal (https://dataportal.lifewatchitaly.eu/data). The checklist will be dynamically updated with new records; this paper describes the state of the art of the data set regarding Rotifera on May 2021.openFontaneto, D.; Bertani, I.; Cancellario, T.; Rossetti, G.; Obertegger, U.Fontaneto, D.; Bertani, I.; Cancellario, T.; Rossetti, G.; Obertegger, U

Effective reassessments of freshwater fish species: a case study in a Mediterranean peninsula

IUCN Red List assessments for fish species can quickly become out of date. In recent years molecular techniques have added new ways of obtaining information about species distribution or populations. In this work, we propose the Iberian Peninsula as an example of reassessment needs in its endangered freshwater fish fauna. We compiled the list of freshwater fish species occurring in continental Spain and Portugal and examined their conservation status in global and national Red Lists. We retrieved records for these species in the Iberian Peninsula and calculated several biological indexes (richness and vulnerability indexes). Our results showed a patchy data coverage of fish records in the Iberian Peninsula. Threat levels reported within national Red Lists are higher than their global counterparts, reinforcing the necessity of improving and maintaining up to date national Red Lists. Iberian watersheds have moderate levels of threat and high levels of out of date assessments. The nearly fully completed genetic databases for Iberian fish species, along with the limited distribution of many endangered species and the necessity of update their assessments constitute an excellent opportunity to use data obtained from eDNA to improve species monitoring practices and their conservation status

Taxonomic and functional responses of benthic macroinvertebrate communities to hydrological and water quality variations in a heavily regulated river

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are frequently used to evaluate river system conditions and restoration project performance. A better understanding of macroinvertebrate community responses to multiple stressors is a primary challenge for river science. In this paper, macroinvertebrate responses to hydrological and water quality variability were studied in the regulated Oglio River (northern Italy). We hypothesized that in regulated rivers the hydrological, rather than the physico-chemical conditions, would affect macroinvertebrate communities and biomonitoring tools (taxonomic metrics and functional indices). Repeated sampling (six times a year) was performed at four sites downstream of four dams in a 30 km river stretch during 2014 and 2015. Data were analysed using a linear mixed effect framework, to take into account random variation due to site and sampling date, and with multivariate analysis to track changes in community structure. A total of 69 families and 134,693 organisms were identified. The investigated metrics were mainly affected by the coefficient of variation of discharge, minimum discharge, ammonium, and temperature. The short-term dynamics of hydrological and physico-chemical variables were generally less important than the overall random effects as drivers of macroinvertebrate-based metrics. However, the relevance of a random effect (site, time, their interaction) differed depending on the biological metrics analysed. Understanding potential differences in response to short term and short stretch conditions would benefit biomonitoring and restoration procedures in both regulated and natural rivers

Data descriptor: freshwater macroinvertebrate samples from a water quality monitoring network in the iberian peninsula

This dataset gathers information about the macroinvertatebrate samples and environmental variables collected on rivers of the Ebro River Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula), the second largest catchment in the Iberian Peninsula. The collection is composed of 1,776 sampling events carried out between 2005 and 2015 at more than 400 sampling sites. This dataset is part of a monitoring network set up by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the official body entrusted with the care of the basin, to fulfill the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Biological indices based on the freshwater macroinvertebrate communities were used to evaluate the ecological status of the water bodies within the basin. Samples were qualitatively screened for all occurring taxa. Then, all individuals from all taxa in a quantitative subsample of each sample were counted. Biological indices were calculated to estimate water quality at each sampling site. All samples are kept at the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra

Investment in the long-tail of biodiversity data: from local research to global knowledge

In business, the "long-tail economy" refers to a market strategy where the gravity center shifts from a few high-demand products to many, varied products focused on small niches. Commercialization of individually low-demand products can be profitable as long as their production cost is low and, all taken together, they aggregate into a big chunk of the market. Similarly, in the "business" of biodiversity data acquisition, we can find several mainstream products that produce zillions of bits of information every year and account for most of the budget allocated to increase our primary data-based knowledge about Earth's biological diversity. These products play a crucial role in biodiversity research. However, along with these large global projects, there is a constellation of small-scale institutions that work locally, but whose contribution to our understanding of natural processes should not be dismissed. These information datasets can be collectively referred to as the "long-tail biodiversity data"

Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: a global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter

Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and extent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico‐chemical changes (preconditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experimentally simulated, under standard laboratory conditions, rewetting of leaves, riverbed sediments, and epilithic biofilms collected during the dry phase across 205 IRES from five major climate zones. We determined the amounts and qualitative characteristics of the leached nutrients and OM, and estimated their areal fluxes from riverbeds. In addition, we evaluated the variance in leachate characteristics in relation to selected environmental variables and substrate characteristics. We found that sediments, due to their large quantities within riverbeds, contribute most to the overall flux of dissolved substances during rewetting events (56‐98%), and that flux rates distinctly differ among climate zones. Dissolved organic carbon, phenolics, and nitrate contributed most to the areal fluxes. The largest amounts of leached substances were found in the continental climate zone, coinciding with the lowest potential bioavailability of the leached organic matter. The opposite pattern was found in the arid zone. Environmental variables expected to be modified under climate change (i.e. potential evapotranspiration, aridity, dry period duration, land use) were correlated with the amount of leached substances, with the strongest relationship found for sediments. These results show that the role of IRES should be accounted for in global biogeochemical cycles, especially because prevalence of IRES will increase due to increasing severity of drying events

