The endangered anchialine squat lobster Munidopsis polymorpha is restricted to northern Lanzarote. To understand genetic isolation and conservation risks, we genotyped 26 individuals at eight microsatellite loci from four sites in La Corona lava tube and Charcos de Luis. Lava tube sites shared most alleles and were effectively undifferentiated, whereas Charcos de Luis harbored nine private alleles, the highest allelic richness, and clear differentiation from the lava tube complex. We detected no Hardy-Weinberg deviations among testable locus x site combinations and no linkage disequilibrium. These results are consistent with two candidate management units: La Corona lava tube and Charcos de Luis. We outline genomic priorities to guide future conservation plans. To account for our reduced sampling size, we screened for null alleles and repeated the analyses on a reduced set of loci passing conservative quality filters, obtaining congruent patterns of differentiation.

The information on Recent non-marine ostracod faunas of the north-eastern part of the Afrotropical region is still limited. Here we report the first record of ostracods from the Dahlak Archipelago, a group of small islands located in the southern part of the Red Sea off the Eritrean coast. Specimens were obtained by hatching in the laboratory of diapausing eggs occurring in dried mud collected in temporary freshwater ponds, following the so-called “Sars’ method”. A total of five species were found, including two species new to science, of which four belong to the family Cyprididae (Cypris galefensis, Plesiocypridopsis newtoni, Heterocypris sp., and Chrissia martensi n.sp.) and one to the family Ilyocyprididae (Ilyocypris dahlakensis n.sp.). A detailed description of the morphology of valves and soft parts is given, and COX1 sequences were obtained for four species. Cypris galefensis was so far only known for its type locality in Somalia with a population containing both males and females, whereas our samples consisted exclusively of females. Plesiocypridopsis newtoni, a species characterised by a wide geographic distribution and previously known to occur also in the Afrotropical region, shows marked variability in the prehensile palps of males, as evidenced by comparing the specimens from this study with descriptions available in the literature. The genus Heterocypris (with 15 species) and the genera of the two new species described here, Chrissia (with 17 species) and Ilyocypris (with four species), have been previously reported from this biogeographic region as well. The specimens analysed of Chrissia martensi n.sp. were all females, none of which had sperm inside the carapace, indicating the possibility of parthenogenetic reproduction in this species. A peculiar sexual dimorphism in the valve morphology characterises Ilyocypris dahlakensis n.sp., with females having a straight posterior margin, forming a right angle at the ventral anterior edge. Rehydration of dry sediments collected from arid areas where wet periods are short and often unpredictable has proven to be a successful method for describing aquatic invertebrate biodiversity.

Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) is one of the most serious pathogens harming M. salmoides juvenile, which had brought huge economic losses to farming industry. Studies involving candidate genes to the clinical diseases, however, are limited. In this study, the viral target and clinical manifestation of MSRV on M. salmoides juvenile were analyzed, and the protective effects of a single immune enhancer and a compound immune enhancer were evaluated. The results showed that the brain, liver, intestine and muscle of M. salmoides showed obvious lesions after infection with MSRV. The relative expression levels of nucleoprotein (N) and matrix protein (M) genes showed a trend of increasing at first and then decreasing and reached the peak in each tissue at 36 h post-infection. The mortality rate of M. salmoides was over 90% after 7 days of MSRV infection. The immune enhancers containing free nucleotides and Astragalus polysaccharide added to the diet effectively inhibited the replication of N and M genes in M. salmoides and increased the survival rate by 25% to 28%. This study provided basic data and theoretical reference for the analysis of the pathological mechanism and prevention and treatment of MSRV.

Owing to the “Racovitzan impediment”, the groundwater fauna of most biogeographical regions is currently inadequately known, thus hampering our understanding of subterranean biodiversity and its protection. Based on an extensive bibliographical review accompanied by fieldwork to localize occurrence sites, a checklist of crustacean taxa reported to date from Sicilian groundwater is provided, and their distribution is described. Among the 63 taxa recorded to date, 43 belong to the class Copepoda (orders Cyclopoida and Harpacticoida), 15 to the class Malacostraca (orders Amphipoda, Bathynellacea, Isopoda, and Thermosbaenacea), and 5 to the class Ostracoda (order Podocopida). Conversely, to date, no representatives of the copepod order Calanoida nor species of the class Branchiopoda have been recorded from groundwater habitats on the island. Several taxa require accurate taxonomic revision or are yet to be formally described and are thus at present left in open nomenclature. Finally, the date of publication of several copepod and amphipod taxa is amended. A high incidence of stygobites (i.e., obligate groundwater dwellers) has been observed in malacostracans, whereas nearly half of the recorded copepods were non-stygobites. This pattern is mirrored by the incidence of endemic species, which is higher in malacostracans than in copepods. The only non-stygobitic crustacean species endemic to Sicily observed in the frame of present review is the asellid isopod Proasellus montalentii. The paucity of information currently available on the Sicilian groundwater ostracods prevents us from drawing conclusions regarding this crustacean group. The origin and composition of Sicilian groundwater crustacean fauna can be explained by considering three major faunal assemblages: the presence of ancient paleoendemic taxa, likely of Miocene origin, the colonization of the groundwater of the island during late Pliocene and Pleistocene land connections with peninsular Italy, and the direct colonization of these environments from the sea; no species of African origin have been discovered to date. Based on currently available data, the groundwater of southeastern Sicily hosts the highest species richness and some of the most biogeographically interesting taxa. Unfortunately, a progressive lowering and salinization of the local aquifers possibly due to climate change and its overexploitation threats this fauna, and several taxa are disappearing even before their discovery and description.

