There is currently a lack of ecotoxicity tests adapted to earthworm species of higher ecological relevance and whose endpoints could be directly related to their ecological role in the soil. We propose a new and relatively simple ecotoxicity test based on the estimation of cast production (CP) by Lumbricus terrestris under laboratory conditions. CP was found to be linearly correlated to earthworm biomass and to be greatly influenced by soil water content. Azinphos-methyl had no effect on CP at all the concentrations tested. Significant decreases were observed at the normal application rate for other pesticides with (imidacloprid, carbaryl, methomyl) or without (ethyl-parathion and chlorpyrifos-ethyl) a clear concentration–effect response. For the highest concentration tested, reduction in CP varied between 35 and 67%. CP is straightforward and rapidly measured and ecologically meaningful. We thus believe it to be of great use as an endpoint in ecotoxicity testing.

Small attention has been still addressed to the study of ozone effects on seminatural vegetation. Following this direction we selected an ozone heavily exposed area in Northern Italy, where the development of visible injuries on leaves of common pasture herbs were observed. The selected area, an alpine pasture located at Moggio belongs to the Level II permanent monitoring network of the ICP-Forest program. The ozone exposure mapping exercise made on the whole regional domain estimated for this area an AOT40f of 32000 ppb.h as 1999 and 2000 years average

Forest ecosystems water balance research is very complicated because of forest influence upon individual components of the water balance. Global climate changes represent a real threat for forest ecosystems. In hydric area these changes concern especially thermal balance and resulting increased evapotranspiration, time and spatial distribution of precipitation