WISER Deliverable D3.3-2: The importance of invertebrate spatial and temporal variation for ecological status classification for European lakes

European lakes are affected by many human induced disturbances. In principle, ecological theories predict that the structure and functioning of benthic invertebrate assemblage (one of the Biological Quality Elements following the Water Framework Directive, WFD terminology) change in response to the level of disturbances, making this biological element suitable for assessing the status and management of lake ecosystems. In practice, to set up assessment systems based on invertebrates, we need to distiguish community changes that are related to human pressures from those that are inherent natural variability. This task is complicated by the fact that invertebrate communities inhabiting the littoral and the profundal zones of lakes are constrained by different factors and respond unevenly to distinct human disturbances. For example it is not clear yet how the invertebrates assemblages respond to watershed and shoreline alterations, nor the relative importance of spatial and temporal factors on assemblage dynamics and relative bioindicator values of taxa, the habitat constraints on species traits and other taxonomic and methodological limitations. The current lack of knowledge of basic features of invertebrate temporal and spatial variations is limiting the fulfillment of the EU-wide intercalibration of lake ecological quality assessment systems in Europe, and thus compromising the basis for setting the environmental objectives as required by the WFD. The aim of this deliverable is to provide a contribution towards the understanding of basic sources of spatial and temporal variation of lake invertebrate assemblages. The report is structured around selected case studies, manly involving the analysis of existing datasets collated within WISER. The case studies come from different European lake types in the Northern, Central, Alpine and Mediterranean regions. All chapters have an obvious applied objective and our aim is to provide to those dealing with WFD implementation at various levels useful information to consider when designing monitoring programs and / or invertebrate-based classification systems

Use of electronic devices by people attending vision rehabilitation services in Italy: A study based on the device and aids registry (D.A.Re)

Purpose To investigate the characteristics of electronic device users, specifically smartphones and tablets, in the Device & Aids Register (D.A.Re), from several low-vision rehabilitation services in Italy. Methods We collected general and clinical information about ocular and systemic diseases, visual function, reading speed and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaire score. Technological details of each optical and electronic device, (including screen size, touch-screen and OCR functions, text-to-speech function) were also collected. Results 1218 patients (752 females and 466 males) were included in our analysis, mean age 71.5 (±18.8) years. Users of electronic aids (n.237) were slightly younger (67 vs 72 years, p < 0.001) than non-users (n.981), had a worse reading speed (38 vs 65 words/minute), critical print size (43 vs 28 print size, p < 0.001), poorer visual acuity (VA)(1.0 logMAR or less: 30% non-users vs 73% users, p < 0.001) and more commonly visual field restriction within 10° (23% vs 14%, p = 0.001). A similar proportion of users and non-users were retired (about 70%) and about 16–17% were employed. The use of portable electronic devices (5″or less, p < 0.001; 6″ to 18″ screen size, p = 0.017) was associated with better IADL scores, and the use of stand devices with worse IADL score (p < 0.001); Furthermore, using smartphones and tablets (193 subjects) was strongly associated with better IADL scores. Conclusion We found that using electronic devices, and especially smartphone and tablets, were associated with better vision-related quality of life in low-vision people attending rehabilitation services. While this association does not mean causality, these findings seemed robust to confounder adjustment

Response of littoral chironomid community and organic matter to late glacial lake level and environmental changes at Lago dell'Accesa (Tuscany, Italy).

International audienceThis study focuses on the response of lacustrine littoral chironomid communities to late glacial changes in limnological, environmental and climate conditions in the Mediterranean context. Late glacial chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry were analysed in a sediment core from the littoral zone of Lago dell'Accesa (Tuscany, Italy), where the lake-level fluctuations and the vegetation history have been previously reconstructed. Comparison of the chironomid stratigraphy to other proxies (pollen assemblages, organic petrography and geochemistry, lake-level) and regional climate reconstruction suggested the predominant influence of lake-level changes on the littoral chironomid fauna. The main lowering events that occurred during the Oldest and the Younger Dryas were followed by higher proportions of taxa typical of littoral habitats. A complementary study of organic matter suggested the indirect impact of lake-level on the chironomids through changes in humic status and habitat characteristics, such as the type of substrate and aquatic macrophyte development. Several chironomid taxa, such as Glyptotendipes, Microtendipes and Cricotopus type patens, were identified as possible indicators of low lake-level in the late glacial records. Nevertheless, this study suggested that parallel analyses of organic matter and chironomid assemblages may be needed to circumvent misinterpretation of littoral chironomid assemblage stratigraphy. There was a weak response of the chironomid assemblages to small lake-level lowerings that corresponded to the Older Dryas and Preboreal oscillations. A higher level of determination, e.g. to the species group level, may be necessary to increase the sensibility of the indicators to lake-level changes

