This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Prof. Elisa Anna Fano
Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari, 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy

Basic Info


Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Aquatic Ecology
0 Ecosystem Management
0 Ecosystem Services
0 Environmental Impacts
0 ecosystem functioning

Fingerprints

Environmental Impacts
Ecosystem Services
Lagoon ecosystems

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Article
Published: 19 July 2021 in Ecosystems
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Denitrification is a key process buffering the environmental impacts of agricultural nitrate loads but, at present, remains the least understood and poorly quantified sink in nitrogen budgets at the watershed scale. The present work deals with a comprehensive and detailed analysis of nitrogen sources and sinks in the Burana–Volano–Navigabile basin, the southernmost portion of the Po River valley (Northern Italy), an intensively cultivated (> 85% of basin surface) low-lying landscape. Agricultural census data, extensive monitoring of surface–groundwater interactions, and laboratory experiments targeting N fluxes and pools were combined to provide reliable estimates of soil denitrification at the basin scale. In the agricultural soils of the basin, nitrogen inputs exceeded outputs by nearly 40% (~ 80 kg N ha−1 year−1), but this condition of potential N excess did not translate into widespread nitrate pollution. The general scarcity of inorganic nitrogen species in groundwater and soils indicated limited leakage and storage. Multiple pieces of evidence supported that soil denitrification was the process that needed to be introduced in the budget to explain the fate of the missing nitrogen. Denitrification was likely boosted in the soils of the studied basin, prone to waterlogged conditions and consequently oxygen-limited, owing to peculiar features such as fine texture, low hydraulic conductivity, and shallow water table. The present study highlighted the substantial contribution of soil denitrification to balancing nitrogen inputs and outputs in agricultural lowland basins, a paramount ecosystem function preventing eutrophication phenomena.

ACS Style

Elisa Soana; Fabio Vincenzi; Nicolò Colombani; Micòl Mastrocicco; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Soil Denitrification, the Missing Piece in the Puzzle of Nitrogen Budget in Lowland Agricultural Basins. Ecosystems 2021, 1 -15.

AMA Style

Elisa Soana, Fabio Vincenzi, Nicolò Colombani, Micòl Mastrocicco, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Soil Denitrification, the Missing Piece in the Puzzle of Nitrogen Budget in Lowland Agricultural Basins. Ecosystems. 2021; ():1-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elisa Soana; Fabio Vincenzi; Nicolò Colombani; Micòl Mastrocicco; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2021. "Soil Denitrification, the Missing Piece in the Puzzle of Nitrogen Budget in Lowland Agricultural Basins." Ecosystems , no. : 1-15.

Journal article
Published: 09 March 2021 in Environmental Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Nowadays, the most important tool to evaluate the environmental impact of both petro-plastics and bioplastics is the life cycle analysis (LCA). LCA determines the overall impact on the environment by defining, calculation and analyzing all the input and output directly related to production, utilization, and disposal of a product or a process. In this work, a LCA (cradle to grave) of bottles for drinking water was developed on three scenarios: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, as conventional packaging material for outdoor drinking water, polylactic acid (PLA) bottles, as alternative and innovative biodegradable packaging and aluminum bottle, as reusable and almost infinitely refilling packaging. As a result of LCA, ten impacts categories have been accounted for, among which the global warming potential (GWP, measured as kgCO2 eq), the eutrophication potential (EP, measured as kgPO4 eq.), human and eco-toxicity (HTP and ETP, measured as kg 1,4-DB eq.). The average drinking water consumption in Italy has been estimated in 1.5 L per day, corresponding to three 500 ml-plastic bottles and 1 refillable aluminum bottle. LCA has been firstly applied to a single bottle production and use, then to the daily and annual bottles consumption. PET bottles production and use assure the lower environmental impacts compared to PLA bottles, burdened by agricultural phase for corn cultivation, and to aluminum bottles, when the every-day washing with hot water or water and soap is comprehended. Moreover, including the end-of-life options into the analysis, PET recycling permits to reduce up to about 30% the GWP, whereas PLA composting does not lead to any GWP savings. In this study, aluminum bottle has been considered reusable for 2.5 years. The microbiological quality of water in one-way PET and PLA bottles has been compared with the refillable bottle rinsing with hot water and soap and only hot water, highlighting that the level of contamination is alarmingly increased in the latter case.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Stefania Costa; Daniela Summa; Letizia Battistella; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Plastic (PET) vs bioplastic (PLA) or refillable aluminium bottles – What is the most sustainable choice for drinking water? A life-cycle (LCA) analysis. Environmental Research 2021, 196, 110974 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Stefania Costa, Daniela Summa, Letizia Battistella, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Plastic (PET) vs bioplastic (PLA) or refillable aluminium bottles – What is the most sustainable choice for drinking water? A life-cycle (LCA) analysis. Environmental Research. 2021; 196 ():110974.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Stefania Costa; Daniela Summa; Letizia Battistella; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2021. "Plastic (PET) vs bioplastic (PLA) or refillable aluminium bottles – What is the most sustainable choice for drinking water? A life-cycle (LCA) analysis." Environmental Research 196, no. : 110974.

