Occurrence and Characterization of Small Microplastics (<100 μm), Additives, and Plasticizers in Larvae of Simuliidae.

This study is the first to investigate the ingestion of microplastics (MPs), plasticizers, additives, and particles of micro-litter < 100 μm by larvae of Simuliidae (Diptera) in rivers. Blackflies belong to a small cosmopolitan insect family whose larvae are present alongside river courses, often with a torrential regime, up to their mouths. Specimens of two species of blackfly larvae, Simulium equinum and Simulium ornatum, were collected in two rivers in Central Italy, the Mignone and the Treja.

Black flies (Diptera, Simuliidae) as ecological indicators of stream ecosystem health in an urbanizing area (Rome, Italy).

Introduction: The effectiveness of Simuliidae (Diptera, Nematocera) as indicators of stream health was tested in the urbanizing area of Rome, Central Italy.

Methods: 108 sampling sites were investigated in the spring to acquire data on environmental variables and black fly species.

Results And Discussion: The comparison of sampling and literature data highlighted the disappearance of some species (Simulium reptans, S.

Response of macrophyte communities to flow regulation in mountain streams.

River macrophytes are widely used in freshwater ecosystem assessment because of their sensitivity to anthropogenic pressures, even if there are only a few studies that investigated how macrophytes respond to water regime alterations. In this study, we analyzed the effects of dams on river macrophyte communities through a comparison between upstream and downstream sides from 18 dams located in Alps and Apennines. A co-inertia analysis and a Mantel test were applied to assess if the analysis of environmental parameters could be effective in predicting macrophyte community structure.

Microbiological indicators and sediment management.

The Water Frame Directive 2000/60/CE underlines the importance of sediments and requests the creation of a European net (SedNet) for their management. Sediments play an important role for the river basin and offer a variety of habitats to many aquatic organisms. Microorganisms, such as Clostridia, are indispensable for a lot of symbiotic and pathogenic relationships with higher organisms and the disappearance of these communities could cause extinction of many species.