Composition and structure of the invertebrate fauna in littoral sandy shores of Lake Bracciano (Central Italy) and water quality monitoring.

The invertebrate fauna associated with littoral sandy substrata in the volcanic Lake Bracciano (Italy), utlilized as water supply for the city of Rome, was analysed during one year in twelve sampling stations distributed along the entire lacustrine perimeter. The biocoenosis comprised 103 identified taxa belonging mainly to oligochaetes, chironomids, nematodes and cladocerans. Oligochaetes and nematodes constituted quantitatively most part of the collected organisms (76%), followed by considerable presence of copepods (13%). Several other groups have represented a smaller but important component, that have validly supported the diversification of the community. The analysis of a series of simple parameters (diversity indices, N/T ratio, densities of bioindicator taxa), that previous investigations have revealed as useful for a quality monitoring, provided a diagnosis of acceptable water quality in the marginal area of the lake, concurring to indicate a mesotrophic condition

Biomonitoring in the lake littoral using invertebrate fauna associated with sandy sediments: a short synthesis.

This paper presents a synthesis of the results obtained from a series of investigations carried out over twenty years on the invertebrates associated with littoral sandy shores of lakes in Central Italy. These studies were aimed at collecting data about the biodiversity of this community and at identifying parameters useful for the quality monitoring of lake shores directly exposed to various anthropogenic impacts. A total of 186 taxa were identified, 57% of which belonging to oligochaetes, chironomids and nematodes. With regard to environmental diagnosis the results have validated the classic bioindices (diversity and evenness) as well as the more specific bioindices (N/T ratio, Maturity index), the latter two based on the importance as bioindicators of oligochaetes, especially tubificids, and secondarily of nematodes. In addition, the presence and abundance of cladocerans and molluscs, some of which are sensitive to environmental modifications, has proved a useful support for evaluation. Furthermore it emerged that the need to safeguard biodiversity and to control quality changes over time justifies further efforts to improve biomonitoring procedures based on this community

Water level reduction and plant associated invertebrates in the deep Lake Albano (Central Italy).

The volcanic Lake Albano is one of the deepest Italian lakes (max. depth: 175m), subjected from 1960 to considerable eco-morphological modifications taken to encourage recreational activities. Recent climate changes and increasing amount of water drawing from the cathment basin further deteriorated the littoral area, following the water level reduction of about 5 m, which bared wide parts of lake bottoms, today transformed in emerged sandy shores. The comparison of recent preliminary data with a previous study on littoral invertebrates (1986) displayed the almost total disappearance of the aquatic vegetation in the whole perimeter, including also several parts of common reed bed. In some stations plants were completely replaced by sand characterized by predominance of coarse fractions. The disappearance of plants produced a dramatic decrease of the fauna abundance at shallow depths (0-4 m depth range) and, excluding one station, the total disappearance of fauna at deeper littoral areas (4-8 m). This decrease of production was associated with a slight reduction of total phosphorus in the water and a transparency increase (mean: 7.4 m in 1986, 9.5 m in 2008). In spite of this serious deterioration, the same number of plant taxa (9 in 1986 and 8 in 2008) and faunal groups (18 in 1986 and 20 in 2008) was still observed. The preservation of a high number of faunal groups is a sign of the high homeostatic capability of the littoral community, which represents the most important source of lake biodiversity and the basis of any possible amelioration of the environmental conditions

Invertebrate fauna, aquatic vegetation and physico-chemical characteristics of a lotic-lentic system in a Natural Reserve (Lake Fibreno, Italy).