Journal article
Published: 02 March 2021 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Brackish lagoons are highly productive systems that support fishing and aquaculture activities with important revenue. At the same time, they function as fundamental habitats for the conservation of a number of species that use lagoons for reproduction and feeding. The present study aims at describing the seasonal structural and functional variations of fish communities in the Fattibello lagoon, a small but important nursery ground of the Po River delta (northern Italy), historically exploited for fishing. The fish community was sampled monthly over a six-years’ period (2009–2014). The results were normalized in catch per unit of effort (CPUE) and are expressed both as individual abundances (ind/CPUE) and biomass (g/CPUE). Higher biodiversity levels were observed in autumn, when both lagoon residents and marine species coexist, and summer, for individual abundances and biomass. Biomass was a better descriptor than individual abundance of the functional use of the lagoon. In autumn, the lagoon resident species increased significantly, while marine feeding ground species decreased. Vice versa, lagoon residents decreased in winter, when the lagoon were mainly used as feeding ground by marine fishes. Marine migrating species were present throughout the whole year. Overall, the lagoon serves as (i) reproduction habitats for different species, as well as habitat for the pre-reproductive period for the European anchovy; (ii) nursery grounds for a number of commercial species; and (iii) habitats for lagoon resident species, supporting them for the whole life cycle. Overall, the results highlight the fundamental conservation role of the lagoon throughout the whole year, and that seasonal structural and functional patterns of fish communities should be carefully considered when seeking to harmonize direct uses, such as fishing and bivalve farming, as well as nature conservation.

ACS Style

Mattia Lanzoni; Mattias Gaglio; Anna Gavioli; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Seasonal Variation of Functional Traits in the Fish Community in a Brackish Lagoon of the Po River Delta (Northern Italy). Water 2021, 13, 679 .

AMA Style

Mattia Lanzoni, Mattias Gaglio, Anna Gavioli, Elisa Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Seasonal Variation of Functional Traits in the Fish Community in a Brackish Lagoon of the Po River Delta (Northern Italy). Water. 2021; 13 (5):679.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Lanzoni; Mattias Gaglio; Anna Gavioli; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2021. "Seasonal Variation of Functional Traits in the Fish Community in a Brackish Lagoon of the Po River Delta (Northern Italy)." Water 13, no. 5: 679.

Journal article
Published: 09 February 2021 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Since the publication of the River Continuum Concept (RCC), the capacity of the longitudinal dimension to predict the distribution of species and ecological functions in river networks was discussed by different river theories. The taxonomic structures and functional attributes of macrobenthic communities were investigated along the river continuum in the river Adige network (Northern Italy), with the aim to test the reliability of RCC theory and clarify the relation between structural and functional features in lotic systems. Distance from the spring was found to be most representative proxy among environmental parameters. The analysis highlighted the decrease of biodiversity levels along the river continuum. The decrease of taxonomic diversity corresponded to the loss in functional richness. The abundances of predator and walker taxa, as well as semelparous organisms, declined along the longitudinal gradient, suggesting variations in community complexity and granulometry. Regression models also depicted the presence of disturbed communities in the central section of the basin, where intensive agricultural activities occur, that affected environmental gradients. Overall, results offered evidences that the river continuum may predict macrobenthic community structures in terms of taxonomic diversity, thus confirming the general validity of RCC. Nonetheless, the functional analysis did not provide equally clear evidences to support the theory. After four decades from its postulation, the RCC is still a reliable model to predict the general macroinvertebrates distribution. However, community functions may respond to a number of local factors not considered in RCC, which could find a declination in other theories. The relations between structural and functional features confirmed to be complex and sensitive to disturbances and local conditions.

ACS Style

Mattias Gaglio; Vassilis Aschonitis; Alexandra Muresan; Fabio Vincenzi; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Fano. Structural and Functional Variations of the Macrobenthic Community of the Adige Basin along the River Continuum. Water 2021, 13, 451 .

AMA Style

Mattias Gaglio, Vassilis Aschonitis, Alexandra Muresan, Fabio Vincenzi, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Fano. Structural and Functional Variations of the Macrobenthic Community of the Adige Basin along the River Continuum. Water. 2021; 13 (4):451.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattias Gaglio; Vassilis Aschonitis; Alexandra Muresan; Fabio Vincenzi; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Fano. 2021. "Structural and Functional Variations of the Macrobenthic Community of the Adige Basin along the River Continuum." Water 13, no. 4: 451.

