DOCSLIB.ORG

Zoobenthos Associated with Submerged Macrophytes in Littoral Areas of Lake Vico (Italy): Some Relations Between Fauna Structure and Water Quality

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Zoobenthos Associated with Submerged Macrophytes in Littoral Areas of Lake Vico (Italy): Some Relations Between Fauna Structure and Water Quality ZOOBENTHOS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBMERGED MACROPHYTES IN LITTORAL AREAS OF LAKE VICO (ITALY): SOME RELATIONS BETWEEN FAUNA STRUCTURE AND WATER QUALITY L. Mastrantuono Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Rome. Viale dell'universith 32, 00185 Roma. Italia. Keywords: littoral zoobenthos, lakes, water quality. ABSTRACT The invertebrate fauna associated with submerged macrophytes in some areas of Lake Vico was analysed fo- llowing the intensification of agricultural practices in the surrounding land in the last decade. The fauna was qua- litatively rich and quantitatively abundant. A total of 110 taxa were identified, widely distributed over all stations and quantitatively represented mainly by Crustacea, Nematoda and Chironomidae, and secondarily by several ot- her groups accounting for quite high percentages. The analysis of structural parameters of the community indica- ted a satisfactory environmental quality in the zones considered. Some significant differences between stations poin- ted to the interest of qualitative and quantitative aspects of the community in the environmental monitoring of littoral lacustrine zones. INTRODUCTION (BARBANTI et al., 1971). At that time it was clas- sified as mesotrophic and in natural conditions, The composition and distribution of the inver- supported by the absence of important pollution tebrate fauna associated with submerged ma- sources. Littoral and sublittoral zoobenthos have crophytes was analysed in some littoral areas of been studied (NOCENTINI, 1973) with reference Lake Vico, located close the cultivated lands only to some zoological groups (mainly Oligochae- surrounding the North part of the lake. The in- ta, Chironomidae and Gastropoda) and conside- tensification of agricultural activities in the last de- ring as a whole the fauna associated with bottoms cade pointed to the advisability of analysing the and submerged vegetation. littoral biocoenosis in order to identify possible So, this analysis had the purpose both to defi- negative effects on littoral fauna, also considering ne, as completely as possible, the composition of the importance of the lake for fishing. Moreover, the meio- and macrofauna associated with sub- a study carried out in the same period and sites merged macrophytes, and to verify the role of on the zoobenthos living in sandy shores (MAS- some qualitative and quantitative aspects of the TRANTUONO & LA ROCCA,1988) showed concrete community in an evaluation of environmental qua- evidence of a highly trophic condition in the zo- lity of littoral lacustrine zones. nes directly exposed to the effects of the cultiva- Owing to the high heterogeneity of both the tions (hazel orchards), periodically subjected to fauna and the substratum and to the remarkable treatments with fertilizers and pesticides. environmental variations of physico-chemical pa- Previous data refer to multidisciplinary research rameters, this community has traditionally been on chemical and biological aspects of the lake considered less significant than the bottom com- munity in evaluating water quality. So, several Limnetica. 7: 153-162 (1991) authors (PIECZYNSKI,1973; SOSZKA, 1975; BIGGS& G Asociacidn EspaRola dc Lim~~olugiii,Madrid, Spain MALTHUS, 1982; BROWNet al., 1988) have adres- sed their attention principally to the relations bet- The lake is monomictic with summer stratifica- ween macrobenthic organisms and substratum. tion, the temperature varied from 6.5 "C (Fe- However, some indications referring to both in- bruary) to 25 "C (August) in surface waters and vertebrates and macrophytes (OZIMEK & SIKOKS- from 6.2 "C to 9 "C in deep waters. Oxygen, high KA, 1976; CLAKKE, 1979; LAC'II~ZVANN~,1085; MAS- in winter at all depths (about 10 mgll), showed a TKANTUONO, 1986, 1987) supplied useful elements considerable depletion in summer below a depth to clarify the interest of the community in envi- of 30 m (0.2 mgll). pH was alkaline (from 7.2 to ronmental monitoring. 