High-Mountain Lakes, Indicators of Global Change: Ecological Characterization and Environmental Pressures-2nd Edition

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2024 | Viewed by 682

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Turin, Italy
Interests: aquaculture; fish biology; aquatic organism pathology; ecotoxicology; conservation of biodiversity in aquatic environments; antibiotic resistance; trace elements; emerging contaminants; microplastics; invasive alien species
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Turin, Italy
Interests: fish and shellfish diseases; aquaculture; freshwater ecosystems; environmental contaminants; ecotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diversity is launching a Special Issue dedicated to high-mountain lakes, focused on their ecological characterization and environmental pressures.

Though mountain lakes are influenced less by human activities than other habitats are, global and local anthropogenic threats can alter their natural condition. The most alarming threats are water exploitation, alien species introduction, climate change, and the medium–long range atmospheric transport of contaminates. High-mountain lakes were originally fishless because they are isolated ecosystems, but now they are sensitive to ecological damage caused by the invasion of alien species. The low-level taxa richness suggests that these habitats are not species-saturated and are susceptible to invasive species or species that are expanding their ranges due to climate change. The threat to biodiversity is greater due to the low diversity and structure of such communities. Moreover, tourism and mountain farming are two other major sources of organic pollutants that can pose a local threat to aquatic biodiversity. Papers submitted this Special Issue should be original contributions focused on ecological and morphological characterization, environmental pressures (i.e., alien species introduction and environmental contaminates), and the use of bioindicators/tracers that support adequate management plans.

Dr. Paolo Pastorino
Dr. Marino Prearo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental contaminants
  • climate change
  • alien species
  • hydrochemistry
  • bioindicators
  • paleolimnology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4875 KiB  
Article
Macrobenthic Assemblages and the Influence of Microhabitat in a High-Mountain Lake (Northwest Italy)
by Alice Gabetti, Alessandra Maganza, Camilla Mossotto, Barbara Rizzioli, Giuseppe Esposito, Marco Bertoli, Elisabetta Pizzul, Elena Bozzetta, Marino Prearo and Paolo Pastorino
Diversity 2024, 16(6), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16060329 - 3 Jun 2024
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Abstract
High-mountain lakes are freshwater ecosystems situated above the tree line which are known for their remote locations and limited accessibility. These ecosystems host simplified biotic communities primarily concentrated in the littoral zone and dominated by benthic macroinvertebrates that serve as bioindicators of environmental [...] Read more.
High-mountain lakes are freshwater ecosystems situated above the tree line which are known for their remote locations and limited accessibility. These ecosystems host simplified biotic communities primarily concentrated in the littoral zone and dominated by benthic macroinvertebrates that serve as bioindicators of environmental pressures. A two-year monitoring investigation was performed in July 2022 and July 2023 at Nero Lake (Cesana Torinese, Northwest Italy). Five sites along the lakeshore were selected for sampling physicochemical water parameters and macrobenthos. All collected data were analysed to compare trends across years and within specific sites. The results revealed that Nero Lake exhibited consistent macrobenthic communities across the two years studied, but significant differences were observed in its microhabitats. This suggests that substrate type and physicochemical water parameters strongly influence community composition. Chironomidae larvae and Mollusca were the dominant species, showing distinct associations with different substrates and environmental factors from one year to another. These findings contribute to our understanding of the intricate relationships between benthic macroinvertebrates and their environments, highlighting the necessity of detailed, small-scale assessments to comprehend ecosystem dynamics and develop effective conservation strategies. Full article
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