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Application of biotic and taxonomic distinctness indices in assessing the Ecological Quality Status of two coastal lakes: Caprolace and Fogliano lakes (Central Italy)

TitleApplication of biotic and taxonomic distinctness indices in assessing the Ecological Quality Status of two coastal lakes: Caprolace and Fogliano lakes (Central Italy)
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsPrato, Susanna, Morgana J.G., La Valle P., Finoia M.G., Lattanzi L., Nicoletti L., Ardizzone G.D., and Izzo G.
JournalEcological Indicators
Volume9
Pagination568-583
ISSN1470160X
KeywordsAMBI, Applications, BENTIX, Caprolace, Caprolace Lake, carbohydrate, Carbohydrates, Chemical analysis, chemical property, coastal lagoon, community structure, correspondence analysis, Distinctness indices, Dominance, EcoQS, Eurasia, Europe, Fogliano, Fogliano Lake, Index of Biotic Integrity, Italy, Lakes, Latina, Lazio, macrobenthos, national park, organic compounds, Parks, polymer, Principal component analysis, Protein, Southern Europe, Taxonomies, Taxonomy, Water analysis, Water quality
Abstract

Marine biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX) and the statistical tool M-AMBI (Multivariate AMBI) were applied as a comparative approach in assessing the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) of two Mediterranean coastal lakes (Caprolace and Fogliano lakes) situated in the Circeo National Park (Central Italy). The macrobenthic community was analysed using univariate indices (community structure), correspondence analysis (CA) and taxonomic distinctness indices (Δ+ and Λ+). The community composition showed a dominance of lagoonal species in both coastal lakes, while in Caprolace lake marine taxa were also found. Diversity index (H′) complies to ranges found in Mediterranean lagoons and taxonomic distinctness indices demonstrated that taxonomy structure is in accordance with natural variability ranges. Principal component analysis (PCA) on chemical parameters of water and sediment showed that both coastal lakes differ mainly in their organic matter composition. In fact, the protein fraction of bio-polymeric carbon prevails in Fogliano lake, while the 'refractory' component represented by carbohydrate fraction is predominant in Caprolace lake. The difference between the two coastal lakes was also demonstrated by co-inertia analysis (COIA) performed using abundance of species and concentrations of chemical parameters. The results from the application of the three biotic indices do not highlight a clear distinction between the two lagoons. However, the AMBI index provided a more suitable evaluation of EcoQS corresponding to 'slightly polluted' lagoons while M-AMBI and moreover BENTIX indices indicated a worsening situation. The biotic indices are widely used in assessing the EcoQS in marine environments, but their proper application in transitional waters would depend on a resettlement; thresholds established in the biotic index scale values need to be modified according to natural variability of transitional waters referring to abiotic conditions and abundance of tolerant species. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-57749088663&doi=10.1016%2fj.ecolind.2008.06.004&partnerID=40&md5=76f0f0e8f450e3d82368bfe1635cdb97
DOI10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.06.004
Citation KeyPrato2009568