Journal article
Published: 12 October 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Agro-ecosystems are intensively exploited environments which are both providers and consumers of ecosystem services. The improvement of both provisioning and regulating services in cultivated landscapes is crucial for the sustainable development of rural areas. Among the provisioning services offered, producing biogas from the anaerobic digestion of residual biomass is nowadays a promising option for decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while avoiding the land use conflicts related to the use of dedicated crops. Based on the available quantitative data at a regional level, provisioning and regulating services provided by the use of agri-food waste, livestock waste and agricultural residues were assessed for the case of Emilia Romagna region, the second biggest biogas producer in Italy. One provisioning service, i.e., bioenergy generation, and three regulating services were considered: (i) air quality improvement by the reduction of odors derived from direct use of waste, (ii) regulation of soil nutrients by reducing organic load and digestate spreading, and (iii) global climate regulation by saving GHG emissions. A potential further generation of 52.7 MW electric power was estimated at the regional level. Digestate spreading on fields may reduce odor impact by more than 90%, while containing a higher percentage of inorganic nitrogen, which is readily available to plants. The estimated GHG emission savings were equal to 2,862,533 Mg CO2eq/yr, mainly due to avoided landfilling for agri-waste and avoided replacing of mineral fertilizers for livestock waste and agricultural residues. The results suggest that bioenergy generation from lignocellulosic, livestock and agro-industrial residues may improve some regulating services in agro-ecosystems, while helping to reach renewable energy targets, thus contributing to overcoming the provisioning vs. regulating services paradigm in human-managed ecosystems.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Mattias Gaglio; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Fano. Biogas from Agri-Food and Agricultural Waste Can Appreciate Agro-Ecosystem Services: The Case Study of Emilia Romagna Region. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8392 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Mattias Gaglio, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Fano. Biogas from Agri-Food and Agricultural Waste Can Appreciate Agro-Ecosystem Services: The Case Study of Emilia Romagna Region. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8392.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Mattias Gaglio; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Fano. 2020. "Biogas from Agri-Food and Agricultural Waste Can Appreciate Agro-Ecosystem Services: The Case Study of Emilia Romagna Region." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8392.

Review
Published: 29 August 2020 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Amphipods are a key component of aquatic ecosystems due to their distribution, abundance and ecological role. They also serve as hosts for many micro- and macro-parasites. The importance of parasites and the necessity to include them in ecological studies has been increasingly recognized in the last two decades by ecologists and conservation biologists. Parasites are able to alter survival, growth, feeding, mobility, mating, fecundity and stressors’ response of their amphipod hosts. In addition to their modulating effects on host population size and dynamics, parasites affect community structure and food webs in different ways: by increasing the susceptibility of amphipods to predation, by quantitatively and qualitatively changing the host diet, and by modifying competitive interactions. Human-induced stressors such as climate change, pollution and species introduction that affect host–parasite equilibrium, may enhance or reduce the infection effects on hosts and ecosystems. The present review illustrates the importance of parasites for ecosystem processes using examples from aquatic environments and amphipods as a host group. As seen from the literature, amphipod–parasite systems are likely a key component of ecological processes, but more quantitative data from natural populations and field evidence are necessary to support the results obtained by experimental research.

ACS Style

Luisa Giari; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Daniel Grabner; Bernd Sures. The Ecological Importance of Amphipod–Parasite Associations for Aquatic Ecosystems. Water 2020, 12, 2429 .

AMA Style

Luisa Giari, Elisa Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Daniel Grabner, Bernd Sures. The Ecological Importance of Amphipod–Parasite Associations for Aquatic Ecosystems. Water. 2020; 12 (9):2429.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luisa Giari; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Daniel Grabner; Bernd Sures. 2020. "The Ecological Importance of Amphipod–Parasite Associations for Aquatic Ecosystems." Water 12, no. 9: 2429.

Journal article
Published: 08 August 2020 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Nitrate pollution remains an unsolved issue worldwide, causing serious effects on water quality and eutrophication of freshwater and brackish water environments. Its economic costs are still underestimated. To reduce nitrogen excess, constructed wetlands are usually recognized as a solution but, in recent years, interest has been raised in the role of ditches and canals in nitrogen removal. In this study, we investigated the environmental and economical sustainability of nitrogen removal capacity, using as a model study a lowland agricultural sub-basin of the Po River (Northern Italy), where the role of aquatic vegetation and related microbial processes on the mitigation of nitrate pollution has been extensively studied. Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach and costs and benefits analysis (CBA), the effectiveness of two different scenarios of vegetation management, which differ for the timing of mowing, have been compared concerning the nitrogen removal via denitrification and other terms of environmental sustainability. The results highlighted that postponing the mowing to the end of the vegetative season would contribute to buffering up to 90% of the nitrogen load conveyed by the canal network during the irrigation period and would reduce by an order of magnitude the costs of eutrophication potential.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Elisa Soana; Mauro Monti; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Introducing Life Cycle Assessment in Costs and Benefits Analysis of Vegetation Management in Drainage Canals of Lowland Agricultural Landscapes. Water 2020, 12, 2236 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Elisa Soana, Mauro Monti, Elisa Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Introducing Life Cycle Assessment in Costs and Benefits Analysis of Vegetation Management in Drainage Canals of Lowland Agricultural Landscapes. Water. 2020; 12 (8):2236.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Elisa Soana; Mauro Monti; Elisa Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2020. "Introducing Life Cycle Assessment in Costs and Benefits Analysis of Vegetation Management in Drainage Canals of Lowland Agricultural Landscapes." Water 12, no. 8: 2236.

