C.I. BIOINDICATORI AMBIENTALI ANIMALI E VEGETALI

12 CFU - 2° Semester

Teaching Staff

MIRELLA CLAUSI - Module Animal environmental bioindicators - BIO/05 - 6 CFU
MARIA PRIVITERA - Module Plant environmental bioindicators - BIO/02 - 6 CFU

Learning Objectives

Animal environmental bioindicators
The main objectives of the animal environmental bioindicators module are the knowledge the animal organisms that are best suited to be used as bioindicators and / or bioaccumulators, the methodologies that can be used for this purpose and the indexes commonly used in the survey. The course also offers an in-depth knowledge of the Nematodes for the study of the quality of the environment and its variations.
Plant environmental bioindicators
Analysis of biodiversity in relation to the environmental characteristics, characterization of the environment through the responses of the plant bioindicators, acquisition of environmental biomonitoring techniques aimed at the implementation of interdisciplinary scientific data for a network of large-scale monitoring.

Course Structure

Animal environmental bioindicators
Lectures, exercises in the classroom and in the field. Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.
Plant environmental bioindicators
Lectures and pratices in laboratory and in field. Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Detailed Course Content

Animal environmental bioindicators
Bio-monitoring and bio-valutation and bioaccumulation. Role of micro-, meso- and macrofauna in soil and fresh-water. Main animal taxa used as bioindicators. Biotic indexes. Nematodes as bioindicators. Study of nematodes morphological characters and knowledge of their most important families. Soil maturity index. Trophic groups and guilds. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN).
Plant environmental bioindicators
The ecological space. The plant-environment relationships . Abiotic and biotic factors . Indication values of Ellenberg and Landolt . Hemerobous Index. Life strategies: CSR categories of Grime . Biological forms and their applications in ecological assessment.. Climate changes. Atmospheric pollutants. The bioindication and its history. Biovalutation and instrumental measurements.. The bioindication . Biovalutation and instrumental measurements. Biomonitoring. Lichens and Bryophytes and their use in pollution monitoring as bioindicators and bio-accumulators. The Index of Atmospheric Purity (IAP), Index of Lichen Biodiversity (LBI) and Index of Bryophyte Biodiversity” (BBI). Bioaccumulation. Limitations, advantages and differences between the bryophyte and lichen bioindicators . The vascular plants as bioindicators: examples of biovalutation using roots, stems and leaves. Chemical and analytical procedures and relative comparison between the different taxonomic groups. Examples of application in forest and urban ecosystems. Processing case study in Sicily.

Textbook Information

Animal environmental bioindicators

1. Clausi M. – Manuale per lo studio ed il riconoscimento dei Nematodi del suolo (dispense)

2. Bioindicatori ambientali – a cura di Francesco Sartori – Fondazione Lombardia per l’ambiente- http://www.fratticci.com/varie/bioindicatori.pdf (approfondimento).

2. Articoli scientifici:

a) Parisi V., 2001. La qualità biologica del suolo: un metodo basato sui microartropodi. Acta naturalia de "L'Ateneo Parmense", 37, nn 3/4: 97-106.

b) D'avino L., 2002. Esposizione del metodo di Vittorio Parisi per la valutazione della Qualità Biologia del Suolo (QBS) e proposta di standardizzazione delle procedure. Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Parma. CD ROM - Parma, gennaio 2002.

c) Paoletti, M. G., Sommaggio, D., & Fusaro, S., 2013. Proposta di Indice di Qualità Biologica del Suolo (QBS- basato sui Lombrichi e applicato agli Agroecosistemi. Biologia Ambientale, 27(2), 25-43.

d) Bongers, T., 1990. The maturity index: an ecological measure of environmental disturbance based on nematode species composition. Oecologia, 83(1), 14-19.

e) Yeates, G. W., Bongers, T. D., De Goede, R. G. M., Freckman, D. W., & Georgieva, S. S., 1993. Feeding habits in soil nematode families and genera—an outline for soil ecologists.Journal of nematology, 25(3), 315.

f) Bongers, T., & Ferris, H., 1999. Nematode community structure as a bioindicator in environmental monitoring. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 14(6), 224-228.

g) Ferris, H. & Bongers, T. 2009. Indices developed specifically for analysis of nematode assemblages.Nematodes as environmental indicators, 124-145.

h) Ghetti P.F., 1997: “Manuale di Applicazione: Indice Biotico Esteso - I macroinvertebrati nel controllo della qualità degli ambienti di acque correnti”, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Servizio Protezione Ambiente.

i) Buffagni A., Erba S., 2014 Linee guida per la valutazione della componente macrobentonica fluviale ai sensi del DM 260/2010. http://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files/pubblicazioni/manuali-lineeguida/MLG_107_14.pdf

Plant environmental bioindicators
S. Pignatti, P. M. Bianco, G. Fanelli 2001 -. “Le piante come indicatori ambientali. Manuale tecnico-scientifico”. Manuale ANPA.
F.Sartori 1998 -“Bioindicatori ambientali”- http://www.fratticci.com/varie/bioindicatori.pdf

ppt provided

Open in PDF format Versione in italiano