Lake Fibreno (surface area: 0.28 km²; mean depth: 2.7 m) is a “spring lake” located in Central Italy in a Natural Reserve and originates from submerged and surface waters of a karstic hydrogeological system (Marsica Mountains, Abruzzo National Park). The surface water enters at a high flow and at a constant temperature of 10-11 °C, and discharges in the only effluent (Fibreno river) at a flow of about 10 m³.sec-1 (annual mean of the last forty years). The lake enlarges in a plain and wide common reed bed and comprises the southernmost floating island of Europe. For its characteristics Lake Fibreno represents an original example of lotic-lentic system, so physico-chemical parameters and zoobenthos associated with aquatic plants were studied with the aim to evaluate the benthic composition and to define the lake ecological status in view of its conservation. The samples (water, vegetation and invertebrate fauna) were collected bymonthly in six stations during one year (2004). From the hydrochemical point of view the freshwater system is comprised in the field of calcic-bicarbonate waters (pH: 7.1; Ca2+:143 mg/l; HCO3-: 411 mg/l, annual means). High contents of phosphate compounds (range: 82-148 µg/l) were found. As to the vegetation, remarkable is the presence of aquatic macrophyte species that characterize several Natura 2000's habitats. The river macrophyte communities are generally dominated by Sparganium and Potamogeton oligo-mesotrophic species. Close to the spring area prevail Apium nodiflorum, Berula erecta and Hippuris vulgaris, and whereas standing water occurs, macrophyte communities change again in composition, with dominance of Callitriche and Lemna species. Thirty four groups of invertebrates were found, mostly represented by insects and crustaceans, which reached altogheter 85% of the total fauna. Microcrustaceans (range: 8-62%) quantitatively prevailed, followed by chironomids (6-36%), oligochaetes (2-14%) and water mites (0.4-18%). The percentage invertebrate composition was remarkably different at the sites of sampling, according firstly to water flow regimes (lentic or lotic prevailing character) and composition and abundance of plant substrate. Faunal densities have revealed increasing mesotrophy from spring to river sites. Numbers of invertebrates, moderate coverages of submerged plants, high values of phosphates and organically enriched sediments clearly indicated a negative trend to an eutrophic state of the lake, which certainly need a recovery project

Images in cardiovascular medicine. Intramyocardial spontaneous hematoma mimicking an acute myocardial infarction

An 80-year-old man affected by rheumatoid arthritis and chronic myeloid leukemia who was a smoker and hypertensive was admitted to the coronary care unit for first ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The diagnosis was suspected on the basis of the presence of chest pain associated with ST-segment elevation in leads III and aVF and a cardiac troponin T level of 0.30 ng/dL. At coronary angiography, performed 2 hours after pain onset, a 50% stenosis of the proximal right coronary artery with a translucent filling defect that suggested a parietal thrombus at the cardiac crux was found (see online-only Data Supplement Movie I); the left coronary artery had diffuse atherosclerosis in the absence of significant stenosis. Therefore, no interventional procedure was performed and the patient was treated with aspirin and clopidogrel. The echocardiogram performed soon after coronary catheterization showed an expansive lesion in the basal segment of the inferior wall characterized by echodensity intermediate between blood and tissue (Figure 1A). Myocardial contrast echocardiography documented that the expansive lesion was characterized by a reduced and irregular microvascular network compatible with both hemangioma 1 and intramyocardial hematoma 2 (Figures 1B and 2A; online-only Data Supplement Movies II and III). Magnetic Resonance Imaging further clarified the diagnosis. In fact, T2-weighted fat-suppressed images documented the presence of a hyperintense expansive lesion compatible with both hemangioma and intramyocardial hematoma (Figure 2B), but first-pass perfusion imaging showed marked signal loss in the lesion (Figure 3A), with no enhancement within the first minute (Figure 3B; online-only Data Supplement Movies IV and V). At late enhancement, a mild subendocardial perfusion defect remained only in the midventricular inferior wall. This pattern is typical of intramyocardial hemorrhage, whereas the contrast enhancement pattern of hemangioma is characterized by slow peripheral contrast uptak