Lagoon Resident Fish Species of Conservation Interest According to the Habitat Directive (92/43/CEE): A Review on Their Potential Use as Ecological Indicator Species

Transitional waters are fragile ecosystems with high ecological, social and economic values, that undergo numerous threats. According to the information provided by European Member States in the framework of the European Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitat Directive), the main threat to these ecosystems is represented by morphological and hydrological changes. The present work focuses on six lagoon fish species included in the Habitat Directive annex II (species requiring conservation measures: Aphanius fasciatus, A. iberus, Knipowitschia panizzae, Ninnigobius canestrinii, Valencia hispanica and V. letourneuxi) that spend their entire life cycle in the Mediterranean priority habitat 1150* “Coastal lagoons”. The overview of the current scientific literature allowed us to highlight how the presence and abundance of these species may provide important indications on the conservation status of coastal lagoon habitats. In fact, their occurrence, distribution and biology depend on the presence of peculiar structures, such as salt marshes, small channels, isolated pools and oligohaline areas. Coastal lagoon fragmentation and habitat loss have led to a significant reduction in genetic diversity or local population extinction. Although Aphanius and gobies have been shown to survive in eutrophic environments, it is clear that they cannot complete their life cycle without salt marshes (mainly Aphanius) and wetland areas (mainly gobies)

Makrofiti i procjena ekološkog stanja u prijelaznim vodama delte rijeke Po, Jadransko more (Italija). Primjena Indeksa kvalitete makrofita (MaQI)

The paper provides the first checklist and information on the macrophytes of the Po Delta (Italy), a complex of small lagoons and ponds among the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, until now little studied in spite of the water surface of approx. 200 km². The abundance and assemblage composition of macrophytes that colonize these environments and their ecological status have been studied taking into account the most common physico-chemical parameters and the concentration of nutrients in the water column and in the surface sediment. Sampling was carried out in 17 sites, placed at Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco and Scardovari lagoons, during two surveys on 13-15 May and 13-15 October 2008. The ecological status was assessed by applying the Macrophyte Quality Index (MaQI) which was adopted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment for the ecological classification of the Italian transitional environments, in agreement with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requirements.U radu se iznose prvi popis i informacije o makrofitima u delti rijeke Po (Italija) koja se sastoji od brojnih malih laguna i ribnjaka i koja je jedna od najvećih u Sredozemnom moru, koja je do sada slabo istraživana unatoč činjenici što obuhvaća površinu vode od cca. 200 km². Istraživan je ekološki status, brojnost i skupni sastav makrofita koji naseljavaju ovo okruženje uzimajući u obzir najuobičajenije fizikalno-kemijske parametre i koncentraciju nutrijenata u vodenom stupcu i površinskom sloju sedimenta. Tijekom dva ispitivanja obavljena između 13. i 15. svibnja i 13. i 15. listopada 2008. provedeno je uzorkovanje na 17 mjesta raspoređenih u lagunama Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco i Scardovari. Ekološko stanje procijenjeno je primjenom Indeksa kvalitete makrofita (MaQI) kojeg je usvojilo Ministarstvo zaštite okoliša za ekološku klasifikaciju talijanskih prijelaznih područja u skladu sa zahtjevima Okvirne direktive o vodama (2000/60 EC)

Substrate preparation for Agaricus bisporus cultivation

ABSTRACT: Mushroom cultivation needs a selected organic substrate obtained during a composting process which is, in some aspects, quite different from the classical one. The aim is to analyse chemical and physical aspects of a composting process for mushroom cultivation in order to point out the peculiar characteristics, which enable a much faster preparation of the substrate. Raw materials were straw, chicken manure, gypsum and ammonium sulphate. In a very short time (11-13 days) the process led to a well-stabilised biomass, as it was shown by humification indexes, C/N ratio trend, organic carbon oxidation and ammonia nitrogen concentration decrease. In comparison to the classical composting procedure, a lower level of ammonia nitrogen and an organic nitrogen enrichment were present in the compost for mushroom cultivation. In addition, the high level of the substrate moisture, more than 75%, well above the limit normally recommended, has probably favoured the microbial growth rendering the process more efficient and faster

Water quality evaluation in Mediterranean Lagoons using the Multimetric Phytoplankton Index (MPI): study cases from Sardinia

