0000000000442618

AUTHOR

Filippo Luzzu

Hydrodynamism and its influence on the reproductive condition of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

Despite the large body of work published in the last two decades on the reproduction of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the reproductive aspects linked to hydrodynamic conditions and their influence on gonad production remain poorly understood. The present paper aims to evaluate the effect of hydrodynamism on the reproductive cycle of P. lividus. Variability in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) of P. lividus was estimated seasonally from 2007 to 2008 at two shallow sub-littoral flat basaltic areas at Ustica Island (Western Mediterranean). GSI was higher in the sites characterized by low hydrodynamism than in those with high hydrodynamism. Results also suggest a possible role for hydrodyna…

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Uso di sistemi acustici ad alta risoluzione nel monitoraggio del limite inferiore di Posidonia oceanica nel Golfo di Palermo

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The use of high-resolution seismo-acoustic echosounder imaging for estimation carbon sink in P. oceanica dead matte

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Stato di Qualità Ecologica (EcoQ) delle acque costiere in Mediterraneo mediante l’indice biotico POSIX (POSidonia IndeX)

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Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile come indicatore di impatto urbano nel Golfo di Palermo (Sicilia)

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Biodegradable anchor modular system for transplanting Posidonia oceanica cuttings

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Posidonia oceanica living in enclosed coastal lagoon as model for testing the effect of climate change on organism near their limit of thermal tolerance

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Transplantation assessment of degraded Posidonia oceanica habitats: site selection and long-term monitoring

A model developed for Zostera marina was adapted and used to select suitable areas for Posidonia oceanica transplantation in the Gulf of Palermo, where recent rehabilitation programmes have reduced human pressure. This model consists of three steps: (1) habitat selection, by calculation of the Preliminary Transplant Suitability Index (PTSI); (2) field assessments and test-transplanting, to evaluate the site suitability and to estimate the effects of tearing on transplant units (about 50%); (3) identification of suitable restoration sites, by calculation of the Transplant Suitability Index (TSI). A new parameter was added to the literature model: the number of grids detached, which is linked…

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Le macroalghe bentoniche di substrato duro del mesolitorale e dell’infralitorale superiore del Golfo di Palermo: prime considerazioni

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Protection of the cable landing: new techniques minimizing the environmental impact

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Detection and mapping of Posidonia oceanica dead matte by high-resolution acoustic imaging

A high-resolution echosounder was used to acquire seismo-acoustic records of P. oceanica dead matte patches in the Gulf of Palermo. Seismo-acoustic profiling enabled detection of dead matte structures that are invisible to visual inspection, being hidden by variable layers of sandy sediment. The thickness of the dead matte measured reaches a maximum of 2.2 m. The mean volume of the matte per unit area of seabed surface (MEIx) varies from 0.2 to 2.2 m 3 /m 2 , with an average value of 1.6 m 3 /m 2 and a total volume estimated at 73,000 m 3 . From literature data and from the volume of dead matte calculated in the present work we estimated that total carbon accumulated in the matte is about 2…

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Uso del Sistema Sonar Multi-Beam (MBSS) per la cartografia delle comunità bentoniche

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Recupero di fondali a matte morta nel Golfo di Palermo mediante riforestazione con Posidonia oceanica

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Elementi in tracce in Posidonia oceanica in un’area fortemente industrializzata.

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Spatial and temporal distribution of Posidonia oceanica flowering in Sicilian and surrounding islands coasts.

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Genetic variability of Posidonia oceanica meadow inside the Stagnone di Marsala lagoon.

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Discriminating between Posidonia oceanica meadows and sand substratum using multibeam sonar

Abstract Di Maida, G., Tomasello, A., Luzzu, F., Scannavino, A., Pirrotta, M., Orestano, C., and Calvo, S. 2011. Discriminating between Posidonia oceanica meadows and sand substratum using multibeam sonar. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 12–19. High-resolution, multibeam sonar (MBS) (455 kHz) was used to identify two typologies of seabed 8 m deep: Posidonia oceanica meadow and sandy substratum. The results showed that the heterogeneity of the architecture of the P. oceanica canopy and the relatively simple morphology of a sandy substratum can be detected easily by statistical indices such as standard deviation or range-of-beam depth. Based on these indices, an automated classification…

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Impatto dell’urbanizzazione costiera sulla distribuzione batimetrica di Posidonia oceanica.

