Ecological assessment of lakes using macroinvertebrates in the regions of Lombardia and Trentino, project outline and preliminary results

Macroinvertebrates are one of biological elements required to be monitored by the Water Framework Directive. Unfortunately, there are currently no working assessment systems in use for lakes based on benthic invertebrates in Europe. This presentation introduces a rasearch project started in 2005 based on 12 lakes in the regions of Lombardia and Trentino. The sampling design in based on 3 transects per lake with each transect being sampled in the littoral, sub-littoral and profundal zones (2 replicates per site). Preliminary results are presented. It is hoped that the results will allow the research to lead to a more extensive survey of interest in a broader European context.