INHABIT project

In this section, macrobenthic fauna taxalists found in selected river reaches investigated during INHABIT project, together with classification obtained according to STAR_ICMi and a set of environmental descriptors, are available for download after registration.
Data are organized in 6 MS Excel files, organized as follows:

• two files named 'TaxalistINHABITSardegna_PoolRiffle_proWeb' and 'TaxalistINHABITPiemonte_proWeb' containing family level macrobenthic fauna for a selection of INHABIT sites, respectively in Sardinia and Piedmont, separated in the sampled mesohabitats. Abundances are given in classes of density (per m2);
• two files named ‘STAR_ICMi+Class_INHABITSardegna_proWeb’ and ‘STAR_ICMi+Class_INHABITPiemonte_proWeb’ containing values of STAR_ICMi for each selected sample and related classifications;
• two files named Hab-LIMeco+Class_INHABITSardegna_proWeb’ and ‘Hab-LIMeco+Class_INHABITPiemonte_proWeb’ containing, for selected river reaches in Sardinia and Piedmont, values of the CARAVAGGIO- derived descriptors for habitat features description and values of LIMeco index for chemical-physical quality, with related classifications.

Classifications for the entire pool of sites / river stretches of the INHABIT project are available at this section of the website:
http://www.life-inhabit.it/en/inhabit-themes-results/classification-uncertainty/58

Present data, collected in two Italian regions - Piedmont and Sardinia - according to a standard procedure, represent a useful tool for anyone who wants to deal with some issues related to macrobenthic fauna. In particular, data from Sardinia are indicative of Mediterranean environments in river water bodies sometimes not clearly attributable to a unique river type.
It should be noted, however, how these data cannot be considered as representative of environmental conditions of water bodies at a larger scale. Therefore, any considerations about community structure, environmental gradients, characteristics of the area etc. cannot be made with respect to such data, for different contexts.

Click here to register and receive credentials for data download.