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Dr. Silvia Quadroni
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy

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0 Ecological Risk Assessment
0 Environmental Monitoring
0 Fish
0 biomonitoring

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Short Biography

Silvia Quadroni, Ph.D., is a postdoc in ecology at the Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences (DiSTA) at University of Insubria (Varese, Italy). Her research lines are mainly focused on the applied ecology of freshwaters and environmental transport of persistent organic pollutants.

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Review
Published: 18 July 2021 in Environments
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As the global demand for renewable electricity grows, hydropower development of river basins increases across the world. Hydropeaking, i.e., streamflow alteration consisting of daily or subdaily rapid and marked discharge fluctuations, can affect river reaches below hydropower units. Environmental effects of hydropeaking include geomorphological alterations and possible modifications of the freshwater biota. Among affected instream communities, benthic macroinvertebrates are receiving increasing attention and the related scientific research has experienced significant progress in the last decade. In this context, this paper aims to summarize state-of-the-art methods for the assessment of hydropeaking impacts on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The present review could support the proper design of monitoring plans aimed at assessing the ecological impacts of hydropeaking and the effects of possible mitigation strategies.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Livia Servanzi; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni; Paolo Espa. Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview. Environments 2021, 8, 67 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Livia Servanzi, Giuseppe Crosa, Silvia Quadroni, Paolo Espa. Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview. Environments. 2021; 8 (7):67.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Livia Servanzi; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni; Paolo Espa. 2021. "Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview." Environments 8, no. 7: 67.

Journal article
Published: 13 July 2021 in Insects
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Drosophila suzukii, Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), is a serious economic issue for thin-skinned fruit farmers. The invasion of this dipteran is mainly counteracted by chemical control methods; however, it would be desirable to replace them with biological control. All assays were performed with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn), and Xn secretions, administered orally in single or combination, then larval lethality was assessed at different times. Gut damage caused by Bt and the influence on Xn into the hemocoelic cavity was also evaluated. In addition, the hemolymph cell population was analyzed after treatments. The data obtained show that the combined use of Bt plus Xn secretions on larvae, compared to single administration of bacteria, significantly improved the efficacy and reduced the time of treatments. The results confirm the destructive action of Bt on the gut of SWD larvae, and that Bt-induced alteration promotes the passage of Xn to the hemocoel cavity. Furthermore, hemocytes decrease after bioinsecticides treatments. Our study demonstrates that combining bioinsecticides can improve the efficacy of biocontrol and such combinations should be tested in greenhouse and in field in the near future.

ACS Style

Maristella Mastore; Sara Caramella; Silvia Quadroni; Maurizio Brivio. Drosophila suzukii Susceptibility to the Oral Administration of Bacillus thuringiensis, Xenorhabdus nematophila and Its Secondary Metabolites. Insects 2021, 12, 635 .

AMA Style

Maristella Mastore, Sara Caramella, Silvia Quadroni, Maurizio Brivio. Drosophila suzukii Susceptibility to the Oral Administration of Bacillus thuringiensis, Xenorhabdus nematophila and Its Secondary Metabolites. Insects. 2021; 12 (7):635.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maristella Mastore; Sara Caramella; Silvia Quadroni; Maurizio Brivio. 2021. "Drosophila suzukii Susceptibility to the Oral Administration of Bacillus thuringiensis, Xenorhabdus nematophila and Its Secondary Metabolites." Insects 12, no. 7: 635.

Original paper
Published: 26 May 2021 in Biological Invasions
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Genetic introgression with native species is recognized as a detrimental impact resulting from biological invasions involving taxonomically similar invaders. Whilst the underlying genetic mechanisms are increasingly understood, the ecological consequences of introgression are relatively less studied, despite their utility for increasing knowledge on how invasion impacts can manifest. Here, the ecological consequences of genetic introgression from an invasive congener were tested using the endemic barbel populations of central Italy, where the invader was the European barbel Barbus barbus. Four populations of native Barbus species (B. plebejus and B. tyberinus) were studied: two purebred and two completely introgressed with alien B. barbus. Across the four populations, differences in their biological traits (growth, body condition and population demographic structure) and trophic ecology (gut content analysis and stable isotope analysis) were tested. While all populations had similar body condition and were dominated by fish up to 2 years of age, the introgressed fish had substantially greater lengths at the same age, with maximum lengths 410–460 mm in hybrids versus 340–360 mm in native purebred barbel. The population characterized by the highest number of introgressed B. barbus alleles (81 %) had the largest trophic niche and a substantially lower trophic position than the other populations through its exploitation of a wider range of resources (e.g. small fishes and plants). These results attest that the genetic introgression of an invasive congener with native species can result in substantial ecological consequences, including the potential for cascading effects.