Short communication
Published: 15 July 2020 in Aquatic Botany
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Macrophytes may either stimulate or depress nitrogen-related microbial processes via radial oxygen loss (ROL), production of exudates or uptake of inorganic N. ROL can favor aerobic processes as nitrification, exudates may stimulate denitrification, whereas N assimilation and competition with microbes may depress both processes. We measured rates of potential nitrification (PN) and denitrification (PD) in oligotrophic lacustrine sediments colonized by submersed and emergent macrophytes. Potential rates were also analyzed in adjacent control sediments devoid of vegetation. Aim of the work was to verify if the presence of macrophytes alters the potential activity of nitrifying or denitrifying bacteria. Vertical profiles (0-10 cm depth) of PN and PD rates were measured via oxic (nitrification) and anoxic (denitrification) slurries, where we measured the accumulation of NOx- from added NH4+ and the production of 30N2 from added 15NO3-, respectively. Results suggest that under oligotrophic settings macrophytes produced small effects on potential nitrification and denitrification activities. Despite elevated oxygen release demonstrated for most of the tested macrophytes, nitrification was likely constrained by significant plant-bacteria competition. Potential denitrification was comparatively more stimulated by macrophytes, but we address this result to a general increase of heterotrophic microbial activity in organic-richer vegetated sediments, due to dead root biomass or exudates. The highest PN and PD rates were measured in sediments colonized by Littorella uniflora, likely due to its large underground biomass (root:shoot ratio ∼3.5), root porosity and oxygen leakage.

ACS Style

Sara Benelli; Cristina Ribaudo; Vincent Bertrin; Marco Bartoli; Elisa Anna Fano. Effects of macrophytes on potential nitrification and denitrification in oligotrophic lake sediments. Aquatic Botany 2020, 167, 103287 .

AMA Style

Sara Benelli, Cristina Ribaudo, Vincent Bertrin, Marco Bartoli, Elisa Anna Fano. Effects of macrophytes on potential nitrification and denitrification in oligotrophic lake sediments. Aquatic Botany. 2020; 167 ():103287.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sara Benelli; Cristina Ribaudo; Vincent Bertrin; Marco Bartoli; Elisa Anna Fano. 2020. "Effects of macrophytes on potential nitrification and denitrification in oligotrophic lake sediments." Aquatic Botany 167, no. : 103287.

Journal article
Published: 29 June 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum, Adams and Reeve, 1850) farming is a quantitatively important and valuable form of aquaculture production worldwide but, to our best knowledge, no life cycle assessments (LCA) have been undertaken on it. However, being a filter feeder and producing a thick shell during the growing cycle, the capacity of Manila clam to remove nutrients, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous from the marine environment potentially has some positive effects on the environment. This study was performed in the Sacca di Goro lagoon, located in the southernmost part of the Po River Delta, in the northwestern Adriatic Sea. The LCA of clam farming from a cradle-to-gate perspective have been carried out, including the production stages as seed procuring, sowing, harvesting, depuration and packaging to obtain 1 ton of fresh ready-to-sell clams. The results show that area preparation, fuel combustion and plastic bags were the main contributors to the environmental impacts. The potential capability as a carbon sink of 1 ton of clams has been calculated and the effects on eutrophication reduction by fixing nitrogen and phosphorous in shells, with a net sequestration of 444.55 kg of CO2, 1.54 kg of N and 0.31 kg of P per year.

ACS Style

Edoardo Turolla; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano; Elena Tamburini. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Proves that Manila Clam Farming (Ruditapes Philippinarum) Is a Fully Sustainable Aquaculture Practice and a Carbon Sink. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5252 .

AMA Style

Edoardo Turolla, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Anna Fano, Elena Tamburini. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Proves that Manila Clam Farming (Ruditapes Philippinarum) Is a Fully Sustainable Aquaculture Practice and a Carbon Sink. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (13):5252.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Edoardo Turolla; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano; Elena Tamburini. 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Proves that Manila Clam Farming (Ruditapes Philippinarum) Is a Fully Sustainable Aquaculture Practice and a Carbon Sink." Sustainability 12, no. 13: 5252.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2020 in International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The resilience of biological communities is of central importance in ecology, but is difficult to investigate in nature. Parasite communities in individual hosts provide good model systems, as they allow a level of replication usually not possible with free-living communities. Here, using temporal data (2005–2017) on the communities of endohelminth parasites in European eels, Anguilla anguilla, from brackish-water lagoons in Italy, we test the resilience of interspecific associations to changes in the abundance of some parasite species and the disappearance of others. While most parasite species displayed changes in abundance over time, three trematodes that were present in the early years, two of which at high abundance, completely disappeared from the parasite community by the end of the study period. Possibly other host species required for the completion of their life cycles have declined in abundance, perhaps due to environmental changes. However, despite these marked changes to the overall community, pairwise correlations in abundance among the three most common parasite species (all trematodes) were stable over time and remained mostly unaffected by what happened to other species. We explore possible reasons for these resilient species associations within a temporally unstable parasite community inhabiting a mostly stable host population.

