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Breakdown rates and macroinvertebrate colonisation of alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves in an acid lake (Lake Orta, N Italy), before, during and after a liming intervention

TitleBreakdown rates and macroinvertebrate colonisation of alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves in an acid lake (Lake Orta, N Italy), before, during and after a liming intervention
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2001
AuthorsSalmoiraghi, G., Gumiero B., Pasteris A., Prato Susanna, Bonacina C., and Bonomi G.
JournalJournal of Limnology
Volume60
Pagination127-133
ISSN11295767
Keywordsacidification, Alnus, Alnus glutinosa, aquatic plant, Betulaceae, Chironomidae, colonization, Decomposition, Italy, liming, macroinvertebrate, Tanytarsus
Abstract

To test the effectiveness of the liming intervention on Lake Orta, the speed of leaves decay and of colonisation processes by macrobenthonic fauna were studied on alder leaves (Alnus glutinose) placed on the bottom of the lake and recovered after appropriate time intervals. Experiments were performed at two sites (North and South) and two depths (-3 and -18 m), during three successive winters: 1988-1989 (pre-liming), 1989-1990 (liming), 1990-1991 (post-liming). Two main results emerged: 1) alder leaves, which are known to have a medium to high decaying speed in a number of aquatic environments, behave in Lake Orta as a low speed species. Decaying processes in the three years are significantly different only in station N3, where the mean breakdown rate in 1988-1989 is more than twice that measured in the two subsequent winters. 2) The species richness of colonising benthic fauna is low: the community is made up almost exclusively of Chironomidae, which form 70 to 100% of the whole population: among them, the genus Phenopsectra is always present, while Tanytarsus was collected only during the first year and in the less deep sampling sites. The mean population abundances were higher before liming.

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Citation KeySalmoiraghi2001127