ACS Style

Vanessa De Santis; Silvia Quadroni; Robert J. Britton; Antonella Carosi; Catherine Gutmann Roberts; Massimo Lorenzoni; Giuseppe Crosa; Serena Zaccara. Biological and trophic consequences of genetic introgression between endemic and invasive Barbus fishes. Biological Invasions 2021, 1 -18.

AMA Style

Vanessa De Santis, Silvia Quadroni, Robert J. Britton, Antonella Carosi, Catherine Gutmann Roberts, Massimo Lorenzoni, Giuseppe Crosa, Serena Zaccara. Biological and trophic consequences of genetic introgression between endemic and invasive Barbus fishes. Biological Invasions. 2021; ():1-18.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanessa De Santis; Silvia Quadroni; Robert J. Britton; Antonella Carosi; Catherine Gutmann Roberts; Massimo Lorenzoni; Giuseppe Crosa; Serena Zaccara. 2021. "Biological and trophic consequences of genetic introgression between endemic and invasive Barbus fishes." Biological Invasions , no. : 1-18.

Regular paper
Published: 23 January 2021 in Journal of Fish Biology
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Two fluviolacustrine lineages (SI1 Barbus and SI2 Barbus) of the Barbus genus have been recently detected in the Apulia‐Campania ichthyogeographic district (southern Italy). The aim of this study was to determine the taxonomic status of these lineages by comparing them with the two already‐established Italian fluviolacustrine species Barbus plebejus and Barbus tyberinus through a more in‐depth molecular and morphological investigation. Genetic analyses were performed on both mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (growth hormone paralog 2) DNA markers, and morphological analyses were carried out on specific age classes and purebred populations. Molecular analyses detected four evolutionary lineages at the mitochondrial level, whereas the nuclear data set highlighted the strict evolutionary relation between B. plebejus sensu stricto and the new lineages, converged in the B. plebejus complex clade. The morphological analyses allowed us to discriminate SI1 Barbus and SI2 Barbus from both B. plebejus and B. tyberinus. The new taxa could be discriminated by the greatest maximum body height and the longest pre‐orbital distance, respectively. Both the new lineages have longer ventral and pectoral fins than B. plebejus and B. tyberinus, a larger caudal fin than B. tyberinus and a lower number of scales along the lateral line than B. plebejus. Both molecular and morphological results suggested the two southern Italian lineages could be considered as distinct endemic species: the formal description of the new species Barbus samniticus sp. nov. (i.e., SI1 Barbus) and the revalidation of Barbus fucini Costa, 1853 (i.e., SI2 Barbus) were thus proposed, and, for both species, molecular and morphological diagnosis were provided.

ACS Style

Massimo Lorenzoni; Antonella Carosi; Silvia Quadroni; Vanessa De Santis; Isabella Vanetti; Giovanni B. Delmastro; Serena Zaccara. Cryptic diversity within endemic Italian barbels: revalidation and description of new Barbus species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Journal of Fish Biology 2021, 98, 1433 -1449.

AMA Style

Massimo Lorenzoni, Antonella Carosi, Silvia Quadroni, Vanessa De Santis, Isabella Vanetti, Giovanni B. Delmastro, Serena Zaccara. Cryptic diversity within endemic Italian barbels: revalidation and description of new Barbus species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Journal of Fish Biology. 2021; 98 (5):1433-1449.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Massimo Lorenzoni; Antonella Carosi; Silvia Quadroni; Vanessa De Santis; Isabella Vanetti; Giovanni B. Delmastro; Serena Zaccara. 2021. "Cryptic diversity within endemic Italian barbels: revalidation and description of new Barbus species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)." Journal of Fish Biology 98, no. 5: 1433-1449.

