Version 1
: Received: 17 October 2024 / Approved: 18 October 2024 / Online: 18 October 2024 (06:35:34 CEST)
How to cite:
Castelnuovo, N.; Villa, B.; Boldrocchi, G.; Iotti, P.; Bettinetti, R. Vallisneria spiralis Restoration: Sustainability of a Littoral Area of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Preprints2024, 2024101432. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1432.v1
Castelnuovo, N.; Villa, B.; Boldrocchi, G.; Iotti, P.; Bettinetti, R. Vallisneria spiralis Restoration: Sustainability of a Littoral Area of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Preprints 2024, 2024101432. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1432.v1
Castelnuovo, N.; Villa, B.; Boldrocchi, G.; Iotti, P.; Bettinetti, R. Vallisneria spiralis Restoration: Sustainability of a Littoral Area of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Preprints2024, 2024101432. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1432.v1
APA Style
Castelnuovo, N., Villa, B., Boldrocchi, G., Iotti, P., & Bettinetti, R. (2024). <em>Vallisneria spiralis</em> Restoration: Sustainability of a Littoral Area of Lake Como (Northern Italy). Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1432.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Castelnuovo, N., Paola Iotti and Roberta Bettinetti. 2024 "<em>Vallisneria spiralis</em> Restoration: Sustainability of a Littoral Area of Lake Como (Northern Italy)" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1432.v1
Abstract
In the Anthropocene era, lake ecosystems are facing significant human-related pressures, resulting in a decline in both biodiversity and habitat quality. Restoration initiatives can effectively enhance the resilience of freshwater environments. This research delves into various established and novel method aimed at encouraging the growth of a macrophyte, Vallisneria spiralis, in the littoral zone of Lake Como, a southern alpine Italian lake. For this aim, Vallisneria spiralis was collected and placed in tanks filled with four different types of 3D-printed biodegradable substrates. Remarkably, the plant demonstrated a growth rate of 4 mm per day, increasing from an initial number of 12 plants to 400 after four months, with a total surpassing 700 specimens by the conclusion of the study. Following their introduction into the natural environment, the survival rate of plants positioned on substrates that remained stable and in contact with the lakebed reached 85.7%. This research is the first to indicate that Vallisneria spiralis could be a viable option for restoration projects in coastal lake habitats, particularly when utilizing biodegradable substrates. The hope is that this study can serve as a valuable model for future restoration initiatives and improve sustainability of freshwater ecosystems.
Keywords
Biodegradable Artificial 3D printed substrates; Freshwater Ecosystems; Lake Restoration; Sus-tainability of freshwater; Macrophytes; Vallisneria spiralis
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Sustainable Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