8.8 throughout the year) and the transparency was high (maximum value: 13 m; annual mean: 6.5 m). Small quantities of nutrients were observed in the water column 0-40 m (P total: 21 pgll, N-N03: 13 MATERIAL AND METHODS pgll, N-NH3: 18 pgll, N-N02: 0.8 pgll, annual ave- rages, station S, fig. l), indicating an oligo-meso- Lake Vico, located in a volcanic area at 5 10 m trophic condition in the waters (O.E.C.D. report, a.s.l., has a surface area of 12.081 km'. a perime- 1 982). ter of 16.9 km and a maximum depth of 48.5 m. The samplesof benthos were collected bi- The water level is regulated by an effluent (Rio monthly from March 1985 to March 1986 in four Vicano) artificially connected to the lake in the sampling zones (A, B, C, D, fig. l), chosen in sixteenth century through an underground tunnel areas differently influenced by the surrounding (fig. 1). This effluent caused the emersion of a cultivations. Stations A and B were located close wide part of land in the north of the lake. where to the cultivated land, station C was farther away the difference between the ancient shoreline and and station D was at a considerable distance from the present one is noteworthy (fig. 1, c). The lake the cultivations. The sampling was carried out for is characterized by a small catchment-basin (40.93 each station and date at three depth intervals (0-3 km2) and by a rain water flow largely dispersed m, 3-6 m, 6-10 m) using a sledge dredge (opening: on the lands. A few small affluents, which lie to 35 cm in width, 20 cm in height, mesh size: 180 the N and NE of the lake (fig. 1. r), pass through pm). It was dragged for about 50 m, parallel to the cultivated soils (BARBANTI, 1969). the shore, following a sinusoidal path at the se- lected depth interval. The material was preserved in 10 % formalin. In the laboratory the plants were washed and separated from all invertebrates. The macrobenthic organisms were sorted from the whole sample and the meiobenthic ones were counted in four subsamples that, together, represented 1116 of the entire sample. The similarity between stations was evaluated using the qualitative QS coefficient (SBRENSEN, 1948) and the quantitative PSc index (RENKONEN, 1938). Community structure was analysed by means of the Shannon index (MARGALEF, 1957) and evenness index (PIELOU,1966). RESULTS Submerged macrophytes Figure 1.- Map of Lake Vico and location of the sampling sta- tions (A. B, C, D). Mapa del lago Vico y localizacicin de 10s puntos de muestreo A total of 13 taxa were identified (table l), who- (A, B, C. D). se diqtrihution reached a maximum depth of about 'T;rhle I .- Submerged macrophyte composition in Lake Vico: seasonal variations and bathymetric distribution. + = present; o = ra- re; absent: +++ abundant. Composicicin dc los n~acrcifitossumergidos del lago Vico: variaciones estacionales y distribucion batimetrica. + = presente; o = ra- ra; auscnte; +++ abundante. 1985 1986 Depth interval (m) 111 V V11 IX XI I I11 0-3 3-6 6-10 Halorrhag~naccae a MyriophyNum spicufum a a +++ +++ +++ +++ + + Polygonaceac Polygonum amphyhrum Najadaceae Najm marina Najm minor Ranunculaceae Ran~rnculussp Potamogetonaceae Potarnogeton pectinatur Potamogeton pusillus Potarnogeton lucenr Potamogefon crispus Characeae Chara sp. a Chara sp. b Nitella sp. Ceratophyllaceae Ceratophyllurn demersum 12 m, in relation to the high transparency values. Crustacea, mainly Copepoda, were quantitati- The vegetation was quantitatively quite abundant vely predominant in all stations, followed by Ne- and reached its maximum species richness and matoda and Chironomidae with lower percenta- quantitative presence in summer. The dominant ges. Several other groups such as Oligochaeta, taxa were Myriophillum spicatum, Potamogeton Gastropoda, Hydracarina, Turbellaria and pectinatus, Chara sp. and Ceratophyllum demer- Hydroida were present in comparatively high per- sum. This latter, always present during