Journal article
Published: 17 December 2020 in Ecological Indicators
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Anthropogenic increase of fine sediment loading is one of the main pressures for rivers worldwide. Particularly, Alpine streams are increasingly facing this issue due to sediment flushing operations from hydropower reservoirs, aimed at recovering storage for preserving electricity generation. Although Controlled Sediment Flushing Operations (CSFOs) are becoming increasingly frequent, ecological indicators to adequately assess and monitor their impact on the stream ecosystem have been poorly developed. In this work, we aimed to perform a screening of currently available biomonitoring tools to evaluate the CSFO effects on the riverine biota and adequately assess its recovery, starting from the recognition of the main ecological mechanisms triggered by the mentioned activities on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. We used two independent datasets concerning two reservoirs in the central Italian Alps to investigate the temporal effects of CSFOs repeated for four consecutive years (case-study I), and the impact of a single CSFO at a seasonal scale through a before/after-control/impact approach (case-study II). Initially, we quantified the CSFO impact on the richness and beta-diversity of macroinvertebrate communities by combining multivariate and univariate statistical techniques. Then, we compared the performance of the Siltation Index for LoTic EcoSystems (SILTES), recently developed for detecting siltation impact in Alpine streams, with that of the generic index currently adopted to assess the ecological status (sensu Water Framework Directive) of the Italian rivers, and of another sediment-specific index, but developed for a different bio-geographical area. The analysis of the two case-studies demonstrated that the nestedness (i.e. taxa loss) is the primary source of biological impairment caused by CSFOs. Moreover, we found that SILTES was more effective than the other indices because of its strong correlation with the nestedness, and since it properly discriminated impaired and pristine conditions, at both multi-annual and seasonal scale. In the first case-study, a threshold in the temporal trend of this index was detected, indicating a recovery within three months. In the second one, SILTES showed a recovery to pre-event seasonal values after nine months from the CSFO, due to larger and more persistent sediment deposition. This study demonstrates that SILTES could be adopted as a benchmark to improve the management of CSFOs from an ecological viewpoint. Our findings can be extended to the management of other sediment-related activities affecting mountainous streams worldwide, and, more generally, the adopted approach can be replicated for developing new ecological tools to manage other disturbances to river environments.

ACS Style

Alberto Doretto; Elena Piano; Stefano Fenoglio; Francesca Bona; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Silvia Quadroni. Beta-diversity and stressor specific index reveal patterns of macroinvertebrate community response to sediment flushing. Ecological Indicators 2020, 122, 107256 .

AMA Style

Alberto Doretto, Elena Piano, Stefano Fenoglio, Francesca Bona, Giuseppe Crosa, Paolo Espa, Silvia Quadroni. Beta-diversity and stressor specific index reveal patterns of macroinvertebrate community response to sediment flushing. Ecological Indicators. 2020; 122 ():107256.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Doretto; Elena Piano; Stefano Fenoglio; Francesca Bona; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Silvia Quadroni. 2020. "Beta-diversity and stressor specific index reveal patterns of macroinvertebrate community response to sediment flushing." Ecological Indicators 122, no. : 107256.

Research article
Published: 05 December 2020 in Ecohydrology
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Despite significant advancement in environmental flow science, the release of Minimum Flows (MFs) still represents one of the main measures globally adopted to mitigate off‐stream diversion in regulated rivers. In the Lake Como basin (Italy), we monitored water‐depleted reaches below hydropower reservoirs and intakes, and reaches unimpacted by water withdrawal. Our aim was to verify if the gradient in streamflow alterations resulted in detectable differences in the structure and functions of benthic assemblages, possibly identifying streamflow metrics explaining the observed differences. The macroinvertebrate assemblages sampled below reservoirs showed significant differences from those from unimpacted reaches, including the reduced relative richness of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (mainly stoneflies), and the higher abundance and richness of dipterans. These differences were well explained by the corresponding streamflow pattern, characterized by a rather constant flow throughout the year, occasionally interrupted by sharp peaks related to spilling episodes. In contrast, the shift from unimpacted conditions was minor for benthic assemblages collected at reaches below intakes, where the seasonal streamflow variation was partly preserved. Our results suggest that an increase of the e‐flow released by hydropower dams during the seasons characterized by larger runoffs could support improved benthic assemblages. Dewatered river sections below reservoirs could thus be prioritized for updating the current MF management, in the study area as well as in comparable contexts. At least to our knowledge, specific investigations are so far unavailable regarding the exploration of the different responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to intakes and reservoirs operations.

ACS Style

Silvia Quadroni; Francesca Salmaso; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa. Response of benthic macroinvertebrates to different hydropower off‐stream diversion schemes. Ecohydrology 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Silvia Quadroni, Francesca Salmaso, Gaetano Gentili, Giuseppe Crosa, Paolo Espa. Response of benthic macroinvertebrates to different hydropower off‐stream diversion schemes. Ecohydrology. 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Quadroni; Francesca Salmaso; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa. 2020. "Response of benthic macroinvertebrates to different hydropower off‐stream diversion schemes." Ecohydrology , no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 01 July 2020 in River Research and Applications
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On August 2017, a massive rock slope failure triggered an extreme sedimentation event in a regulated Alpine river. Consequently, high sediment load affected the river for about 1 month, with sediment concentration peaking up to several hundred g/L, and overall sediment yield of 0.4–0.8 Mm3. The availability of sound pre‐event data concerning benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages gave us the opportunity to assess the impact of this unusually severe sediment disturbance through before/after comparison. Within 1 month from the event, all the monitored communities displayed low density, richness and diversity, with minimum values never recorded before, particularly at the most upstream investigated reach, and where riverbed aggradation was comparatively larger. Persisting riverbed alteration was also identified as a major determinant justifying the slow recovery observed during the year after the event. Overall, the high resilience of some taxa, suited to a baseline unnatural condition, allowed the fast recolonization of the investigated river reaches. However, the recovery of other taxa , more sensitive to sediment pressure, was slow or did not occur during the monitored year.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni. The year after an extraordinary sedimentation event in a regulated Alpine river: The impact on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. River Research and Applications 2020, 36, 1656 -1667.