Simulating rewetting events in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: A global analysis of leached nutrients and organic matter

Climate change and human pressures are changing the global distribution and the ex‐ tent of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which comprise half of the global river network area. IRES are characterized by periods of flow cessation, during which channel substrates accumulate and undergo physico‐chemical changes (precon‐ ditioning), and periods of flow resumption, when these substrates are rewetted and release pulses of dissolved nutrients and organic matter (OM). However, there are no estimates of the amounts and quality of leached substances, nor is there information on the underlying environmental constraints operating at the global scale. We experi‐ mentally simulated, under standard laboratory conditions, rewetting of leaves, river‐ bed sediments, and epilithic biofilms collected during the dry phase across 205 IRES from five major climate zones. We determined the amounts and qualitative character‐ istics of the leached nutrients and OM, and estimated their areal fluxes from riverbeds. In addition, we evaluated the variance in leachate characteristics in relation to selected environmental variables and substrate characteristics. We found that sediments, due to their large quantities within riverbeds, contribute most to the overall flux of dis‐ solved substances during rewetting events (56%–98%), and that flux rates distinctly differ among climate zones. Dissolved organic carbon, phenolics, and nitrate contrib‐ uted most to the areal fluxes. The largest amounts of leached substances were found in the continental climate zone, coinciding with the lowest potential bioavailability of the leached OM. The opposite pattern was found in the arid zone. Environmental vari‐ ables expected to be modified under climate change (i.e. potential evapotranspiration, aridity, dry period duration, land use) were correlated with the amount of leached sub‐ stances, with the strongest relationship found for sediments. These results show that the role of IRES should be accounted for in global biogeochemical cycles, especially because prevalence of IRES will increase due to increasing severity of drying event

Climate change will redefine taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity patterns of Odonata in space and time

Climate change is rearranging the mosaic of biodiversity on our planet. These broad-scale species re-distributions will affect the structure of communities across multiple biodiversity facets (taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity). The current challenges to understand such effects involve focusing on organisms other than vertebrates and considering the signature of species redistribution on phylogenetic and functional diversity in addition to species composition. Using European dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata), we asked: i) how climate change will redefine taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity at continental scales; ii) which traits will mediate species' response to global change; and iii) whether this response will be conserved across the phylogeny. First, we constructed stacked species distribution models for 107 species of Odonata under current and future climate conditions. Then, we quantified the temporal variation of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic components, forecasting alpha and beta diversity changes through our geographical grid. Lastly, we used phylogenetic comparative models to test the influence of phylogeny and traits on range shifts. We observed broad latitudinal and altitudinal rearrangements in community composition driven by climate change. Given the high dispersal ability of Odonata, changes are predicted to be rapid, especially in areas experiencing faster climate change rates. According to our predictions, changes in species composition cascade to affect functional and phylogenetic diversity, determining broad turnovers in traits and evolutionary lineages. There was no clear phylogenetic signal in the range-shift response of European Odonata to climate change. According to our phylogenetic regression models, only body size and flight period can be partly correlated with observed range shifts. By considering all three primary facets of biodiversity, our results support the design of inclusive management and conservation strategies, accounting not only for the diversity of species, but also the services they provide and the phylogenetic heritage they carry in a targeted ecosystem

D.haemobaphes & D.villosus

freshwater invasive species distribution model

The new Checklist of the Italian Fauna: Rotifera

We present a data set reporting the checklist of the species of the phylum Rotifera for Italy, updating the one previously published in the series ‘Checklist delle Specie della Fauna d'Italia’ in 1995. The records of the updated checklist refer to the 483 taxa at the species and subspecies level currently known from national Italian territories (119 Bdelloidea, 362 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea) at the regional level (22 terrestrial and nine marine geographical units). The records refer to various freshwater, limno-terrestrial, and marine coastal habitats. The previous checklist reported 245 taxa (54 Bdelloidea, 189 Monogononta, 2 Seisonacea): three taxa were removed because currently considered not valid and 241 were added, scanning 21 papers we found that were published between 1993 and 2020, expanding the regional records and including four papers older than 1993 with overlooked records in the previous checklist. The Rotifera data are part of the updated Checklist of the Italian Fauna, which is viewable on the LifeWatch Italy platform at https://www.lifewatchitaly.eu/en/initiatives/checklist-fauna-italia-en/checklist and is freely available on the LifeWatch Italy Data Portal (https://dataportal.lifewatchitaly.eu/data). The checklist will be dynamically updated with new records; this paper describes the state of the art of the data set regarding Rotifera on May 2021