the year centages at least in some stations (table 2). mainly at depths from 6 to 10 m, covered a good Copepoda reached very high abundance mainly proportion of the littoral bottoms. at stations A, B and C (range: 60.4-67.1 %). The The macrophyte composition, according to ca- dominant species were Macrocyclops albidus, tegories proposed by LACHAVANNE (1985), can be Eucyclops serrulatus and Eucyclops macruroides considered indicative of a mesotrophic condition. (table 3), typical cyclopids of littoral zones, ha- This evaluation is based on the following observa- ving a large geographical diffusion and a wide tions: a) medium-high level of species richness; b) ecological range. The remarkable occurrence of colonization to a depth of 10-12 m; c) association pelagic cyclopids (Cyclops abyssorum and Me- of taxa typical of better environmental conditions socyclops leuckarti) represents a phenomenon (Ranunculus sp., Chara sp.) with others tolerant already observed in Lake Nemi and in Lake Cam- the organic increase (P. pectinatus, P. pusillus). potosto (MASTRANTUONO,1986, 1987), and pro- bably related to high mobility and particular bio- Invertebrate fauna logical cycles of these species. Cladocera were composed of a high number of The fauna included a total of 110 taxa belon- species (12) most of which attained a considera- ging principally to Chironomidae (larvae), Oligo- ble percentage at all stations. Acroperus harpae, chaeta and Cladocera, secondarily to Nematoda, Chydorus sphaericus, Alona affinis, Simocephalus Hydracarina, Gastropoda and Copepoda. vetulus and Eurycercus lamellatus represented the dominant cladocerans. Other crustaceans (Ostra- Nematoda, comprising 8 taxa, were mostly re- coda, Isopoda and Amphipoda) displayed a spo- presented at all stations by Ethmolaimus praten- radic presence, while an uncommon abundance of sis, a common nematode in Italy. High abundan- the decapod Pulaeir,onetes unten~zarius,disappea - ces of nematodes have been observed at station D red from some lakes in Central Italy, was obser- (12.5 %) where also D. asymphydorus reached ved everywhere. considerable percentages (5 %). Among insects, Chironomidae constituted the Oligochaeta were present with a higher number most diversified and abundant group, although of taxa (19) and lower percentage values than in with moderate percentages.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Etruria 2019 Brochure Needs
    Etruscan Places OF NORTHERN LAZIO AND UMBRIA Join us in Italy, October 21–28, 2019 Imagine a land of volcanic lakes, sandy beaches, rugged hills, thermal springs, Roman roads, and medieval hill towns. Its olive oil, chestnuts, hazelnuts, freshwater fish, black truffles, seafood, wild mushrooms, game, pork products, lamb, and sheep cheeses are among the best you’ll find anywhere in Italy. … www.elifanttours.com / [email protected] / +1-347-868-6345 Etruscan Places OF NORTHERN LAZIO AND Join us for an exciting tour to the Etruscan places just north of Rome. The tour covers the territory between Rome’s northern edge and Orvieto, just inside the Umbrian border, 75 miles to the north. It’s a sort of “flyover” country, ignored by tourists in their dash north to Tuscany. All the more reason to stop and explore this land of volcanic lakes, sandy beaches, rugged hills, thermal springs, Roman roads, and medieval hill towns. Its olive oil, chestnuts, hazelnuts, freshwater fish, mushrooms, game, pork products, lamb, and sheep cheeses rival any in Italy. Long before the Romans, sophisticated native peoples were living in cities and building extravagant cemeteries (“cities of the dead”). The best known and most influential were called Etruscans, but we’ll meet others too, such as the forgotten Faliscans. Our itinerary offers plenty of archaeo-culinary interest in both isolated (and very picturesque) sites and the medieval towns that inherited the ancient legacy. That legacy continues today, remarkably unspoiled. The tour covers the southern Etruscan territory In October, when we visit, the wild beauty of the natural landscape will be enhanced between Rome and the southern borders of Tuscany and Umbria.