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Un sistema integrato per ottimizzare le operazioni di monitoraggio e verità-mare

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Seagrasses along the Sicilian coasts

All seagrass species known from the Mediterranean basin have been recorded along the Sicilian coast, where studies have been carried out at a very local scale and information is fragmented or confined to the grey literature. The objective of this article is to summarise and evaluate current knowledge on seagrass species on the Sicilian coasts, providing an overview of species distribution, genetic diversity, biology and ecology, based on the literature and unpublished data. Most literature studies have been carried out on Posidonia oceanica meadows because of their wide distribution, complexity and ecological importance. In this study, the analyses carried out on P. oceanica structural and …

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Tecnica di reimpianto mediante supporto biodegradabile.

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Geospatial modelling and map analysis allowed measuring regression of the upper limit of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows under human pressure

Abstract Marine coastal ecosystems are facing structural and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging. Measures of change can be done by comparing the observed ecosystem status to a purposely defined reference condition. In this paper, a geospatial modelling approach based on 2D mapping and morphodynamic data was used to predict the natural position of the upper limit (i.e., the landward continuous front) of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows settled on soft bottom. This predictive model, formerly developed at the regional spatial scale, was here applied for the first time at the Medit…

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Criteri di posizionamento delle stazioni per il monitoraggio del limite inferiore delle praterie di Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile.

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La Barca da ricerca "Antonino Borzì" ed il progetto "Oasi Artificiali Sommerse" nella Provincia di Agrigento

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Mapping Posidonia oceanica lower limit combining high resolution instruments (SSS and MBS)

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Organismi perforatori delle scaglie di Posidonia oceanica nel Mediterraneo sud-occidentale.

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A new multivariate Biotic Index to assess Ecological Quality status of Mediterranean coastal waters

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Le fanerogame marine in Sicilia

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Performance Assessment of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile Restoration Experiment on Dead matte Twelve Years after Planting—Structural and Functional Meadow Features

Following the restoration of natural conditions by reducing human pressures, reforestation is currently considered a possible option to accelerate the recovery of seagrass habitats. Long-term monitoring programs theoretically represent an ideal solution to assess whether a reforestation plan has produced the desired results. Here, we report on the performance of a 20 m2 patch of Posidonia oceanica transplanted on dead matte twelve years after transplantation in the Gulf of Palermo, northwestern Sicily. Photo mosaic performed in the area allowed us to detect 23 transplanted patches of both regular and irregular shape, ranging from 0.1 to 2.7 m2 and an overall surface close to 19 m2. Meadow d…

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Eventi riproduttivi sessuati in Posidonia oceanica lungo le coste della Sicilia.

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Spatial variability of bathymetric distribution of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile lower limits

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Tecnica di reimpianto mediante griglie metalliche

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Recupero dei fondali degradati del Golfo di Palermo: studio preliminare di riforestazione con Posidonia oceanica

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Analisi dei pattern di distribuzione di Posidonia oceanica lungo gradienti batimetrici

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Genetic isolation of Posidonia oceanica in a western Sicily coastal lagoon

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Trace element bias in the use of CO2 vents as analogues for low pH environments: Implications for contamination levels in acidified oceans

Abstract Research into the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems has increasingly focused on natural CO 2 vents, although their intrinsic environmental complexity means observations from these areas may not relate exclusively to pH gradients. In order to assess trace element levels and distribution in the Levante Bay (Vulcano Island, NE Sicily, Italy) and its suitability for studying biological effects of pH decline, Ba, Fe and trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in sediment were analysed from 7 transects. Where present, Cymodocea nodosa leaves and epiphytes were also analysed. At the spatial scale of the bay, trace element concentrations in sedim…

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Multibeam Sonar System for Detecting Seabed Features

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Mapping the distribution of urchin barren grounds using sidescan sonar: the experience of the “Plemmirio” MPA

In the Mediterranean Sea, high densities of the sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula may promote and maintain formation of areas overgrazed by sea urchins, usually referred to as urchin barrens, leading to drastic changes in ecosystem functioning. Urchin barrens are habitats of low primary production and habitat structure, that negatively affect local biodiversity. At Plemmirio MPA, abundance of both sea urchin species increased dramatically after the start of enforcement in 2005 consequently triggering the formation of “barren” seascape, evidence of a desertification process. This study focuses on the results of a high-resolution Side scan sonar (Klein 3900) surveying carri…

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Selezione di aree per il reimpianto di Posidonia oceanica mediante modello multicriteriale ed impianti pilota

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Indagini strumentali nella baia di Scauri

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Estimating Posidonia oceanica shoot length by using Multibeam Sonar System

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Impatto dell’urbanizzazione costiera sulla distribuzione batimetrica di Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile.

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