Assessment of soil quality in wetlands in Eastern Sicily

Wetlands are of great importance for biodiversity as they support a rich variety of plant and animal species, and the presence of endemic and migratory species is frequent. It is therefore necessary to protect and monitor such areas. The work conducted, reported in the present paper, aimed to verify the quality of soil in most wetlands in eastern Sicily. Specifically, four areas were studied: three Oriented Nature Reserves (RNO), the Saline di Priolo, with the adjacent Penisola di Magnisi, the Saline di Siracusa, and the Faunistic Oasis of Vendicari1, and one Special Protection Area (SPA), the Biviere di Lentini. The study areas were sampled in 12 different sites, in spring and in autumn, to monitor soil fauna and assess the soil biological quality through the calculation of the QBS-ar. The results represent the first data relating to the QBS-ar in Sicily and, in particular, relating to wetlands. The QBS-ar values recorded were all higher, for both seasons, than the averages reported for land use by Menta et al., 2018. The statistical analysis regarding annual QBS-ar divides the sites into two groups: Saline di Priolo1, Marianelli1, Cittadella1, Vendicari1, Biviere di Lentini2 with a QBS-ar > 200 and Biviere di Lentini1, Saline di Priolo2, Penisola di Magnisi1, Penisola di Magnisi2, Saline di Siracusa1 and Saline di Siracusa2 with QBS-ar < 200; Calamosche1 site show no significant difference between the two groups. Although the number of individuals varied considerably in the two seasons, there are no seasonal differences in the number of taxa and in the QBS-ar. The chemical-physical parameters that influenced the fauna composition and the QBS-ar were mostly those related to the soil texture; some groups were positively correlated with the percentage of silt, while others were negatively correlated with the percentage of sand. The QBS-ar show the same correlations with silt and sand. Proximity or non-proximity to water did not determine variations in the fauna composition and in the QBS-ar values. Soil salinity appeared to be a factor influencing the fauna composition, but further studies are needed to confirm such relief.