Ecologists often group organisms based on similar biological traits or on taxonomic criteria.
However, the use of taxonomy in ecology has many drawbacks because taxa may include …

Shallow lakes, one of the most widespread water bodies in the world landscape, are very
sensitive to climate change. Several theories predict changes in community traits, relevant …

Abstract Changes in zooplankton community structure and function were analyzed in 24
lakes covering a wide salinity gradient (from 0.5 to 115 gl− 1) in a semiarid region in …

Plankton are sensitive indicators of change and, at the base of marine food webs, they
underpin important ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and fisheries …

Cyanobacteria dominance is often associated with economic, ecological and health
problems. The potential production of toxic compounds calls for frequent monitoring of …

EU countries are required to perform an assessment of all freshwater habitats larger than 50
ha by 2015 to meet the requirements set by the Water Framework Directive (2000). To …

Studies on aquatic insects have found divergent results when assessing the effects of the
environment and spatial structure on the community. The inappropriate choice of taxonomic …

Aim Despite the accelerating loss of biodiversity and the increased number of methods for
conservation planning, the availability of information about the spatial distribution of …

Considering the ongoing loss of aquatic habitats, anthropogenic ponds are gaining
importance as substitute habitats. It is therefore important to assess their functioning in …

Eutrophication of rivers and streams in agricultural lands is one of the main threats for
biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This study was focused on seven subtropical streams …