Using spring biota of pristine mountain areas for long-term monitoring

Thirty springs in the Adamello-Brenta Regional Park (Trentino, Italy) distributed over a large altitudinal range (from 1073 to 2172 m a.s.l.) were studied between 1992 and 1996. A high diversity of plant and animal communities including algae (mainly cyanophytes and diatoms), mosses and higher plants, macroinvertebrates (the main groups being midges, stoneflies, caddisflies), water mites, microcrustaceans, and crenobiontic snails was identified. The springs situated in pristine areas allow the detection of slight shifts as well as long-term effects of impacts on their drainage basins much more clearly than freshwater environments altered by human activity. In this paper we discuss the use of spring biota for the definition of the trophic status, ongoing acidification processes, and organic pollution. After a broad screening of the biota within a basic investigation, continuous survey of water mites is recommended for checking the persistence of stable conditions and the survey of diatoms for monitoring acidification and eutrophication processes.