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Giuseppe Crosa, Paolo Espa, Gaetano Gentili, Silvia Quadroni. The year after an extraordinary sedimentation event in a regulated Alpine river: The impact on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. River Research and Applications. 2020; 36 (8):1656-1667.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni. 2020. "The year after an extraordinary sedimentation event in a regulated Alpine river: The impact on benthic macroinvertebrate communities." River Research and Applications 36, no. 8: 1656-1667.

Journal article
Published: 03 November 2019 in Water
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In the Po plain, northern Italy, rivers within agricultural basins display steep summer increases in nitrate (NO3−) concentrations. Flood irrigation in overfertilized, permeable soils may drive such diffuse pollution, facilitating interactions between NO3−-rich groundwater and surface waters. We discuss multiple, indirect evidence of this mechanism in the Adda, Oglio, and Mincio rivers. These rivers drain agricultural soils with elevated nitrogen (N) surpluses, averaging 139, 193, and 136 kg ha−1 in the Adda, Oglio, and Mincio watersheds, respectively. The three rivers cross a transitional area between highly permeable and impermeable soils, where summer NO3− concentrations may increase by one order of magnitude over short distances (8–20 km). Upstream of this transitional area, a major fraction of the river flow is diverted for flood irrigation, a traditional and widespread irrigation technique for permeable soils. We speculate that diverted water solubilizes soil N excess, recharges the aquifer, and transfers soil N surplus into groundwater, resulting in NO3− pollution. Groundwater–river interactions were estimated experimentally, via water and NO3− budgets in 0.3 to 1 m3 s−1 km−1 and in 1500 to 5400 kg NO3−–N day−1. The data suggest a pronounced east–west gradient of groundwater to river diffuse water inputs among the three adjacent basins, reflecting the soil permeability and the width of the river–groundwater interaction zone. Given the large stock of NO3− in groundwater, management interventions performed at the basin scale and aimed at decreasing N excess will not produce an immediate decrease in river NO3− pollution.

ACS Style

Erica Racchetti; Francesca Salmaso; Monica Pinardi; Silvia Quadroni; Elisa Soana; Elisa Sacchi; Edoardo Severini; Fulvio Celico; Pierluigi Viaroli; Marco Bartoli. Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds? Water 2019, 11, 2304 .

AMA Style

Erica Racchetti, Francesca Salmaso, Monica Pinardi, Silvia Quadroni, Elisa Soana, Elisa Sacchi, Edoardo Severini, Fulvio Celico, Pierluigi Viaroli, Marco Bartoli. Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds? Water. 2019; 11 (11):2304.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Erica Racchetti; Francesca Salmaso; Monica Pinardi; Silvia Quadroni; Elisa Soana; Elisa Sacchi; Edoardo Severini; Fulvio Celico; Pierluigi Viaroli; Marco Bartoli. 2019. "Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds?" Water 11, no. 11: 2304.

Original research
Published: 14 August 2019 in Ecology and Evolution
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The Italian peninsula is a biodiversity hotspot, with its freshwater fish fauna characterized by high levels of local endemism. Two endemic fluvio‐lacustrine fishes of the genus Barbus (barbel, family Cyprinidae) have allopatric distributions in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic basins of Italy. Barbus plebejus inhabits the mid‐ to northern Adriatic basins, while B. tyberinus is widespread in all central‐northern basins draining into the Tyrrhenian Sea. For basins in Southern Italy draining into the southern parts of these seas, there remains a knowledge gap on their barbel populations due to no previous genetic and morphological studies, despite their apparent biogeographic isolation. Correspondingly, this study quantified the presence and distribution of barbels in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian basins of Southern Italy through genetic and morphological analyses of 197 fish sampled across eight populations. Testing of how local isolation has influenced the evolution and persistence of these populations was completed by examining sequence variation at two mitochondrial loci (cytochrome b and D‐loop) and performing geometric morphometric analyses of body shape, plus measuring 11 morphometric and meristic characters. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses revealed the presence of two genetically distinct lineages that differed significantly from adjacent B. tyberinus and B. plebejus populations. These two new taxa, here described as SI1 and SI2 Barbus lineages, are highly structured and reflect a complex mosaic biogeographic pattern that is strongly associated with the underlying hydrographical scenarios of the basins. The geographic isolation of these basins thus has high evolutionary importance that has to be considered for maintaining endemism.