1 - Water quality in four Sardinian lagoons (western Mediterranean Sea) was assessed using the Multimetric Phytoplankton Index (MPI), which is consistent with the EU Water Framework Directive. The index was developed using data on phytoplankton abundances, species structure and chlorophyll a concentrations in Venice Lagoon, Italy. 2 - The aim of this study was to test the MPI on a larger geographical scale and across a range of lagoon types. Therefore, it was applied to assess water quality in the Cabras, S’Ena Arrubia, Santa Giusta and Calich lagoons in Sardinia. These lagoons are all “choked”, but exhibit a range of sizes and morphometric features. They are directly affected by human activity within the lagoons themselves, such as fisheries, aquaculture and the construction of dams and canals, and are indirectly affected by anthropogenic activities in their catchments, including intensive agriculture, industrial activity and urban development. 3 - The data used in the present study were collected monthly over a period of 4 years (Calich, Santa Giusta and S’Ena Arrubia) to 7 years (Cabras). Samples were collected at three stations at each of the Cabras, Santa Giusta and Calich lagoons, and at two stations at the S’Ena Arrubia Lagoon, providing a total of 220 samples. 4 - The water quality in three of the four lagoons investigated (Cabras, S’Ena Arrubia and Calich) was classified as bad using the MPI. Among these three, water in Cabras Lagoon exhibited the worst condition. Water quality in Santa Giusta Lagoon was classified as poor using the MPI. 5 - Although we present preliminary results that require further verification, the index appears to be a useful tool for assessing the ecological status of typical Mediterranean lagoons

Sastav i raspodjela fitoplanktonske zajednice u eutrofnom obalnom području (Venecijanska laguna, Italija)

We investigated the phytoplankton in the central area of the Venice lagoon in the 1990s. Water samples were collected at 46 sites in June 1993 and June 1998 and at four stations every month from November 1998 to October 1999. Collected data include community composition, cell abundance, and cell bio-volumes, estimated with an inverted light microscope. Cell abundance distribution maps display mean (6.9 x 106 and 2.5 x 106 cells dm-3 in June 1993 and June 1998, respectively) and peak values (151 and 16 x 106 cells dm-3 in June 1993 and June 1998, respectively). The reasons for differences in blooming taxa were investigated by processing environmental variables of the most abundant taxa by Canonical Correspondence Analysis. The environmental parameters that most affected the species spatial distribution were salinity and temperature in June 1993 and salinity and water transparency in June 1998. Phytoplankton temporal trends confirmed the spatial distribution: the blooming period was in June and the highest cell abundances occurred close to the mainland.Istraživanja fitoplanktona središnjeg dijela Venecijanske lagune su izvršena devedesetih godina. Uzorci mora sakupljani su na 46 postaja u lipnju 1993. i u lipnju 1998. godine, a na 4 postaje jedanput mjesečno od studenog 1998. do listopada 1999. godine. Sakupljeni podaci uključuju sastav zajednice, numeričku abundanciju i stanične volumene, određene obrnutim svjetlosnim mikroskopom. Raspodjela abundancije stanica bila je u prosjeku 6,9 x 106 i 2,5 x 106 dm-3 u lipnju 1993. godine, odnosno lipnju 1998., a maksimalne vrijednosti od 151 i 16 x 106 dm-3 u lipnju 1993., odnosno lipnju 1998. Razlozi za razlike vrsta u cvatnji proučavani su u odnosu na faktore sredine (“Canonical Correspondence Analysis”). Najjači utjecaj na prostornu raspodjelu vrsta imali su slanost i temperatura mora u lipnju 1993. te slanost i prozirnost mora u lipnju 1998. S time se podudara i prostorna raspodjela fitoplanktona. Vrijeme cvatnje nastupalo je u lipnju, s najvišim vrijednostima neopsredno uz obalu

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ALIEN SPECIES PALAEMON MACRODACTYLUS RATHBUN, 1902 IN THE VENICE LAGOON

Palaemon macrodactylus Rathbun (1902) is an estuarine shrimp native to north-western Pacific which, due to its wide environmental tolerance to chemical-physical conditions and its long breeding period, from 1957, probably carried by ship ballast water, massively colonized estuarine ecosystems worldwide. After its first record, in 2012, P. macrodactylus appears to have rapidly colonized the entire Venice lagoon, showing higher abundance in the confined saltmarsh stations of the northern sub-basin, probably due to the relatively low salinities values of this area. Records collected from 2014 to 2020 confirm the long reproductive period, comprised between Spring (mid-April) and Autumn (October), and the potential large invasion capacity of this species, which in the future could provoke competition with autochthonous species of the genus Palaemon and Crangon crangon

APPLICATION OF THE HABITAT FISH BIOLOGICAL INDEX (HFBI) FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL STATUS OF PO DELTA LAGOONS (ITALY)