    [Show full text]
  • Littoral Trichoptera of Volcanic Lakes Vico and Bolsena (Central Italy)
    Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim. 2004, 40 (3), 252-259 Littoral Trichoptera of volcanic lakes Vico and Bolsena (Central Italy) F. Cianficconi*, C. Corallini, F. Tucciarelli Dipartimento di Biologia Animale ed Ecologia, Università, Via Elce di Sotto, 06123 Perugia, Italy. The first list of Trichoptera from lakes Vico and Bolsena is reported. It is the result of research carried out in 1955 and 1971- 1979 in lake Vico, and in 1957 and 1959-1990 in lake Bolsena. The distribution of caddisflies around the littoral zone depends on the environmental characteristics of the microhabitats. Overall, 16 species from 7 families were collected, 8 of which were found in both lakes, whereas 5 were only collected in Lake Vico, and 3 only occurred in Lake Bolsena. Hydroptila aegyptia and Ecnomus tenellus were the most abundant species in Vico, Tinodes waeneri and T. maclachlani in Bolsena. The trophic catego- ries of the larvae and their gregarines were identified. Keywords : Trichoptera, checklist, ecology, zoogeography, trophic categories, gregarines. Introduction Study area, material and methods Information on Trichoptera of volcanic lakes in La- Lake Vico and Lake Bolsena are located in northern zio derives from a study of Lake Monterosi (Moretti et Lazio-VT, central Italy (Fig. 1). They differ in altitude al. 1967, 1968), from a short paper on Lake Vico (Mo- retti & Tucciarelli 1978), and from research carried out on the dietary regime of fish in Lake Bolsena (Gat- taponi & Corallini Sorcetti 1988). The faunistic list of the invertebrate composition in the littoral zone of La- ke Vico (Mastrantuono 2000) reported the presence of Trichoptera.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeometry Paper 2 (003).Pdf
    Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Worthing, M.A. and Laurence, Ray and Bosworth, L. (2018) Trajan's Forum (Hemicycle) and Via Biberatica (Trajan's Markets): An HHpXRF Study of the Provenance of Lava Paving in Ancient Rome (Italy). Archaeometry . ISSN 0003-813X. DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12374 Link to record in KAR http://kar.kent.ac.uk/65583/ Document Version Author's Accepted Manuscript Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html Archaeometry Page 2 of 20 1 2 3 Trajan‘s Forum (Hemicycle) and Via Biberatica (Trajan‘s 4 5 Markets): An HHpX F Study of the Provenance of Lava 6 Paving in Ancient ome (Italy). 7 8 1 2 1 9 M.A. Worthing, . Laurence, L. Bos.orth 10 11 12 Abstract 13 14 The paper reports on geochemical data collected using a He-enabled Hand-Held 15 portable XRF (HHpXRF) from lava paving stones in Trajan‘s arkets and Trajan‘s 16 Forum (Rome).
    [Show full text]
  • Vico Guide to Vico Lake Nature Reserve
    TI CIM ON IN M I - - R I O S C E I R V V I A D O N G A A T L U E R L GUIDA A ALLA DEL RISERVA lago diVICO GUIDE TO VICO LAKE NATURE RESERVE aggiornamento 2018 IndIincdiece Presentazioni 5 Premessa 1. L’area protetta 9 1.1 Istituzione e ampliamento 10 1.2 Finalità 10 1.3 Valori naturali e culturali 11 1.4 Norme di comportamento 12 1.5 Cartografia 13 1.6 L’Ente Monti Cimini Riserva Naturale Lago di Vico 13 1.6.1 Uffici 14 BOX Autostello 15 1.6.2 CRAS – Centro Recupero Animali Selvatici 17 1.6.3 LabTer 18 1.6.4 Apiario didattico 20 1.6.5 Servizio Vigilanza 21 2. Il territorio 25 2.1 Aspetti geologici 26 BOX Tufo rosso a scorie nere e altre rocce 29 2.2 Minerali e rocce 32 2.3 Le acque del lago 34 2.4 Il microclima lacustre 35 3. Gli “abitanti” della Riserva 37 3.1 Flora 39 3.2 Fauna 50 4. L’uomo e il territorio 65 4.1 Dalla preistoria all’età romana 66 BOX VIA Ciminia e Via Cimina 71 4.2 Dal Medioevo ad oggi 76 BOX Via Francigena 81 4.3 Attività tradizionali e produzioni tipiche 88 4.4 Caprarola 90 4.5 Ronciglione 93 5. Vivere la Riserva 95 5.1 Le attività agro-silvo-pastorali 98 5.2 La pesca 100 5.3 Attività ricreative e sportive 101 6. Servizi 103 6.1 Ristorazione 104 6.2 Ricettività 104 6.3 Servizi al turista 105 6.3.1 Aree sosta 105 6.3.2 Itinerari e sentieri 105 6.3.3 Osservazione dell’avifauna acquatica 106 Glossario - nella guida alcuni termini hanno una freccia che rimanda 107 al glossario in cui sono spiegati Mappa 112 2 3 Inndedx ex Presentation 5 Caprarola ha la fortuna di Caprarola has the good fortune Premice vantare all’interno del suo to boast of a priceless treasure territorio un tesoro dal valore on its territory, an entire area 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Rivers in Prehistory