ACS Style

Serena Zaccara; Silvia Quadroni; Vanessa De Santis; Isabella Vanetti; Antonella Carosi; Robert Britton; Massimo Lorenzoni. Genetic and morphological analyses reveal a complex biogeographic pattern in the endemic barbel populations of the southern Italian peninsula. Ecology and Evolution 2019, 9, 10185 -10197.

AMA Style

Serena Zaccara, Silvia Quadroni, Vanessa De Santis, Isabella Vanetti, Antonella Carosi, Robert Britton, Massimo Lorenzoni. Genetic and morphological analyses reveal a complex biogeographic pattern in the endemic barbel populations of the southern Italian peninsula. Ecology and Evolution. 2019; 9 (18):10185-10197.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Serena Zaccara; Silvia Quadroni; Vanessa De Santis; Isabella Vanetti; Antonella Carosi; Robert Britton; Massimo Lorenzoni. 2019. "Genetic and morphological analyses reveal a complex biogeographic pattern in the endemic barbel populations of the southern Italian peninsula." Ecology and Evolution 9, no. 18: 10185-10197.

Short communication
Published: 03 December 2018 in Chemosphere
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In this work we assessed the presence of two well-known pesticides (DDT and lindane) along with their main metabolite or isomer in tobacco products from 11 countries. In 11 of the 15 samples DDTs were the dominant compounds, with maximum concentrations of pp’DDT in Morocco cigarettes (9 ng g-1) and of pp’DDE in Italian cigars (13 ng g-1). Moreover, the α/γ-HCH ratio was mostly lower than 1, indicating the main use of “Lindane” formulation. However, all the detected levels were below the guidance residue values of respective pesticide and metabolite/isomer.

ACS Style

Silvia Quadroni; Roberta Bettinetti. An unnoticed issue: Organochlorine pesticides in tobacco products around the world. Chemosphere 2018, 219, 54 -57.

AMA Style

Silvia Quadroni, Roberta Bettinetti. An unnoticed issue: Organochlorine pesticides in tobacco products around the world. Chemosphere. 2018; 219 ():54-57.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Quadroni; Roberta Bettinetti. 2018. "An unnoticed issue: Organochlorine pesticides in tobacco products around the world." Chemosphere 219, no. : 54-57.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2018 in Science of The Total Environment
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Despite DDT and PCB having been banned for about 40 years, they are still detectable in the environment. In the present research we specifically investigated the trophic transfer of these organochlorine contaminants (OC) through a pelagic food web of a deep lake in Northern Italy (Lake Como) over time. Zooplankton and fish were sampled each season of a year and OC concentrations and the carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios were measured. By using stable isotopes, the direct trophic relationship between pelagic zooplankton and zooplanktivorous fish was confirmed for Alosa agone only in summer. Based on this result, the biomagnification factor normalized on the trophic level (BMF) for organic contaminants was calculated. BMF values were within the range 0.9-1.9 for DDT isomers and 1.6-4.9 for some PCB congeners (PCB 95, PCB 101, PCB 149, PCB 153, PCB 138 - present both in zooplankton and in fish and representing >60% of the PCB contamination), confirming the biomagnification of these compounds in one of the two zooplanktivorous fish species of the lake.

ACS Style

Michela Mazzoni; Emanuela Boggio; Marina Manca; Roberta Piscia; Silvia Quadroni; Arianna Bellasi; Roberta Bettinetti. Trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants through a pelagic food web: The case of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Science of The Total Environment 2018, 640-641, 98 -106.

AMA Style

Michela Mazzoni, Emanuela Boggio, Marina Manca, Roberta Piscia, Silvia Quadroni, Arianna Bellasi, Roberta Bettinetti. Trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants through a pelagic food web: The case of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 640-641 ():98-106.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michela Mazzoni; Emanuela Boggio; Marina Manca; Roberta Piscia; Silvia Quadroni; Arianna Bellasi; Roberta Bettinetti. 2018. "Trophic transfer of persistent organic pollutants through a pelagic food web: The case of Lake Como (Northern Italy)." Science of The Total Environment 640-641, no. : 98-106.

