Dataset of a study about the impact of a micro-sewage effluent on the benthic macroinvertebrate community in a small Apennine creek (NW Italy).

Concerning the impact of organic contamination, most studies focus on the main river courses, which are affected by large wastewater plants and intensively urbanized areas, while a large part of a river's catchment area is made up of small streams flowing through rural or forested areas. As a result, the impact of even small sources of organic load on small systems is often not analysed. This study investigated the impact of a small sewage source on the aquatic environment of the Caramagna Creek (NW Italy).

Diet and trophic niche of the invasive signal crayfish in the first invaded Italian stream ecosystem.

The occurrence of the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in the Valla Stream was the first established population of this invasive species recorded in an Italian stream ecosystem. We evaluated the seasonality of diet and trophic niche of invasive signal crayfish in order to estimate the ecological role and effects on native communities of the stream ecosystem. We studied the differences in food source use between sexes, life stages and seasons using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses.

Effectiveness of artificial floods for benthic community recovery after sediment flushing from a dam.

The number of dams is predicted to increase worldwide under the current global change scenario. A major environmental problem associated with dams is the release of large quantities of fine sediment downstream. Therefore, future studies in river conservation will largely be focused on the management of sediments trapped by reservoirs.

Development and application of an innovative expert decision support system to manage sediments and to assess environmental risk in freshwater ecosystems.

With the aim of supporting decision makers to manage contamination in freshwater environments, an innovative expert decision support system (EDSS) was developed. The EDSS was applied in a sediment quality assessment along the Bormida river (NW, Italy) which has been heavily contaminated by an upstream industrial site for more than a century. Sampling sites were classified by means of comparing chemical concentrations with effect-based target values (threshold and probable effect concentrations).

Feeding habits, fine structure and microhabitat preference of Euthyplocia hecuba (Hagen, 1861) (Ephemeroptera: Euthyplociidae) nymphs from Honduras.

The Euthyplociidae are a tropical and subtropical Ephemeropteran group. The aim of this study was to augment knowledge on some aspects of the biology and ecology of Euthyplocia hecuba (Hagen, 1861) nymphs. Mayflies were collected in the Rio El Padre, located on the Caribbean slope of Honduras.