Italian Volcanic lakes: a diversity hotspot and refuge for European charophytes
Accepted: 14 April 2014
HTML: 1466
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Macrophytes are one of the most important components of primary producers in lacustrine environments. Charophytes represent the most threatened group of macrophytes and are included in many European Red-Lists. Thus, finding and preserving charophyte diversity hotspots is important for European macrophyte conservation strategies. Within the framework of a general project aimed at investigating aquatic plant diversity of Italian volcanic lakes (IVL), a field survey carried out in 2009-2010 recognized high charophyte diversity. Overall, 17 species of charophytes, which correspond to 50% of Italian stoneworts and 30% of the European species, were recorded. Nevertheless, only four IVL out of the nine lakes investigated can be considered Chara-dominated lakes. Three Chara-vegetation belts characterized the Chara dominated IVL, as in other pristine deep calcareous European lakes. A Chara aspera belt grew at a lower depth, followed by a Chara polyacantha belt at a medium depth and a Chara globularis dominated belt at a higher depth, up to the maximum growing depth. The most common species was Chara globularis, whereas seven species were rare. Sixteen of the 17 species found belong to the IUCN threatened categories throughout Europe. The most interesting taxa are Nitella hyalina, Nitella gracilis and Lychnothamnus barbatus. Nitella hyalina is extinct in Switzerland and Great Britain, critically endangered in the Balkans and in Germany. Nitella gracilis is extinct in Denmark and endangered in the Balkans, Sweden and Switzerland. The Lychnothamnus barbatus population found in Martignano is the only one known in Italy. Lakes Vico, Martignano, Bolsena and Bracciano host from 18% to 44% of European charophytes. The high number of species in each lake allows the selection of these lakes as European hotspots of charophyte diversity. Therefore, the IVL can be a reference system for the conservation of aquatic species that are typical of Italian and European deep lakes.
How to Cite
-
Rossano Bolpagni, Sara Magrini, Andrea Coppi, Angelo Troìa, Janne Alahuhta, Marit Mjelde, Mattia M. AzzellaAquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems : 2021
-
Mariusz Pełechaty, Michał Brzozowski, Karol PietruczukAquatic Botany : 2017
-
Ralf BeckerWebbia : 2019
-
Ralf Becker, Irmgard Blindow, Angela Doege, Thomas Franke, Thomas Gregor, Ulrike Hamann, Dietmar Jäger, Christian Jorda, Timm Kabus, Heiko Korsch, Egbert Korte, Wolf-Henning Kusber, Frank Pätzold, Uwe Raabe, Hendrik Schubert, Matthias Teppke, Klaus van de Weyer, Peter Wolff
-
Abdullah Antar Saber, Andreas Ballot, Susanne C. Schneider, Marco CantonatiBotany Letters : 2018
-
Matteo Ventura, Giulio Careddu, Edoardo Calizza, Simona Sporta Caputi, Emmanuelle Argenti, David Rossi, Loreto Rossi, Maria Letizia CostantiniWater : 2023
-
Roman Romanov, Teresa Napolitano, Klaus Van De Weyer, Angelo TroiaWebbia : 2019
-
Abdullah A. Saber, Andrey A. Gontcharov, Arthur Yu. Nikulin, Vyacheslav Yu. Nikulin, Walaa A. Rayan, Marco CantonatiPlants : 2021
-
Roman RomanovWebbia : 2019
-
Michał Brzozowski, Mariusz Pełechaty, Paweł BogawskiGlobal Ecology and Conservation : 2022
-
Ralf Becker, Hendrik Schubert, Petra NowakPlants : 2021
-
O.V. BorysovaAlgologia : 2023
-
Romeo Di Pietro, Marco Giardini, Duilio Iamonico, Giancarlo Tondi, Daniele Angeloni, Emanuela Carli, Michele Aleffi, Mattia Martin Azzella, Francesco Di Pietro, Elisa Proietti, Sonia Ravera, Paola FortiniPlant Sociology : 2022
-
Alessandro Bellino, Daniela BaldantoniPlants : 2023
-
Bojan Damnjanović, Maja Novković, Aleksandra Vesić, Milica Živković, Snežana Radulović, Dragana Vukov, Ana Anđelković, Dušanka CvijanovićWetlands Ecology and Management : 2019
-
Roman E. Romanov, Maxim M. Mallaliev, Sophia Barinova, Vyacheslav Yu. Nikulin, Andrey A. GontcharovEnvironments : 2023
-
S. Ceschin, E. Pelella, M.M. Azzella, A. Bellini, N.T.W. EllwoodAquatic Botany : 2022
-
Sonia Ravera, Alfredo Vizzini, Cecilia Totti, Marta Puglisi, Mattia Martin Azzella, Andrea Battaglini, Liliana Bernardo, Ilaria Bonini, Giacomo Calvia, Laura Cancellieri, Marco Cantonati, Antonio B. De Giuseppe, Zuzana Fačkovcová, Goffredo Filibeck, Gabriele Galasso, Roberta Galli, Gabriele Gheza, Anna Guttová, Josef Hafellner, Deborah Isocrono, Jiří Malíček, Juri Nascimbene, Pier Luigi Nimis, Silvia Ongaro, Giulio Pandeli, Luca Paoli, Nicodemo G. Passalacqua, Giovanna Potenza, Filippo Prosser, Domenico Puntillo, Leonardo Rosati, Sabrina Rossi, Gianluca Rapaccini, Giovanni Sicoli, Daniel Spitale, Egidio TrainitoItalian Botanist : 2023
-
Martin Qvarnström, Grzegorz NiedźwiedzkiReview of Palaeobotany and Palynology : 2018
-
N. Guyennon, F. Salerno, D. Rossi, M. Rainaldi, E. Calizza, E. RomanoJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies : 2021
-
Rossano Bolpagni, Alex Laini, Mattia M. Azzella, Norbert HölzelApplied Vegetation Science : 2016
-
Michał Brzozowski, Mariusz PełechatyEcohydrology & Hydrobiology : 2024