Marco Cantonati

Use of diatom microalgae as indicators of the ecological effects of water-level fluctuations induced by the production of artificial snow in high-elevation lakes of the south-eastern Alps
Through the study of samples from cores (cylinders) of lake sediment taken from a high elevation lake used as a water storage basin for the production of artificial snow and from cores taken for comparison in high altitude lakes with geological characteristics completely similar but in near-natural conditions in the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park, we will try to highlight the ecological effects of water-level fluctuations that are much more pronounced than the natural ones and which occur in untimely seasons compared to the natural ones. The sediment will be given an age (last 200-300 years) using radiometric dating with lead and cesium, and the diatoms will be used for environmental reconstructions and impact detection. The observations will focus on the time period in which the impacts took place, i.e. from the 1950s to today, which coincides with the so-called "Great Acceleration" or the period of rapid and widespread increase in human activity and its impact on natural systems of the Earth. In addition to the comparison with a similar lake in near-natural conditions, diatoms from sediment layers corresponding to the end of the Little Ice Age (1800-1850) will be used as an "internal" reference for natural conditions.

Special mineralization spring ecosystems in the Northern Apennines and the Southeastern Alps: ecohydrogeological characterization
Using high-level conventional techniques (high-resolution morphotaxonomy) and innovative techniques (Raman spectra for cell viability assessment, SEM microanalysis, etc.) special mineralization springs (iron, sulphur, with above-average Cr, Cu, or Zn, etc.) in the Northern Apennines and the Southeastern Alps will be characterized using diatom microalgae (community composition, ecological profile of single species, teratologies, etc.) as main indicators.

Diatoms as indicators in two streams of Puerto Rico with contrasting levels of ecological integrity
NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) is the main long-term ecological research initiative in North America. Among the 81 study sites (inland waters and terrestrial) in 20 ecoclimatic domains, there are the Rio Yahuecas streams (GUIL), subject to anthropogenic impacts, and Rio Cupeyes (CUPE), which originates in the Bosque Estatal de Maricao nature reserve. Diatom data are already available and will be processed and analyzed with three main objectives: to produce a publishable reference voucher flora for future research on Puerto Rico watercourses, to determine the ecological preferences of species and characteristic communities, and to evaluate the relationship between analysis effort and quality of the data produced.