INDAGINI SULLA MICROBIOLOGIA DEL COMPLESSO CARSICO RIO STELLA-RIO BASINO

The study of microbial associations in the underground environment is extremely interesting because they are the energetic and thus trophic base for caves. In the present paper the first studies related to the Stella-Basino karst system are reported. This research is part of the wider Life-Gypsum project. Thanks to the modern technique of genetic amplification it was possible to achieve a good degree of bacteria identification. These first data are compared with those obtained with traditional methods in the Novella Cave and in the Farneto spring (in the Gypsum outcrop near Bologna) a few years ago. At the end of the research a complete microbiological data-base of this cave will be available. At the present stage the first results suggest that the environment of the underground river is rather good.