Article
Published: 20 December 2017 in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
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An eco-hydraulic survey of the highly regulated Adda River (northern Italy) was carried out to highlight the ecological implications of the current water management, including minimum flows (MFs) set as environmental protection measures. Macroinvertebrates, flows, and other main physico-chemical parameters were monitored from 2010 to 2012 at seven sites located in two river reaches characterized by different water abstraction schemes. In the upper part of the river, water is mainly diverted for hydro-power, and, in water-depleted reaches, discharges equalled MF for more than 100 days y-1, mainly during winter. In the downstream river reach, where irrigation use prevails, discharges were on average three times higher than in the upper part of the river, and flow values similar to MF were detected only for short periods during summer. The two resulting streamflow patterns seem to have shaped different benthic communities, superimposing to the natural downstream variation. The upper reach is characterized by univoltine taxa, while the lower reach by multivoltine taxa adapted to a more disturbed environment. Chironomidae, a well-known tolerant benthic family, dominated at a site affected by point-source pollution, which turned out to be another determinant of macroinvertebrate community. Despite these differences among sites in the benthic community structure, the current water management seems to allow, for all of the investigated river sites, the achievement of the good ecological status as defined by the local law set in accomplishment of the Water Framework Directive.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni; Serena Zaccara. Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2017, 190, 33 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Giuseppe Crosa, Paolo Espa, Gaetano Gentili, Silvia Quadroni, Serena Zaccara. Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2017; 190 (1):33.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni; Serena Zaccara. 2017. "Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions." Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 190, no. 1: 33.

Conference paper
Published: 13 December 2017 in Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems
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Water exploitation for hydropower and irrigation alters the natural hydrologic regime of rivers, and consequently instream biocenosis and ecological processes. The identification of management decisions able to protect freshwater ecosystems while maintaining important water uses is a crucial issue for both science and management. This study presents and compares water management schemes into two large Mediterranean river basins. Environmental issues linked to management are discussed taking into account different local features and the regulatory framework.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Ramon J. Batalla; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Livia M. L. Servanzi; Silvia Quadroni. Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments. Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems 2017, 759 -761.

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Paolo Espa, Ramon J. Batalla, Giuseppe Crosa, Gaetano Gentili, Livia M. L. Servanzi, Silvia Quadroni. Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments. Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems. 2017; ():759-761.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Ramon J. Batalla; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Livia M. L. Servanzi; Silvia Quadroni. 2017. "Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments." Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems , no. : 759-761.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Science of The Total Environment
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The present work focuses on evaluating the ecological effects of hydropower-induced streamflow alteration within four catchments in the central Italian Alps. Downstream from the water diversions, minimum flows are released as an environmental protection measure, ranging approximately from 5 to 10% of the mean annual natural flow estimated at the intake section. Benthic macroinvertebrates as well as daily averaged streamflow were monitored for five years at twenty regulated stream reaches, and possible relationships between benthos-based stream quality metrics and environmental variables were investigated. Despite the non-negligible inter-site differences in basic streamflow metrics, benthic macroinvertebrate communities were generally dominated by few highly resilient taxa. The highest level of diversity was detected at sites where upstream minimum flow exceedance is higher and further anthropogenic pressures (other than hydropower) are lower. However, according to the current Italian normative index, the ecological quality was good/high on average at all of the investigated reaches, thus complying the Water Framework Directive standards.

ACS Style

Silvia Quadroni; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Paolo Espa. Response of stream benthic macroinvertebrates to current water management in Alpine catchments massively developed for hydropower. Science of The Total Environment 2017, 609, 484 -496.

AMA Style

Silvia Quadroni, Giuseppe Crosa, Gaetano Gentili, Paolo Espa. Response of stream benthic macroinvertebrates to current water management in Alpine catchments massively developed for hydropower. Science of The Total Environment. 2017; 609 ():484-496.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Quadroni; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Paolo Espa. 2017. "Response of stream benthic macroinvertebrates to current water management in Alpine catchments massively developed for hydropower." Science of The Total Environment 609, no. : 484-496.

Journal article
Published: 01 July 2017 in Environmental Research
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Although banned in many countries for decades, DDTs and PCBs still represent a global threat to food safety. As these contaminants are still present in aquatic ecosystems, fish can be an important contributor to their total dietary intake.

ACS Style

Silvia Quadroni; Roberta Bettinetti. Health risk assessment for the consumption of fresh and preserved fish (Alosa agone) from Lago di Como (Northern Italy). Environmental Research 2017, 156, 571 -578.

AMA Style

Silvia Quadroni, Roberta Bettinetti. Health risk assessment for the consumption of fresh and preserved fish (Alosa agone) from Lago di Como (Northern Italy). Environmental Research. 2017; 156 ():571-578.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Quadroni; Roberta Bettinetti. 2017. "Health risk assessment for the consumption of fresh and preserved fish (Alosa agone) from Lago di Como (Northern Italy)." Environmental Research 156, no. : 571-578.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2016 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Sediment flushing may be effective to preserve reservoir storage, but concerns arise about sustainability for downstream freshwater ecosystems. We report on the controlled flushing of approximately 110,000 tons of silt from a 120 Mm(3) reservoir on the Adda River, the main tributary of Lake Como, Italy. Technical constraints prevented flushing during high flows, and the operation had to be spread out over three consecutive years (2010-2012) and, for each year, over a rather long time span (40-50 days). To mitigate the downstream impact, the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of the evacuated water was controlled by regulating the dislodging works inside the reservoir, increasing the streamflow in the regulated tributaries, and operating an instream settling basin. SSC and water flow as well as benthic macroinvertebrates and trout were monitored as far as 28 km below the reservoir. At the most upstream gauging station, SSC peaked up to 100 g/l and ranged from 3.5 to 8 g/l on average per each operation. Stream quality metrics based on macroinvertebrate data evidenced the impairment due to flushing; however, the benthic community showed high resilience, recovering to pre-flushing conditions in 6-9 months. Trout data were biased by stocking and sport fishing and were more difficult to be interpreted. The trout population wouldn't seem remarkably altered, even if a non-negligible impact could be deduced through pre/post-event sample comparison.

