title: The role of water chemistry in the distribution of Austropotamobius pallipes (Crustacea Decapoda Astacidae) in Piedmont (Italy).
abstract: Over the last decades, the populations of Austropotamobius pallipes have decreased markedly all over Europe. If we evaluate the ecological factors that determine its presence, we will have information that could guide conservation decisions. This study aims to investigate the chemical-physical demands of A. pallipes in NW Italy. To this end, we investigated 98 sites. We performed Principal Component Analysis using chemical-physical parameters, collected in both presence and absence sites. We then used principal components with eigenvalue > 1 to run Discriminant Function Analysis and Logistic Regression. The statistics on the concentration of Ca(2+), water hardness, pH and BOD(5) were significantly different in the presence and in the absence sites. pH and BOD(5) played the most important role in separating the presence from the absence locations. These findings are further evidence that we should reduce dissolved organic matter and fine particles in order to contribute to species management and conservation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Università degli Studi di Torino, V. Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy. livio.favaro@unito.it
authors.forename: Livio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Favaro
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tirelli
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pessani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000254:growth & development*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007558:Italy; D016015:Logistic Models; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis; D011156:Population Density; D045483:Rivers; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014876:Water Pollution
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D010100:Oxygen; D002118:Calcium