    Rivers in Prehistory edited by Andrea Vianello Archaeopress Archaeology Archaeopress Publishing Gordon House 276 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7ED www.archaeopress.com ISBN 978 1 78491 178 2 ISBN 978 1 78491 179 9 (e-Pdf) © Archaeopress and the authors 2015 Cover photo: Giant king fish (Caranx ignobilis) gather in preparation for a unique migration up the Mtentu river. The Mtentu river is one of few remaining pristine wildernesses in South Africa, so the Africa crew avoided using disruptive motor boats, instead paddling to the location each day in a canoe. Image elaborated by Cornelia Stancu. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Printed in England by Oxuniprint, Oxford This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website www.archaeopress.com Table of Contents Preface ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������iii Introduction ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 Rivers, Where Humankind Meets Nature �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 Rivers of civilisation ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������23
    [Show full text]
  • Via Francigena: Final Stage
    VIA FRANCIGENA: FINAL STAGE MONTEFIASCONE TO ROME SUMMARY VIA FRANCIGENA: FINAL STAGE The final stage of the Via Francigena takes you from the hill top town of Montefiascone to Rome, the eternal city. During your journey along this ancient pilgrimage route you will follow trails through the classic Italian landscapes and rolling hills of Umbria and Lazio. Walk through rural and pristine areas of Italy that many tourists do not visit and become immersed in the true culture of these stunning regions passing many hill-top villages, Etruscan and Roman remains, papal palaces and thermal pools. Begin in Montefiascone, a town from which there are great views over Lago di Bolsena which was formed in the crater of an ancient volcano. As you continue on your intriguing journey you will encounter the Bagnaccio thermal pools in which you can take a break and enjoy a soak in the milky green and steaming Tour: Via Francigena: Final Stage waters. Another highlight is Viterbo, which despite suffering heavy bombing in WWII is the best preserved Code: WISGVFMR medieval town in the Lazio region. Type: Self-guided walk Price: See website Spend a night in Sutri and wander through its enchanting old quarter discovering the Roman amphitheatre Single Supplement: See website and the place of worship, the Mithraem. Pass rivers, streams and waterfalls and walk through the stunning Dates: mid-April to end October and serene green valley of Sorbo where you will see grazing wild horses. On this tour you will walk directly Duration: 8 Days & 7 Nights into Rome through the parks of Insugherata and Mt Mario.
    [Show full text]
  • Conceptual Hydrogeological Model and Groundwater Resource Estimation in a Complex Hydrothermal Area: the Case of the Viterbo Geothermal Area (Central Italy)
    Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2012, 4, 231-247 231 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2012.44026 Published Online April 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/jwarp) Conceptual Hydrogeological Model and Groundwater Resource Estimation in a Complex Hydrothermal Area: The Case of the Viterbo Geothermal Area (Central Italy) Antonella Baiocchi, Francesca Lotti, Vincenzo Piscopo* Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche (DEB), Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy Email: *[email protected] Received February 1, 2012; revised March 2, 2012; accepted April 2, 2012 ABSTRACT The conceptual hydrogeological model of the Viterbo thermal area in central Italy and the yield of the groundwater sys- tem have been examined. This area is of great geothermal interest. Through new investigations, three overlapping aqui- fers have been found. This study examines in detail the two shallower aquifers, characterized by different hydraulic and chemical characteristics. The first aquifer is related to the regional groundwater flow of the Cimino-Vico volcanic sys- tem and is generally characterized by cold, fresh waters used for irrigation and drinking water supply. The second aqui- fer, i.e. the thermal aquifer, supply thermal spas and public pools; it is present where the local hydrostratigraphic, struc- tural and geothermal conditions permit a relatively active flow of higher salinity thermal waters (40˚C - 62˚C). These two aquifers interact vertically and laterally, giving rise to mixed waters circulating in the first aquifer. The first aquifer is recharged by direct infiltration and inflow from regional groundwater, as well as inflow from the second aquifer. The yield of the thermal aquifer is at least 170 L/s, discharging into thermal springs and wells, besides feeding the shallow aquifer vertically and laterally.