ACS Style

Luisa Giari; Brandon Ruehle; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Robert Poulin. Temporal dynamics of species associations in the parasite community of European eels, Anguilla anguilla, from a coastal lagoon. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 2020, 12, 67 -75.

AMA Style

Luisa Giari, Brandon Ruehle, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Robert Poulin. Temporal dynamics of species associations in the parasite community of European eels, Anguilla anguilla, from a coastal lagoon. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. 2020; 12 ():67-75.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luisa Giari; Brandon Ruehle; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Robert Poulin. 2020. "Temporal dynamics of species associations in the parasite community of European eels, Anguilla anguilla, from a coastal lagoon." International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 12, no. : 67-75.

Journal article
Published: 07 May 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Molluscan shellfish aquaculture is considered a “green” industry because of the limited presence of chemicals and risk of pathogens during farming in licensed areas, which provide a safe, nutritive and healthy food source. Moreover, the environmental impact of their production is lower than all other fish animal per unit of protein. In particular, mussels’ production was the first organized mollusk aquaculture in Europe and is now one of the most extended. Italy is the second main European producer of mussels. Taking into account the relevance of the sector, Italian Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) aquaculture has been considered for a life cycle assessment (LCA), from a cradle-to-gate perspective. The mussel farms were located in the northern Adriatic Sea, close to the Po River Delta, a region traditionally vocated to bivalve aquaculture. Results have shown that the growing and harvesting phases are the most critical life cycle stages (“hotspots”) due to the production and use of boats, and the great quantity of non-recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) socks used during the yearly productive cycle. Several improvement potentials have been identified and estimated by means of a sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, regarding the principal exporting countries to Italy (Spain and Chile), the transport factors in an overall sustainability assessment have been considered, in order to compare the local and global mussels supply chain.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Edoardo Turolla; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Sustainability of Mussel (Mytilus Galloprovincialis) Farming in the Po River Delta, Northern Italy, Based on a Life Cycle Assessment Approach. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3814 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Edoardo Turolla, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Sustainability of Mussel (Mytilus Galloprovincialis) Farming in the Po River Delta, Northern Italy, Based on a Life Cycle Assessment Approach. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3814.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Edoardo Turolla; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2020. "Sustainability of Mussel (Mytilus Galloprovincialis) Farming in the Po River Delta, Northern Italy, Based on a Life Cycle Assessment Approach." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3814.

Journal article
Published: 17 April 2020 in Sustainability
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Bioenergies are considered sustainable alternatives to fossil energy sources in the European Union (EU) renewable energy targets for 2030. However, their performances in terms of greenhouse gases (GHG) savings may be affected by indirect emissions related to the required land-use-change (LUC) that should be taken into account when modelling their sustainability. The European Renewable Energy Directive (RED) introduced a number of GHG emission criteria, in comparison with fossil fuels, that bioenergy deriving from agricultural biomasses must comply with. The Emilia-Romagna region (North-Eastern Italy), the second largest Italian biogas producer, has recently issued its Regional Energy Plan (REP), which set an ambitious increase of about 40% of the current installed electric power from biogas up to 2030. The aim of this study is to assess the sustainability of Emilia-Romagna REP accounting for the required indirect land-use-change (ILUC), due to the bioenergy crop expansion, potentially needed to reach the targets. Based on regional data available on biogas production, the amount of land used for maize silage to be destined to biogas production (as a model agricultural feedstock) has been calculated for the actual state-of-the art and towards 2030 scenarios provided by the REP. Starting from average GHG emissions associated with biogas production from 100% maize silage of 35 gCO2 eq/MJ, a further contribution of 8–18.5 gCO2 eq/MJ due to LUC has been found. Our findings indicate that it is difficult to assess the global GHG savings from the bioenergy targets fixed by regional energy plans when LUC effects are considered. Careful analysis is necessary in each case to avoid creating negative impacts.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Mattias Gaglio; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. Is Bioenergy Truly Sustainable When Land-Use-Change (LUC) Emissions Are Accounted for? The Case-Study of Biogas from Agricultural Biomass in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3260 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Mattias Gaglio, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Anna Fano. Is Bioenergy Truly Sustainable When Land-Use-Change (LUC) Emissions Are Accounted for? The Case-Study of Biogas from Agricultural Biomass in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3260.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Mattias Gaglio; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. 2020. "Is Bioenergy Truly Sustainable When Land-Use-Change (LUC) Emissions Are Accounted for? The Case-Study of Biogas from Agricultural Biomass in Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy." Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3260.