Fish fauna is one of the biological quality elements useful for assessing the ecological status of European transitional water bodies, for the purposes of applying the Water Framework Directive. For the assessment of the ecological status of Italian transitional aquatic ecosystems, the multimetric index “Habitat Fish Bio-Indicator” (HFBI), based on fish fauna, was developed and validated at national level. This paper reports the results of a study on the shallow-water fish fauna of 5 lagoon environments of the Po Delta (Northern Adriatic, Italy) which aimed to evaluate the ecological status of these water bodies by calculating the HFBI. The results made it possible to describe the taxonomic composition and the functional and trophic structures of the fish community characteristic of these delta lagoons. The shallow water fish assemblage was characterized by the presence of juvenile stages of marine migrating species (i.e., grey mullets of the genus Chelon, the sea bream Sparus aurata and the sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax) and by species of estuarine residents (i.e., small gobies Knipowitschia panizzae, Pomatoschistus marmoratus, and P. canestrinii, the silverside Atherina boyeri and the killfish Aphanius fasciatus). The guilds of hyperbentivores/zooplanktivores, microbentivores and detritivores were the most represented in the fish assemblage of the of investigated lagoons. The HFBI index, applied on an annual basis, made it possible to highlight marked differences in the ecological status of the Po Delta lagoons. Only Caleri lagoon resulted in a good state, Marinetta and Canarin lagoons in a moderate state, while Barbamarco and Scardovari lagoons resulted in a poor ecological state. Eutrophication, resulting from the large inputs of nutrients with freshwater from the Po River branches, and the modification of lagoon morphologies, a consequence of anthropogenic activities, are the main pressure factors that determine the ecological status of these transitional water bodies

Macrophytes and ecological status assessment in the Po delta transitional systems, Adriatic Sea (Italy). Application of Macrophyte Quality Index (MaQI)

The paper provides the first checklist and information on the macrophytes of the Po Delta (Italy), a complex of small lagoons and ponds among the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, until now little studied in spite of the water surface of approx. 200 km². The abundance and assemblage composition of macrophytes that colonize these environments and their ecological status have been studied taking into account the most common physico-chemical parameters and the concentration of nutrients in the water column and in the surface sediment. Sampling was carried out in 17 sites, placed at Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco and Scardovari lagoons, during two surveys on 13-15 May and 13-15 October 2008. The ecological status was assessed by applying the Macrophyte Quality Index (MaQI) which was adopted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment for the ecological classification of the Italian transitional environments, in agreement with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requirements.The paper provides the first checklist and information on the macrophytes of the Po Delta (Italy), a complex of small lagoons and ponds among the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, until now little studied in spite of the water surface of approx. 200 km(2). The abundance and assemblage composition of macrophytes that colonize these environments and their ecological status have been studied taking into account the most common physico-chemical parameters and the concentration of nutrients in the water column and in the surface sediment.Sampling was carried out in 17 sites, placed at Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco and Scardovari lagoons, during two surveys on 13-15 May and 13-15 October 2008. The ecological status was assessed by applying the Macrophyte Quality Index (MaQI) which was adopted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment for the ecological classification of the Italian transitional environments, in agreement with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requirements

Makrofiti i procjena ekološkog stanja u prijelaznim vodama delte rijeke Po, Jadransko more (Italija). Primjena Indeksa kvalitete makrofita (MaQI)

The paper provides the first checklist and information on the macrophytes of the Po Delta (Italy), a complex of small lagoons and ponds among the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, until now little studied in spite of the water surface of approx. 200 km². The abundance and assemblage composition of macrophytes that colonize these environments and their ecological status have been studied taking into account the most common physico-chemical parameters and the concentration of nutrients in the water column and in the surface sediment. Sampling was carried out in 17 sites, placed at Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco and Scardovari lagoons, during two surveys on 13-15 May and 13-15 October 2008. The ecological status was assessed by applying the Macrophyte Quality Index (MaQI) which was adopted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment for the ecological classification of the Italian transitional environments, in agreement with the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requirements.U radu se iznose prvi popis i informacije o makrofitima u delti rijeke Po (Italija) koja se sastoji od brojnih malih laguna i ribnjaka i koja je jedna od najvećih u Sredozemnom moru, koja je do sada slabo istraživana unatoč činjenici što obuhvaća površinu vode od cca. 200 km². Istraživan je ekološki status, brojnost i skupni sastav makrofita koji naseljavaju ovo okruženje uzimajući u obzir najuobičajenije fizikalno-kemijske parametre i koncentraciju nutrijenata u vodenom stupcu i površinskom sloju sedimenta. Tijekom dva ispitivanja obavljena između 13. i 15. svibnja i 13. i 15. listopada 2008. provedeno je uzorkovanje na 17 mjesta raspoređenih u lagunama Marinetta, Vallona, Caleri, Canarin, Barbamarco i Scardovari. Ekološko stanje procijenjeno je primjenom Indeksa kvalitete makrofita (MaQI) kojeg je usvojilo Ministarstvo zaštite okoliša za ekološku klasifikaciju talijanskih prijelaznih područja u skladu sa zahtjevima Okvirne direktive o vodama (2000/60 EC)

Using fish assemblage to identify success criteria for seagrass habitat restoration

A fish-based multimetric index was applied to assess the ecological status of fish fauna in both natural and newly restored seagrass meadows in the Venice lagoon (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy), using natural habitats as reference sites. Fish assemblages were then compared, and community attributes of recreated and natural habitats were evaluated. Ecological status resulted higher in natural meadows, and a multivariate analysis showed that an increase in the relative proportion of seagrass specialists at restored sites could represent an indicator of success of seagrass restoration