Taxonomic and functional trait variation along a gradient of ammonium contamination in the hyporheic zone of a Mediterranean stream

Lorenzo, Tiziana Di; Fiasca, Barbara; Cicco, Mattia Di; Cifoni, Marco; Galassi, Diana M. P.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108268

Cited by 20 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Other studies have also indicated the high dependence of nematodes [42,106] and Plecoptera [107] on organic nutrients, which allows them to tolerate high levels of nitrogen compounds derived from agriculture. However, copepods and ostracods were reported to be more sensitive to the nitrogen compounds, especially to ammonia [42,108]. Our results indicated that meiofauna abundance and richness were positively influenced by pH (Ostracoda, Nematoda, Copepoda, and Plecoptera) and dissolved oxygen (Collembola).…”

Section: Meiofaunamentioning

confidence: 63%

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Borda

Cociuba

Epure³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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Karst aquifers are both a valuable resource for humankind and a habitat for unique biota. The quality of freshwater sources may be easily affected by natural (e.g., geology, climate, and vegetation) and anthropogenic (e.g., agriculture, livestock, and tourism) changes, particularly in karst landscapes with highly vulnerable groundwater reservoirs. We seasonally monitored nine representative freshwater sources (i.e., six springs, a well, a surface stream, and a cave stream resurgence) in the karst system of the Runcuri Plateau (KSRP) (Western Romanian Carpathians) during seven sampling campaigns in 2019–2021. We assessed how these natural and anthropogenic factors influenced the water quality based on the European and national standards for drinking water. The geological structure (i.e., tectonics and lithology) of the KSRP was reassessed, and the environmental variables of the freshwater sites were investigated in order to evaluate their impact on the physicochemical profile, the microbial contamination, and on the meiofauna presence. Multivariate statistics were performed to gain insights into the interplay among all these factors and to evaluate the self-purification capacity of the KSRP for chemical and microbial pollutants. The most relevant drivers shaping the microbial content of the freshwater sources were the altitude of the sampling sites, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and air temperature, followed by the physicochemical profile of the waters (i.e., calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, nitrites, nitrates, conductivity, phosphates, total dissolved solids, and iron concentrations). The meiofauna presence was influenced mostly by precipitation, air temperature, and NDVI. Our results reflected the effect of the geological structure and environment on water chemistry and biota assemblages. A pollutant attenuation trend was observed in discharging waters, even though the self-purification capacity of the studied karst system was not statistically supported. More investigations are needed to comprehend the processes developed in the black box of the KSRP.

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Section: Meiofaunamentioning

confidence: 63%

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Borda

Cociuba

Epure³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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“…For this reason, the occurrence, in November 2020, of pharmaceutical compounds and pesticides in the Mugnone creek is a harbinger of potential toxicological interactions (e.g., Ateia et al, 2020;Bhagat et al, 2021) which should be further investigated. Since some meiofaunal taxa seek refugium in hyporheic zones during adverse environmental conditions (e.g., Stubbington, 2012;Di Lorenzo and Galassi, 2013;Di Lorenzo et al, 2021), they may release MPs through feces in the subsurface from where they can reach the underlying aquifers (Frei et al, 2019;Drummond et al, 2020). The risk of biomediated MP contamination in groundwater has important consequences since groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the world ( UN -United Nations, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The body length (in mm) and biomass (μg of dry mass) of the individuals of each taxon were determined using the methods and size-biomass conversion equations in Reiss and Schmid-Araya (2008). The taxa were attributed to different feeding and locomotion guilds considering the mean trait profiles of their families in the biogeographic region (Neury-Ormanni et al, 2020;Di Lorenzo et al, 2021) and in-vivo observations performed in a preliminary survey. In detail: Nematoda were identified as swimmers (thrashers) and deposit-feeders (sRavizza and Zwick, 2006); Annelida Oligochaeta Naididae, all belonging to the genus Pristina, were burrowers and deposit-feeders (Glasby et al, 2021); the individuals of the cyclopoid A. robustus were swimmers and predators (Maier, 1990); the larvae of Diptera Chironomidae were burrowers and deposit-feeders (Kornijów et al, 2021) and, finally, the early larval stages of Ephemeroptera Baetidae were crawlers and scrapers (Jacobus et al, 2019).…”