Journal article
Published: 21 March 2020 in Applied Sciences
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Although representing a paramount mechanism against nitrogen excess in agricultural landscapes, soil denitrification is still a largely unknown term in nitrogen balances at the watershed scale. In the present work, a comprehensive investigation of nitrogen sources and sinks in agricultural soils and waters was performed with the aim of gaining insights into the relevance of soil denitrification in a highly farmed sub-basin of the Po River delta (Northern Italy). Agricultural statistics, water quality datasets, and results of laboratory experiments targeting nitrogen fluxes in soils were combined to set up a detailed nitrogen budget along the terrestrial–freshwater continuum. The soil nitrogen budget was not closed, with inputs exceeding outputs by 72 kg N·ha−1·year−1, highlighting a potential high risk of nitrate contamination. However, extensive monitoring showed a general scarcity of mineral nitrogen forms in both shallow aquifers and soils. The present study confirmed the importance of denitrification, representing ~37% of the total nitrogen inputs, as the leading process of nitrate removal in heavily fertilized fine-texture soils prone to waterlogged conditions.

ACS Style

Giuseppe Castaldelli; Fabio Vincenzi; Elisa Anna Fano; Elisa Soana. In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 2136 .

AMA Style

Giuseppe Castaldelli, Fabio Vincenzi, Elisa Anna Fano, Elisa Soana. In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (6):2136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppe Castaldelli; Fabio Vincenzi; Elisa Anna Fano; Elisa Soana. 2020. "In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds." Applied Sciences 10, no. 6: 2136.

Technical reports
Published: 10 December 2019 in Journal of Environmental Quality
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Understanding relationships between an increase in nitrate (NO3−) loading and the corresponding effects of wetland vegetation on denitrification is essential to designing, restoring, and managing wetlands and canals to maximize their effectiveness as buffers against eutrophication. Although Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. is frequently used to remediate nitrogen (N) pollution, no information is available on how NO3− concentration may affect plant‐mediated denitrification. In the present study, denitrification was measured in outdoor vegetated and unvegetated mesocosms incubated in both summer and winter. After spiking the mesocosms with NO3− concentrations typical of agricultural drainage water (0.7−11.2 mg N L−1), denitrification was quantified by the simultaneous measurement of NO3− consumption and dinitrogen gas (N2) production. Although denitrification rates varied with vegetation presence and season, NO3− availability exerted a significant positive effect on the process. Vegetated sediments were more efficient than bare sediments in adapting their mitigation potential to an increase in NO3−, by yielding a one‐order‐of‐magnitude increase in NO3− removal rates, under both summer (743−6007 mg N m−2 d−1) and winter (43−302 mg N m−2 d−1) conditions along the NO3− gradient. Denitrification was the dominant sink for water NO3− in winter and only for vegetated sediments in summer. Nitrification likely contributed to fuel denitrification in summer unvegetated sediments. Since denitrification rates followed Michaelis–Menten kinetics, P. australis‐mediated depuration may be considered optimal up to 5.0 mg N L−1. The present outcomes provide experimentally supported evidence that restoration with P. australis can work as a cost‐effective means of improving water quality in agricultural watersheds.

ACS Style

Elisa Soana; Anna Gavioli; Fabio Vincenzi; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. Nitrate availability affects denitrification in Phragmites australis sediments. Journal of Environmental Quality 2019, 49, 194 -209.

AMA Style

Elisa Soana, Anna Gavioli, Fabio Vincenzi, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli. Nitrate availability affects denitrification in Phragmites australis sediments. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2019; 49 (1):194-209.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elisa Soana; Anna Gavioli; Fabio Vincenzi; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli. 2019. "Nitrate availability affects denitrification in Phragmites australis sediments." Journal of Environmental Quality 49, no. 1: 194-209.

Journal article
Published: 05 December 2019 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) poses particular concern as an emerging pollutant in both surface and ground waters. Fish, as a natural inhabitant of these waters and being highly representative of vertebrates, represents an ideal animal model to assess the toxic effects of PFOA. Hereby, liver microscopic texture was comparatively evaluated in individuals of common carp subchronically exposed to PFOA using grayscale differential box counting, a fractal analysis method. Furthermore, liver cytoplasmic glycogen areas and ultrastructure were also evaluated and compared to the image analysis findings. Redundancy Analysis was performed to assess, in summary, how much the variation of fractal dimension and lacunarity was explained by the concentration of PFOA in liver, the mass of liver and the number of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-immunoreactive nuclei. Treatment group ordination was better determined by fractal dimension than lacunarity. Interestingly, a significant complexity increase was associated with the modification of liver microscopic texture due to PFOA exposure. This complexity increase was related to “cloudy swelling”, possibly representing a primarily adaptive strategy against PFOA challenge, rather than a slight, reversible form of degeneration as traditionally proposed. The occurrence of endoplasmic reticulum stress, unfolded protein reaction and hormetic response was proposed and discussed.

ACS Style

Maurizio Manera; Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Joseph A. DePasquale; Elisa Anna Fano; Camillo Martino; Luisa Giari. Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019, 16, 4923 .

AMA Style

Maurizio Manera, Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Joseph A. DePasquale, Elisa Anna Fano, Camillo Martino, Luisa Giari. Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16 (24):4923.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Manera; Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Joseph A. DePasquale; Elisa Anna Fano; Camillo Martino; Luisa Giari. 2019. "Perfluorooctanoic Acid Exposure Assessment on Common Carp Liver through Image and Ultrastructural Investigation." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 24: 4923.

