A first application of the new assessment method for Italian lakes, EPI-L, in Mediterranean ecoregion

Aquatic ecosystems protection, and particularly the understanding of the causes of anthropogenic environmental alteration of the same, are taking an important role in the last years. According to the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD; European Union, 2000) the Member States of the European Union are obliged to assess the ecological status of waters through biological quality element and as supporting these, the physical and chemical properties of the water bodies are to be use as well as the hydromorphological parameters of the lakes. According to WFD, for each biological quality elements, five status classes (high, good, moderate, poor, bad) are identified to assess ecological status. For each type are defined reference conditions and degradation is described from the deviation in species composition and abundance from those present at reference conditions (Ecological Quality Report: EQR). Diatoms are an abundant and important component of algal assemblages in freshwater lakes. These are used as indicators for the assessment of environmental conditions according to the WFD. The aim of this study is the first Italian application of the new index for ecological quality assessment of lake waterbodies using benthic diatoms "The Italian method for evaluating lake ecological quality from benthic diatoms (EPI-L)"(Marchetto et al, 2013) and to evaluate its response to different diatom assemblages. The EPLI-L was studied in relation to lake ecosystems in Mediterranean ecoregion.