Appraisal of the abiotic and biotic framework of Faro Lake (Messina, Sicily)

Faro Lake is a meromictic basin with singular characteristics in the Mediterranean. It is located in the northern part of Messina, and is part of the Natural Reserve of Capo Peloro (38°15’57”N; 15° 37’50”E). The brackish water of the lake is renewed thanks to the connection with the sea (both Tyrrhenian and Ionian) and with Ganzirri lake. In the study area traditional mollusc farming activity is present, that has been recognized as ethno-anthropological heritage. The purpose of our study was to asses a start point for the monitoring of the parameters of the water and haemolymph of traditionally farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis. The determination of electrolytes (Na+, Cl-, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, P inorganic) and heavy metals in both Faro lake water and haemolymph have been carried out. The electrolytes have been determined using the method colorimetric and potenziometric and the heavy metals using ICP-MS method. Chemical and physical parameters of the water have been recorded during sampling, using a multiparametric probe (T, Sal, pH, Conductivity), while Winkler method was used to measure the O2 present. The monitoring period was of one year (from April 2016 to March 2017) with monthly samplings in the same point of the Faro lake. M. galloprovincialis is a good bioindicator, ideal for assess levels of environmental pollution thanks to its biological, ecological and physiological characteristics (sessile, ubiquitous, filter-feeder and osmoconformer). The results of our study showed a typical fluctuation range in haemolymph parameters, related to the water ones. As osmoconformer organism, the haemolymph parameters were influenced by water parameter oscillation. Despite this, the variation of chemical-physical parameters affected the ions levels in some period of the year. The presence of heavy metals traces was constant during all the year. Our study reports for the first time the correlation between water parameters and haemolymph content of mussels farmed in the Faro lake, describing the trends and creating reference data for further studies.