Human activity and hydroclimate change greatly influence the environment in a lake and its catchment, particularly in areas with fragile ecosystems, such as arid Central Asia. In this study, lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes and n-fatty acids) were measured in a 210Pb- and 137Cs-dated sediment core from Lake Balkhash to determine their environmental significance and infer the history of environmental change over the last ~200 years. The terrestrial origin of long-chain n-alkanes and the aquatic origin of both n-fatty acids and mid-/short-chain n-alkanes were inferred from molecular distributions and diagnostic ratios. Three major environmental phases were identified over the past two centuries based on stratigraphic shifts in biomarker indicators. During 1800-1860 AD, the lake exhibited a high-water level with abundant submerged/floating macrophytes and limited phytoplankton, as suggested by multiple indicators, e.g., high proportions of aquatic macrophytes (Paq) and long-chain n-fatty acids (L-FAs). Overall, minor terrestrial inputs were revealed by low concentrations of long-chain n-alkanes (L-ALKs), suggesting dense vegetation cover in the catchment. The lake environment experienced a pronounced change in the subsequent phase from 1860–1930 AD, during which the cover of submerged/floating macrophytes gradually diminished, as revealed by the decreasing trend of aquatic proxies, e.g., L-FAs and Paq. In contrast, the number of emergent plants and terrestrial inputs increased, as suggested by the decreased Paq values. A great variation in water levels likely resulted in the shrinkage of the submerged/floating macrophyte cover. During 1930-2017 AD, anthropogenic impacts began to appear on the sediment profile. The highest terrestrial inputs, as revealed by the maximum L-ALK abundance on record, indicated intensive exploitation of the catchment during 1935-1959 AD. The lowest L-FA and Paq values suggested that submerged/floating macrophytes were at the lowest levels during this phase, possibly in response to the decreased water levels and increasing salinity. Increased human-induced nutrient loading coupled with elevated regional temperature prompted the lake to become an increasingly productive lake system, especially in more recent decades, as indicated by the highest levels of short-chain lipids. These results highlight the important role of hydrological variation and human activity in the environmental evolution of the Ili-Balkhash Basin.

Atribacteria play an important role in global carbon cycling. Little is known, however, about the Atribacteria communities found inalpine lakes. The presence and diversity of Atribacteria in the sediment core of alpine Sayram lake in China were investigated usingIllumina MiSeq sequencing in this study. According to the findings, Atribacteria affiliated with JS1 were dominant in the sediment coreof Sayram Lake, with a relative abundance of 0.19 to 10% (average 3.75%) of all bacterial sequences. Furthermore, the relativeabundance of Atribacteria associated with JS1 increased with sediment depth. As a result, this study significantly contributes to ourunderstanding of Atribacteria community habitat.

Alpine freshwater biodiversity is at risk of extinction due to climate change and some species could remain undescribed before they go extinct. These species are not yet included in red lists of protection by law, such as annelids in alpine habitats. Within this context, we studied the annelid fauna in 20 sites located between 1223 and 2703 m asl, belonging to different habitat types (kryal, glacio-rhithral, non-glacial streams, springs, littoral lake zone), in three glaciated catchments of the Italian Alps (Noce Bianco, Careser and Conca-Carè Alto; Trentino Province). The aim of this study was to describe the annelid communities of the different habitat types collected with different sampling methods (kick sampling and drift) and investigate the relationships between species richness and abundance with altitude. Between the years 2000 and 2005, we collected 4,765 individuals in 418 samples. One genus of Polychaeta (Aeolosoma) and 36 species of Oligochaeta were identified, distributed in four families: Enchytraeidae (28), Lumbriculidae (4), Naididae (3 and Tubificinae juveniles) and Haplotaxidae (1). Five species were new to Italy: Cernosvitoviella carpatica, Cernosvitoviella cf. crassoductus, Henlea brucei, Henlea glandulifera and Mesenchytraeus sanguineus. As expected, Enchytraeidae prevailed in all sites with the genera Cernosvitoviella and Cognettia the most abundant and frequent. The regression and cluster analyses and the generalized linear mixed models we performed, highlighted that the differences in species richness and abundance among sites are explainable partly by altitude but mainly by habitat type. A clear longitudinal species turnover was evident only in the Noce Bianco and Careser glacier-fed streams, where taxonomic diversity (tested by Seriation analysis) and abundance increased with increasing distance from the glacier front and decreasing altitude. Also expected, the harsh kryal habitat was the poorest in species and individuals, with a dominance of semi-aquatic and terrestrial enchytraeid taxa. Drift was found to be more effective than kick sampling in collecting oligochaetes, especially in glacier-fed streams where the use of the pond net is generally hindered by their high and highly variable discharge. In conclusion, this study provides new data on oligochaete fauna in alpine freshwaters, useful to implement the prevision models for Alpine biodiversity up to date not including annelid fauna.