    [Show full text]
  • An Updated Report on the Water Chemistry of the Lakes of Central Italy
    In: Lake Pollution Research Progress ISBN: 978-1-60692-106-7 Editors: F. R. Miranda, L. M. Bernard, pp. - © 2008 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Short Communication AN UPDATED REPORT ON THE WATER CHEMISTRY OF THE LAKES OF CENTRAL ITALY Franco Medici and Gilberto Rinaldi Department of Chemical Engineering Materials and Environment, “La Sapienza” University of Roma, Via Eudossiana – 00184 Roma (Italy) ABSTRACT Albano, Bolsena and Bracciano are the most important lakes in Central Italy; the relevance and the potential vulnerability of these lakes is enhanced by their location in a populous area, with a high water demand for agriculture and other public uses. The waters of Lake Bracciano are already utilized for drinking supply to the city of Rome. The aim of this paper is to update the information on the water chemistry of these lakes, on the basis of samplings carried out by the authors; moreover experimental data are compared with similar analyses available from the literature. Besides the mass hydraulic balance of the lake system, the whole volcanic basin was considered and data related to the period 2000-2005 were also highlighted. INTRODUCTION The lake system of Central Italy, composed of five medium-sized lakes (Trasimeno, Bolsena, Bracciano, Vico and Albano) with a total water volume of 15.6 km 3, is the second in importance in Italy after the Alpine Lake district in the region of Lombardia (Mosello, 2004). Moreover, in terms of water volume, it collects approximately 11% of the Italian hydro lake resource, (the total volume of collected water being 150 km 3). The larger lakes of Central Italy are reported in table 1 with their main characteristics; a number of smaller lakes (area < 4 km 2), also located in the same area, are reported in table 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Trajan's Forum (Hemicycle) and the Via Biberatica (Trajan's Markets): an Hhpxrf Study of the Provenance of Lava Paving I
    bs_bs_banner Archaeometry 60, 6 (2018) 1202–1220 doi: 10.1111/arcm.12374 TRAJAN’ S FORUM (HEMICYCLE) AND THE VIA BIBERATICA (TRAJAN’ S MARKETS): AN HHPXRF STUDY OF THE PROVENANCE OF LAVA PAVING IN ANCIENT ROME (ITALY)* M. A. WORTHING,1 R. LAURENCE2† and L. BOSWORTH1 1Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NR, UK 2Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia This paper reports on geochemical data collected using a He-enabled handheld portable XRF (HHpXRF) from lava paving stones in Trajan’s Forum (Hemicycle) and the Via Biberatica (Rome). Issues relating to HHpXRF field use and calibration are also addressed in detail. By means of this instrument, 355 analyses of the paving stones were collected and the data were processed using the standard techniques of igneous petrology and petrography. Provenancing was based on comparisons between the HHpXRF data and geological data from the abundant literature on Roman volcanic rocks. These comparisons placed the provenance of the paving stones in the Colli Albani, south-east of Rome. Further analysis using Zr/Y versus Nb/Y discriminant diagrams suggests that the paving stones were quarried from two sources, both of which are represented in Trajan’s Forum and the Via Biberatica. The diagrams suggest that the sources lie within the Faete and Vallerano lava complexes. The latter were probably transported to the construction site by barge on the River Tiber and the former were easily accessible by carts along the Via Appia. The study establishes the potential of HHpXRF equipment for non-destructive analysis of paving stones both in Rome and at other sites in central Italy, and challenges a number of assumptions about the supply of building materials to Rome based on intuition alone.