Section: Sample Collection and Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ingestion of microplastics and textile cellulose particles by some meiofaunal taxa of an urban stream

Lorenzo

Cabigliera²,

Martellini

et al. 2023

Chemosphere

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“…Fauna that may depend on episodic events to stimulate breeding (Reiss et al, 2019; Saccò, Blyth, Bateman, et al, 2019) must have the capacity to survive for several years. Di Lorenzo, Fiasca, et al (2021) and Di Lorenzo, Cifoni, et al (2021) showed that adults of the stygobitic harpacticoid Nitocrella achaiae survive for a year in the laboratory, meaning that the overall life span (including juvenile stages) is likely to be much longer than 1 year. We thus propose additional states for groundwater fauna that reflect their multi‐year life span (Table S1), but overall, there is likely to be a narrower range of life spans among groundwater than surface‐water invertebrates.…”

Section: Do Stygofauna Have Narrow Ranges Of Trait States In Comparis...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such approaches have been applied to micro‐organisms (Šimek et al, 2017), algae (Hoadley et al, 2021), land plants (Kattge et al, 2011, 2020), invertebrates (Worischka et al, 2015), fish (Mérigoux et al, 2001) and amphibians (Lourenço‐de‐Moraes et al, 2020), and across the spectrum of freshwater ecosystems, including rivers (e.g. Erős et al, 2009; Hoeinghaus et al, 2007; Várbíró et al, 2020), hyporheic zones (Descloux et al, 2014; Di Lorenzo, Fiasca, et al, 2021), lakes (Hébert et al, 2016) and wetlands (Van Bodegom et al, 2006). Except for a small number of recent papers, such as those by Di Lorenzo, Murolo, et al (2019), who compared functional traits of groundwater invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) in response to nitrate contamination in a porous aquifer, and those by Borko et al (2021) and Fišer et al (2019), who analysed morphological traits to test niche differentiation in subterranean amphipods, there has been little analysis of biological traits of groundwater organisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

et al. 2022

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Groundwater comprises the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. It has a distinct regime of extreme, yet stable environmental conditions that have favoured the development of similar morphological and functional traits in the resident invertebrate fauna (stygofauna). The analysis of community traits is increasingly used as an alternative to taxonomy‐based assessments of biodiversity, especially for monitoring ecosystem status and linking the functions of organisms to ecological processes, yet it has been rarely applied to stygofauna and groundwater ecosystems. In this paper, we review the variation in functional traits among the invertebrate fauna of this important ecosystem. We focus on the stygofauna and processes of alluvium and fractured rock aquifers that are typified by small voids and fissures that constrain the habitats and environmental conditions. As a first step, we compare trait variability between groundwater and surface water invertebrate communities and then examine the significance of the ranges of these traits to the vulnerability of the ecosystem to change. Fifteen potentially useful functional traits are recognised. Eight of these have narrower ranges (i.e. exhibit fewer states, or attributes, of a particular trait) in groundwater than they do in surface water. Two traits have wider ranges. Our synthesis suggests that the relative stability of groundwater environments has led to low trait variability. The low biomass and low reproductive rate of stygofauna suggest that recovery potential following disturbance is likely to be low. For the purposes of both improved understanding and effective management, further work is needed to document additional functional traits and their states in groundwater fauna, enabling a better understanding of the relationship between response and effect traits in these ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Taxonomic and functional trait variation along a gradient of ammonium contamination in the hyporheic zone of a Mediterranean stream

Cited by 20 publications

References 67 publications

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Ingestion of microplastics and textile cellulose particles by some meiofaunal taxa of an urban stream

Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

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