Limnological studies of Monticchio Lakes (Sothern Italy): a hystorical overview

The Monticchio lakes are two maars located in the southwest portion of Vulture mountain, a Quaternary volcano. Today, this area is part of the Special Area of Conservation "Monte Vulture" (SAC IT9210210). Their main morphometric, physical and hydrodynamic characteristics, water chemistry, and plankton, hydrophytes and faunal diversity are described through a review of the studies, starting with the first detailed scientific study carried out on Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo of Monticchio at beginning of the twentieth century by Achille Forti, Alessandro Trotter and Giuseppe Stegagno. Since then, the area was strongly affected by human impact. During the years, other studies have considered in detail key aspects concerning water quality. A particular attention has been paid to eutrophication. Currently, these lakes have different trophic level: eutrophic or hypereutrophic for Lago Grande, and oligotrophic or mesotrophic for Lago Piccolo. In reference to the water thermal regime, the former lake is classified as dimictic, according to some authors, or warm monomictic, according to others. The latter is classified as biogenic meromictic. In over a hundred years, changes in the phytoplankton and zooplankton community structures have been particularly relevant, in particular in Lago Grande, contrasting with the high stability in diatom communities over millennia revealed by paleolimnological studies. Benthic community has not been studied, apart few samples analyzed by Forti in 1905. A multi-temporal analysis has revealed the loss of macrophyte species and their habitats. Between 1905 and 2010, 67% of the species in Lago Grande and 60% in Lago Piccolo disappeared. Due to the scientific interest and touristic importance, these lakes must continue to be the object of limnological studies in the future.