ACS Style

Paolo Espa; Maria Laura Brignoli; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni. Controlled sediment flushing at the Cancano Reservoir (Italian Alps): Management of the operation and downstream environmental impact. Journal of Environmental Management 2016, 182, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Paolo Espa, Maria Laura Brignoli, Giuseppe Crosa, Gaetano Gentili, Silvia Quadroni. Controlled sediment flushing at the Cancano Reservoir (Italian Alps): Management of the operation and downstream environmental impact. Journal of Environmental Management. 2016; 182 ():1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paolo Espa; Maria Laura Brignoli; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni. 2016. "Controlled sediment flushing at the Cancano Reservoir (Italian Alps): Management of the operation and downstream environmental impact." Journal of Environmental Management 182, no. : 1-12.

Journal article
Published: 29 January 2016 in Ecohydrology
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Sediment flushing is currently performed to recover the storage capacity of small-medium sized reservoirs. However, its environmental impacts are not yet adequately quantified. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of a three-day sediment flushing from a small reservoir in the Italian Alps on downstream freshwater fauna. Biomonitoring was carried out in two streams. In the impounded stream, benthic macroinvertebrates were surveyed immediately below the flushed reservoir. In the receiving stream, where diluting flows were released to reduce the sediment concentration and deposition, fish and macroinvertebrates were monitored at two sites, one above and one below the stream junction. Above the stream junction, the only disturbance was the increase in streamflow, while the reach below the stream junction was perturbed by the increase in both streamflow and sediment load. At the site closer to the flushed reservoir, the benthic community was almost completely impaired after the operations, and its recovery was still incomplete after one year. In the receiving stream, the average sediment concentration of approximately 6 gL−1 and deposition of 30 kgm−2 were estimated at the site subjected to the sediment increase. A density reduction of 80% and a change in composition affected the macroinvertebrate assemblage, which recovered in approximately nine months. At the same site, the fish survey showed that brown trout juveniles were affected by the sediment load from the flushing operations. Only minor effects were detected on macroinvertebrates and fish subjected only to the increase in streamflow, i.e., above the stream junction.

ACS Style

S. Quadroni; M. L. Brignoli; G. Crosa; G. Gentili; F. Salmaso; S. Zaccara; P. Espa. Effects of sediment flushing from a small Alpine reservoir on downstream aquatic fauna. Ecohydrology 2016, 9, 1276 -1288.

AMA Style

S. Quadroni, M. L. Brignoli, G. Crosa, G. Gentili, F. Salmaso, S. Zaccara, P. Espa. Effects of sediment flushing from a small Alpine reservoir on downstream aquatic fauna. Ecohydrology. 2016; 9 (7):1276-1288.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S. Quadroni; M. L. Brignoli; G. Crosa; G. Gentili; F. Salmaso; S. Zaccara; P. Espa. 2016. "Effects of sediment flushing from a small Alpine reservoir on downstream aquatic fauna." Ecohydrology 9, no. 7: 1276-1288.

Journal article
Published: 20 August 2014 in Environments
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Within the context of the Water Framework Directive, the need to identify new monitoring tools in support of the traditional chemical monitoring process is emerging. Chemical characterization by itself does not provide specific biological information about potential hazards to organisms, in particular when facing cocktails of contaminants. Therefore, ecotoxicity tests can represent a useful tool supporting the chemical information. In the present work, the value of ecotoxicity tests as an effect-based tool for monitoring freshwater and sediment quality of the south-western basin of Lake Como (Northern Italy) was evaluated, assessing the potential risk of pollutants. Results obtained from D. magna toxicity tests showed a temporal variation of toxic response in relation to the variability of organic micropollutant load characteristics of urban rivers. Sediment ecotoxicity test data showed the spatial variability of the sediments’ contamination within the lake, confirmed by chemical analysis of two classes of pollutants (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCB)). The observed effects on organisms in laboratory tests caused by a mixture of almost unknown chemicals underline the importance of integrating effect-based tools into monitoring efforts.