The first results of the application of the integrated multidisciplinary protocol to study the effects of water level management on the Lake Maggiore littoral habitats and biocoenosis are presented. The "Parchi Verbano Ticino" project (2019-2021, ID: 481668) was the driving force to fine-tune the monitoring and management system of multidisciplinary information (chemistry, hydro-morphology, macro- and meio-fauna monitoring). The study reveals that water level fluctuations in Lake Maggiore, sometimes characterized by measurable changes in water levels, have remarkable effects on littoral habitats and on the structure and function of macro- and meiofaunal assemblages living there. Overall, this study provides insights into the potential impacts of Lake Maggiore water management strategy on freshwater littoral ecosystems during late spring-early summer, and emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of the lake ecosystem dynamics. Thanks to the results achieved, publicly endorsed water management rules will be stated, for the late spring-early summer period, considering frequency and amplitude of water level fluctuations as crucial factors in management plans to mitigate their impacts. The endorsed rules turn out to be a negotiated compromise between the maintenance of ecosystem services and the protection of littoral life below water.

Lake levels fluctuations are conditioned by seasonal variability, water resources management and climate change. Recent studies have shown that global warming potentially affects the risk of flooding and that the decisive factor for flood events is not temperature, but precipitation characteristics and hydrological conditions. Flood events have numerous impacts on social, economic and environmental aspects depending on how humans have altered lands, natural rivers and lake dynamics. Flood protection measures can cause conflicts with conservation measures and with ecosystem services because natural capital is not considered able to control floods and to contribute control floods and that it can contribute to human health and safety. In this paper we analysed the flood events in Lake Maggiore for return time periods of 3 – 5 – 10 – 25 – 50 – 100 – 250 – 500 years, considering the flood frequency in the last ten years using 1868-2021 as a reference period. We discussed the probability distribution of flood peaks, the correlation and linear regression between the lake level fluctuations and macroinvertebrates occurrence. We also presented lake coasts flood hazard mapping. The probability distribution that better describes the annual peak level is the Gumbel function, while for spring and autumn flood events the better distribution is the Log-Pearson type III. One of the historical flood events in terms of magnitude was in 2000, characterized by a return time of about 50 years. The last flood event in 2020, was characterized by a return period of about 10 years. Considering the seasonal frequency of flood, the autumn magnitude was higher than the spring one, and the differences between seasonal flood events progressively increased. The results suggested a high probability of a flood event every three years and also a forecast of a flood of about 197 m asl (3.14 m above the average lake level) every 10 years. Raising the lake level will affect the reed bed area from 193 m asl, and it will be more effective at 194.5 m (up to a 10% reduction). During flood events, the whole reed bed area is submerged. As regard macroinvertebrates composition and abundance, the first results show significant negative relationships between all sampling stations altogether vs the abundance of Cladotanytarsus sp. (Chironominae) and nearly significant positive relationships between water levels at Magadino vs Pscectrocladius sordidellus (Orthocladiinae) abundances. These few results are perhaps due to the current limited data availability.

Wetlands are widely recognised as the most critical stop-over locations along migration flyways. Wetland ecology is mostly influenced by water levels and water regimes. This research focuses on Bolle di Magadino (Switzerland), an important stop-over site on Lake Maggiore, artificially regulated by a dam. In this work we examined how the artificial flooding of a wetland affects the use of this stop-over site by migrating passerines during spring. Bird presence in the area was evaluated using both data collected at the ringing station located in the wetlands and the bird traffic rate (BTR) supplied by the BirdScan MR1, an avian verticallooking radar (VLR) capable of automatically detecting and classifying birds in flight. In an attempt to shed light on the effect of lake level on stop-over quality, we i) simulated with GIS the extent of the flooded area and of the different habitat categories as the lake level changes; ii) calculated the relationship between lake level and the ability of stop-overing birds to acquire trophic resources; iii) verified that the flux of passerines below 500 m above ground level measured by radar could be used as a proxy for the number of stop-overing birds; iv) calculated the relationship between the number of birds leaving the stop-over and the lake level. While the number of ringed passerines has proven to be representative of the migratory flow below 500 meters of altitude at the site of interest, a high lake level seems to have a negative impact on the use by some species of the Bolle di Magadino area as a stop-over site during spring. In particular, two of the target species -the blackcap and the reed bunting- have proven to be sensitive to higher water levels. While taking into account the limitations and the relative nature of the results, could be necessary for the competent authorities to take these results into consideration in order to safeguard the Bolle di Magadino’s role as an important stop-over area during spring.