Communication
Published: 04 November 2019 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The increasing use of the stable isotope 15N-NO3− for the quantification of ecological processes requires analytical approaches able to distinguish between labelled and unlabeled N forms. We present a method coupling anoxic sediment slurries and membrane inlet mass spectrometry to quantify dissolved 15N-NO3− and 14N-NO3−. The approach is based on the microbial reduction of 14N-NO3− and 15N-NO3− mixed pool, the determination of the produced 29N2 and 30N2, and the calculation of the original 15N-NO3− and 14N-NO3− concentrations. The reduction is carried out in 12 mL exetainers containing 2 mL of sediment and 10 mL of water, under anoxia. To validate this approach, we prepared multiple standard solutions containing 15N-NO3− alone or in combinations with 14N-NO3−, with final concentrations varying from 0.5 to 3000 µM. We recovered nearly 90% of the initial 14N-NO3− or 15N-NO3−, over a wide range of concentrations and isotope ratios in the standards. We applied this method to a 15N-NO3− dilution experiment targeting the measurement of nitrification in sediments with and without the burrower Sparganophilus tamesis. The oligochaete did not stimulate nitrification, likely due to limited ventilation and unfavorable conditions for nitrifiers growth. The proposed method is reliable, fast, and could be applied to multiple ecological studies.

ACS Style

Paula Carpintero Moraes; Diana Marcela Arroyave Gòmez; Fabio Vincenzi; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano; Marco Bartoli; Sara Benelli; Carpintero Moraes; Arroyave Gòmez; Fano. Analysis of 15N-NO3− Via Anoxic Slurries Coupled to MIMS Analysis: An Application to Estimate Nitrification by Burrowing Macrofauna. Water 2019, 11, 2310 .

AMA Style

Paula Carpintero Moraes, Diana Marcela Arroyave Gòmez, Fabio Vincenzi, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Anna Fano, Marco Bartoli, Sara Benelli, Carpintero Moraes, Arroyave Gòmez, Fano. Analysis of 15N-NO3− Via Anoxic Slurries Coupled to MIMS Analysis: An Application to Estimate Nitrification by Burrowing Macrofauna. Water. 2019; 11 (11):2310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paula Carpintero Moraes; Diana Marcela Arroyave Gòmez; Fabio Vincenzi; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano; Marco Bartoli; Sara Benelli; Carpintero Moraes; Arroyave Gòmez; Fano. 2019. "Analysis of 15N-NO3− Via Anoxic Slurries Coupled to MIMS Analysis: An Application to Estimate Nitrification by Burrowing Macrofauna." Water 11, no. 11: 2310.

Journal article
Published: 30 October 2019 in Resources
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Oysters represent an important portion of the world’s total aquaculture production. In recent years, in Italy, oyster farming has progressively increased its role in the economic growth of the aquaculture sector and still has great potential for growth. As in any other production, oyster farming generates environmental impacts over an oyster’s life cycle, due to material, energy, fuel, and water use. The aim of this work was to carry out a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of fresh oysters of commercial size produced in the Po delta area, northern Italy. Two scenarios were considered. The current scenario provides for oyster seed purchasing from France and transport to Italy, whereas the alternative scenario includes in situ seed production in order to realize a complete local and traceable supply chain. Eco-indicator® 99-H and ReCiPe® midpoint (H) v.1.12 were used to perform the impact assessments. The overall impacts of the two scenarios were very similar and indicated that the main hotspots were the fattening and prefattening phases of farming, which were common in both scenarios. Focusing the analysis on the first stages, transport from France had a greater impact than did local seed production, emphasizing the importance of a short supply chain in aquaculture production.

ACS Style

Elena Tamburini; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Edoardo Turolla. Life Cycle Assessment of Oyster Farming in the Po Delta, Northern Italy. Resources 2019, 8, 170 .

AMA Style

Elena Tamburini, Elisa Anna Fano, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Edoardo Turolla. Life Cycle Assessment of Oyster Farming in the Po Delta, Northern Italy. Resources. 2019; 8 (4):170.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elena Tamburini; Elisa Anna Fano; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Edoardo Turolla. 2019. "Life Cycle Assessment of Oyster Farming in the Po Delta, Northern Italy." Resources 8, no. 4: 170.

Journal article
Published: 23 April 2019 in Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Human impacts on deltas often involve reclamation of coastal wetlands, causing a dramatic loss of ecological functions. We propose an Ecosystem Services (ES) approach to promote coordinated governance of aquaculture and environmental conservation in a brackish lagoon of the Po River delta (Italy). Spatiotemporal changes of aquatic vegetated habitats and clam production were evaluated, and experimentally related to ESs: climate regulation, habitat provision for birdlife, and potential for birdwatching. Almost all emergent vegetation was lost during past decades, while aquaculture production increased rapidly. Vegetated habitats sequestered significant amounts of carbon and supported more diverse bird communities than non-vegetated wetlands, including protected species of interest for birdwatching. We demonstrated that sectoral management was ineffective in maintaining ESs, promoting the exploitation of few provisioning services while decreasing many others. We propose an innovative, integrated management that focuses on restoring aquatic vegetation to offset anthropic impacts for the future sustainable governance of deltas.