ACS Style

Bettinetti Roberta; Ponti Benedetta; Quadroni Silvia. An Ecotoxicological Approach to Assess the Environmental Quality of Freshwater Basins: A Possible Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive? Environments 2014, 1, 92 -106.

AMA Style

Bettinetti Roberta, Ponti Benedetta, Quadroni Silvia. An Ecotoxicological Approach to Assess the Environmental Quality of Freshwater Basins: A Possible Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive? Environments. 2014; 1 (1):92-106.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bettinetti Roberta; Ponti Benedetta; Quadroni Silvia. 2014. "An Ecotoxicological Approach to Assess the Environmental Quality of Freshwater Basins: A Possible Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive?" Environments 1, no. 1: 92-106.

Journal article
Published: 18 October 2012 in Ecotoxicology
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In conjunction with habitat loss and overfishing, pollution and parasitism are believed to be relevant causes of collapse of , as these can affect eel swimming ability and the development of gonads and embryos. The present study investigated Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) concentrations, infection levels of , lipid content and gonad abnormalities in eels sampled in 2007–2008 in three Italian water bodies (Caprolace Lake, Lesina Lagoon and Tevere River) that vary in salinity, trophic condition, contamination level and fishing pressure. Our analysis revealed that low-to-moderate levels of contamination and parasitism were not associated with gonad abnormalities in Caprolace Lake and Lesina Lagoon. On the contrary, POP concentrations and abundances of swim bladder nematodes were remarkably high in eels from the heavily urbanized Tevere River and were associated with significant gonad and swim bladder alterations. Contamination and infestation levels were so high to potentially impair spawner successful migration and reproduction. POP concentrations in Tevere eels also exceeded levels considered safe for food consumption. Though marginally contaminated, eels from the oligotrophic Caprolace Lake were in critical health condition: their lipid reserve was so low as to be considered insufficient to sustain the energetic costs of the transoceanic migration. Lesina eel stock was the only one displaying relatively good quality but here spawner abundance is likely limited by overfishing. Our results suggest that multiple stressors may potentially affect eel reproductive success. More definitive studies are needed to assess whether health effects caused by these multiple stressors are additive, compensatory or synergistic.

ACS Style

Silvia Quadroni; Silvana Galassi; Fabrizio Capoccioni; Eleonora Ciccotti; Gilberto Grandi; Giulio A. De Leo; Roberta Bettinetti. Contamination, parasitism and condition of Anguilla anguilla in three Italian stocks. Ecotoxicology 2012, 22, 94 -108.

AMA Style

Silvia Quadroni, Silvana Galassi, Fabrizio Capoccioni, Eleonora Ciccotti, Gilberto Grandi, Giulio A. De Leo, Roberta Bettinetti. Contamination, parasitism and condition of Anguilla anguilla in three Italian stocks. Ecotoxicology. 2012; 22 (1):94-108.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silvia Quadroni; Silvana Galassi; Fabrizio Capoccioni; Eleonora Ciccotti; Gilberto Grandi; Giulio A. De Leo; Roberta Bettinetti. 2012. "Contamination, parasitism and condition of Anguilla anguilla in three Italian stocks." Ecotoxicology 22, no. 1: 94-108.

Journal article
Published: 25 July 2012 in Journal of Limnology
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The lake Iseo has been recently contaminated by DDT residues, originated from the melting of a glacier that released the pollutants accumulated in the past. Because of this recent input, DDT residues concentrations rose more quickly in zooplankton than in fish during 2009. In autumn 2010 the ratio drastically dropped to one–two for all the compounds indicating that the glacial DDT load should have been ceased. The situation was different for PCBs that were released to a much lower extent from glaciers. The PCB 138 ratio between zooplankton and fish was always around one–two in both years. As the zooplankton response to pollution changes resulted particularly prompt, our research highlights the importance of this component as an early warning bioindicator of hydrophobic pollutants.

ACS Style

Roberta Bettinetti; Letizia Garibaldi; Barbara Leoni; Silvia Quadroni; Silvana Galassi. Zooplankton as an early warning system of persistent organic pollutants contamination in a deep lake (lake Iseo, Northern Italy). Journal of Limnology 2012, 71, 36 .

AMA Style

Roberta Bettinetti, Letizia Garibaldi, Barbara Leoni, Silvia Quadroni, Silvana Galassi. Zooplankton as an early warning system of persistent organic pollutants contamination in a deep lake (lake Iseo, Northern Italy). Journal of Limnology. 2012; 71 (2):36.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Roberta Bettinetti; Letizia Garibaldi; Barbara Leoni; Silvia Quadroni; Silvana Galassi. 2012. "Zooplankton as an early warning system of persistent organic pollutants contamination in a deep lake (lake Iseo, Northern Italy)." Journal of Limnology 71, no. 2: 36.