    [Show full text]
  • 814737.En Pe 441.720
    WRITTEN QUESTION E-3212/10 by Sergio Berlato (PPE) to the Commission Subject: Very serious environmental situation of Lake Vico Lake Vico, in the province of Viterbo, is the main water resource for the towns of Ronciglione and Caprarola, for which it provides a supply of drinking water. For some years now, Lake Vico’s ecosystem has been in a critical condition. Partly due to the volcanic origin of the lake, its waters are rich in arsenic, a substance which has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Since 2007, periodic and extensive blooms of planktothrix rubescens algae have occurred in the waters of the lake. These ‘red algae’, as they are often called, produce a substance (microcystin) which is harmful not only to the plant and animal species found in the lake, but also to human health. Recent data presented at a convention held in March 2010 confirm the presence in the lake waters of high levels of arsenic and other toxic and carcinogenic substances. The Italian branch of ISDE (International Society of Doctors for the Environment) in Viterbo has alerted the competent authorities on several occasions to the possible risk to human health of using water drawn from the lake for human consumption in view of the various toxic substances which have been detected in it. ISDE has, moreover, called for specific intervention measures to protect and improve the whole lake water system in the interests of public health protection. Unfortunately, no decisive and effective measures have been taken up to now, although the situation is steadily deteriorating and the risk to public health is increasing.
    [Show full text]
  • Università Degli Studi Della Tuscia Di Viterbo
    UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA DI VITERBO DIPARTIMENTO PER L‘INNOVAZIONE NEI SISTEMI BIOLOGICI, AGROALIMENTARI E FORESTALI Corso di Dottorato di Ricerca in Ecologia forestale - XXVIII Ciclo. SOIL INDICATORS SET UP TO ASSESS SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT IN VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ECOSYSTEMS (Pedology - s.s.d. AGR/14) PhD student: Dott. Ruxandra Papp Coordinator Tutor Prof. Paolo De Angelis Prof. Sara Marinari …………………….. ……………………… 16 Giugno 2016 This thesis is dedicated to my father ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Prof. Sara Marinari for the continuous support in my PhD study and related research, for her patience and her motivation. Secondly, I would like to thank: Dr. Maria Cristina Moscatelli and Dr. Luca Secondi for their academic help and advices during the discussion of the thesis. I would like to acknowledge the staff of Univesity of Tuscia: Prof. Roberto Mancinelli, Prof. Enio Campiglia, Dr. Emanuele Radicetti, Dr. Silvia Rita Stazi for their support in elaborating and discussing the scientific data. I could not have managed with the lab work without the help and guidance of Dr. Rosita Marabottini. I would like to thank the staff at the James Hutton Institute: Dr. Tim Daniell, Susan Mitchell and Adrian Langarica Fuentes for making my three months abroad experience rewarding. A special thanks for all my fellow PhD and Master students: Eleonora, Silvia, Guido, Enrica, Roberta and Roberto for their encouragements and helpful advices. I would like to thank all my Italian friends that were next to me in this 3 year experience, they made me feel like home and given me their friendship and compassion: Paola and Erica.
    [Show full text]
  • Chemical Journal, Vol
    Geochemical Journal, Vol. 28, pp. 173 to 184, 1994 Chemical characters of crater lakes in the Azores and Italy: the anomaly of Lake Albano MARINO MARTINI,' LUCIANO GIANNINI,' FRANCO PRATI,' FRANCO TASSI,' BRUNO CAPACCIONI2 and PAOLO IOZZELLI3 'Department of Earth Sciences , University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy 2Institute of Volcanology and Geochemistry , University of Urbino, 61029 Urbino, Italy 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Florence, 50121 Florence, Italy (Received April 23, 1993; Accepted January 10, 1994) Investigations have been carried out on crater lakes in areas of recent volcanism in the Azores and in Italy, with the aim of detecting possible evidence of residual anomalies associated with past volcanic activities; data from crater lakes of Cameroon have been considered for comparison. Among the physical chemical characters taken into account, the increases of temperature, ammonium and dissolved carbon dioxide with depth are interpreted as providing information about the contribution of endogene fluids to the lake water budgets. The greater extent of such evidence at Lakes Monoun and Nyos (Cameroon) appears associated with the disasters that occurred there during the last decade; some similarities observed at Lake Albano (Italy) suggest a potential instability also for this crater lake. INTRODUCTION parison. With reference to the data collected so far and considering the possibility that the actual Crater lakes in active volcanic systems have chemical characters of crater lakes are influenced been investigated with reference to changes oc by residual thermal anomalies in the hosting vol curring in water chemistry in response to different canic systems, an effort has been made to verify stages of activity, and interesting information is whether and to what extent these anomalies can available about Ruapehu (Giggenbach, 1974), be revealed by simple observations.
    [Show full text]