Multilevel structure-function relationship in impaired stream ecosystems
1. VIII Incontro dottorandi in ecologia e scienze dei
sistemi acquatici
Multilevel structure-function
relationships in impaired
stream ecosystems
– Work in progress of my PhD project –
Cabrini R.1, Canobbio S.1, Fornaroli R.1 & Mezzanotte V.1
1 Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Ambiente e del Territorio, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
r.cabrini@campus.unimib.it; skype: riccardo.cabrini (Milano)
2. Introduction
Aims of my PhD project
✔ Evaluation and quantification of different stressors acting on impaired streams in
Northern Italy
Impaired stream à physico-chemical and hydromorphological alterations
✔ Usage of macrobenthos as physico-chemical and hydromorphological quality
indicators
3. Introduction
Aims of my PhD project
✔ Evaluation and quantification of different stressors acting on impaired streams in
Northern Italy
Impaired stream à physico-chemical and hydromorphological alterations
✔ Usage of macrobenthos as physico-chemical and hydromorphological quality
indicators
1. MULTI-STRESSOR APPROACH
2. STRUCTURE-FUNCTION RELATIONSHIP APPROACH
4. Research works
FIRST WORK
Short-term microhabitat effects of an oil and sewage spill on the macroinvertebrate
assemblages of an urban river
S. Canobbio, R. Cabrini, L. Sartori and V. Mezzanotte, 2012 – Paper in preparation
MULTI-STRESSOR APPROACH
- physico-chemical alteration
- habitat loss
STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS
- Functional feeding and habit
groups
5. Research works
FIRST WORK
Short-term microhabitat effects of an oil and sewage spill on the macroinvertebrate assemblages of an urban river
S. Canobbio, R. Cabrini, L. Sartori and V. Mezzanotte, 2012 – Paper in preparation
SECOND WORK
Leaf packs in impaired streams: the influence of leaf type and environmental gradients on
breakdown rate and invertebrate assemblage composition.
R. Cabrini, S. Canobbio, L. Sartori, R. Fornaroli and V. Mezzanotte, 2012 – Paper in preparation
MULTI-STRESSOR APPROACH
- physico-chemical alteration
- flow alteration
- habitat loss
STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ANALYSIS
- Functional feeding and habit
groups
6. Multiple-scale approach
THIRD YEAR – AND NOW?
HOW TO PUT ALL TOGETHER?
Multiple-scale approach
From literature:
- The distribution of organisms is determined by a set
of environmental factors acting hierarchically from
large to low scales (Poff, 1997)
- A river may be examined across a spectrum of
scales which can be ordered into a hierarchy, each
with a different degree of sensitivity and recovery
time (Maddock, 1999).
7. Multiple-scale approach
103 Km2
Long
Spatial
Recovery
Scale
Basin
Time
River
Site
10-3 Km2
Short
Microhabitat
Low
Sensivity
High
Maddock, 1999. Freshwater Biology 41: 373 – 391
10. Basin analysis
BASIN ANALYSIS
OLONA – SEVESO – LAMBRO BASIN
1. Database creation
My data + ARPA database
2. Basin, streams, microhabitat analysis
What am I looking for?
Has the Microhabitat a buffering effect?
