Article

A brief review is carri ed out of the most common or interesting macroscopic and microscopic benthic algae occurring in Italian rivers, in particular those inhabiting the centrai Apennine watercourses. They be long above ali the following classes: Cyanophyceae (Cyanoprokariota), Chrysophyceae, Xanthophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Rhodophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Zygophyceae and Charophyceae. All the algae of the running waters, thanks to their sensitivity towards physical and chemical conditions of the water, contribute useful information about the processes of eutrophication and pollution. In order to assess the biologica I river quality, two different indices have been proposed for monitoring rivers in Italy, one based on macroalgae and named EPI-M, the other based on diatoms and named EPI-D. The former is more rapid, the latter is without doubt more accurate; then the choice depends upon aim of the research.