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The impact of nitrate on the groundwater assemblages of European unconsolidated aquifers is likely less severe than expected

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Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the structure of the stygobiotic copepod assemblages of an unconsolidated European aquifer (VO), in southern Italy, that has been subject to persistent nitrate contamination for over 15 years. To this end, we monitored 25 bores where groundwater was contaminated only by nitrate, and no other chemical pollutants were reported as being above detection limits from 2009 to 2014. We monitored these bores three times, namely in autumn 2014 and in spring and autumn 2015. We expected that the chronic exposure to high nitrate concentrations had a significant and evident impact on the stygobiotic copepod assemblages. Unexpectedly, the assemblages were highly diversified. The stygobiotic species richness (SSR) accounted 17 species, a value that exceeded the European mean value (SSR = 12 species). However, the species density was only 0.6 species/km2, lower than the European mean value (= 1.6 species/km2). Moreover, the juvenile copepods were numerically less abundant than the adults and the biomass-abundance model showed signs of alteration of the structure of the copepod assemblages. This study highlighted that (i) nitrates, even at high concentrations, probably have a less severe impact on groundwater assemblages of unconsolidated aquifers than expected and (ii) the analysis of population traits and biomasses can detect signs of alteration of these assemblages that would, otherwise, not be visible from the analysis of the sole species richness and abundances.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ABC:

Abundance-biomass curve

ASS:

Variables connected to the structure of the copepod assemblages

BIOM:

Biomass

BORE:

Bore variables

CHE:

Chemical compound variables

CHPS:

Chemico-physical variables

nSB:

Non-stygobiotic

POP:

Population variables

RES:

Variables indicative of the trophic resources

SB:

Stygobiotic

SSR:

Stygobiotic species richness

VO:

Unconsolidated aquifer of the River Vomano

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Acknowledgments

We thank Agostina Tabilio Di Camillo and Alessandro Murolo for the support in the sampling and sorting activities. We are grateful to an anonymous reviewer who provided suggestions that have improved our manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the European Commission - LIFE12 BIO/IT/000231 AQUALIFE “Development of an innovative and user-friendly indicator system for biodiversity in groundwater dependent ecosystems.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Italian National Research Council (IRET-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

    Tiziana Di Lorenzo

  2. Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio 1, Coppito, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    Barbara Fiasca, Mattia Di Cicco & Diana Maria Paola Galassi

Authors
  1. Tiziana Di Lorenzo
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  2. Barbara Fiasca
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  3. Mattia Di Cicco
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  4. Diana Maria Paola Galassi
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Contributions

Conceptualization, T.D.L. and D.M.P.G.; methodology, T.D.L., B.F., and D.M.P.G.; validation, T.D.L., B.F., and D.M.P.G.; formal analysis, T.D.L. and M.D.C.; investigation, B.F. and M.D.C.; resources, D.M.P.G.; data curation, B.F. and M.D.C.; writing—original draft preparation, T.D.L.; writing—review and editing, T.D.L.; project administration, B.F.; funding acquisition, D.M.P.G.

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Correspondence to Tiziana Di Lorenzo.

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Di Lorenzo, T., Fiasca, B., Di Cicco, M. et al. The impact of nitrate on the groundwater assemblages of European unconsolidated aquifers is likely less severe than expected. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 11518–11527 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11408-5

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