ACS Style

Mattias Gaglio; Mattia Lanzoni; Giovanni Nobili; Diego Viviani; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. Ecosystem services approach for sustainable governance in a brackish water lagoon used for aquaculture. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2019, 62, 1501 -1524.

AMA Style

Mattias Gaglio, Mattia Lanzoni, Giovanni Nobili, Diego Viviani, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Anna Fano. Ecosystem services approach for sustainable governance in a brackish water lagoon used for aquaculture. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 2019; 62 (9):1501-1524.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattias Gaglio; Mattia Lanzoni; Giovanni Nobili; Diego Viviani; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. 2019. "Ecosystem services approach for sustainable governance in a brackish water lagoon used for aquaculture." Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 62, no. 9: 1501-1524.

Journal article
Published: 02 April 2019 in Resources
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The need to reduce the environmental impacts of the food industry is increasing together with the dramatic increment of global food demand. Circulation strategies such as the exploitation of self-produced renewable energy sources can improve ecological performances of industrial processes. However, evidence is needed to demonstrate and characterize such environmental benefits. This study assessed the environmental performances of industrial processing of maize edible oil, whose energy provision is guaranteed by residues biomasses. A gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was applied for a large-size factory of Northern Italy to describe: (i) the environmental impacts related to industrial processing and (ii) the contribution of residue-based bioenergy to their mitigation, through the comparison with a reference system based on conventional energy. The results showed that oil refinement is the most impacting phase for almost all the considered impact categories. The use of residue-based bioenergy was found to drastically reduce the emissions for all the impact categories. Moreover, Cumulative Energy Demand analysis revealed that the use of biomass residues increased energy efficiency through a reduction of the total energy demand of the industrial process. The study demonstrates that the exploitation of residue-based bioenergy can be a sustainable solution to improve environmental performances of the food industry, while supporting circular economy.

ACS Style

Mattias Gaglio; Elena Tamburini; Francesco Lucchesi; Vassilis Aschonitis; Anna Atti; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. Life Cycle Assessment of Maize-Germ Oil Production and The Use of Bioenergy to Mitigate Environmental Impacts: A Gate-To-Gate Case Study. Resources 2019, 8, 60 .

AMA Style

Mattias Gaglio, Elena Tamburini, Francesco Lucchesi, Vassilis Aschonitis, Anna Atti, Giuseppe Castaldelli, Elisa Anna Fano. Life Cycle Assessment of Maize-Germ Oil Production and The Use of Bioenergy to Mitigate Environmental Impacts: A Gate-To-Gate Case Study. Resources. 2019; 8 (2):60.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattias Gaglio; Elena Tamburini; Francesco Lucchesi; Vassilis Aschonitis; Anna Atti; Giuseppe Castaldelli; Elisa Anna Fano. 2019. "Life Cycle Assessment of Maize-Germ Oil Production and The Use of Bioenergy to Mitigate Environmental Impacts: A Gate-To-Gate Case Study." Resources 8, no. 2: 60.

Journal article
Published: 05 March 2019 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The North American oligochaete Sparganophilus tamesis is widespread in European freshwaters. Its ecological effects on benthic nitrogen (N) biogeochemistry were studied in two contrasting environments: the organic-rich muddy sediments of the eutrophic Mincio River (Italy) and the organic-poor sandy sediments of the oligotrophic Cazaux-Sanguinet Lake (France). Oxygen and inorganic N fluxes and denitrification rates (IPT) were measured by dark incubation of intact cores with different worm biomass. Sediment oxygen demand and denitrification were higher in muddy than in sandy sediments; however, at the two sites, bioturbation by the oligochaetes stimulated differing microbial O2 and NO3− respiration and NH4+ production. In particular, the relative effect of S. tamesis on sediment metabolism was greater in Cazaux-Sanguinet Lake than in the Mincio River. As a result, S. tamesis favored net N loss in the Mincio River, whereas it increased NH4+ recycling and lowered denitrification efficiency in the Cazaux-Sanguinet Lake. Our results suggest that the effects of S. tamesis on N biogeochemistry might differ depending on local trophic settings. These results have implications for the conservation of isoetids in the French Lake, whose persistence can be menaced by oligochaete-induced nutrient mobilization.

ACS Style

Sara Benelli; Marco Bartoli; Cristina Ribaudo; Elisa Anna Fano. Contrasting Effects of an Alien Worm on Benthic N Cycling in Muddy and Sandy Sediments. Water 2019, 11, 465 .

AMA Style

Sara Benelli, Marco Bartoli, Cristina Ribaudo, Elisa Anna Fano. Contrasting Effects of an Alien Worm on Benthic N Cycling in Muddy and Sandy Sediments. Water. 2019; 11 (3):465.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sara Benelli; Marco Bartoli; Cristina Ribaudo; Elisa Anna Fano. 2019. "Contrasting Effects of an Alien Worm on Benthic N Cycling in Muddy and Sandy Sediments." Water 11, no. 3: 465.