Effects of structural complexity on epifaunal assemblages associated with two intertidal Mediterranean seaweeds

Brown foundation seaweeds are key elements increasing substrate heterogeneity and shaping the biodiversity in rocky coastal ecosystems. They are, however, vulnerable species that are declining due to multiple anthropogenic and climate change stressors, leading to a shift to less structural complex habitats. We investigate the role of structural attributes of two intertidal macroalgae, Ericaria amentacea and Laurencia obtusa, in shaping the abundance and diversity of their associated epifaunal assemblages. For this aim, we measured seaweeds’ biomass, thallus volume and length (used here as proxy of substrate complexity), and explored which seaweeds’ substrate attribute explained better varia…

Structure and biodiversity of a Maltese maerl bed : new insight into the associated assemblage 24 years after the first investigation

Maerl beds are biogenic benthic habitats distributed worldwide and known to sustain high productivity and biodiversity levels. In the Mediterranean, the number of studies that have been carried out is limited, and little is known on its real distribution, mostly due to the difficulties of exploring such habitats — Due to the high transparency of Mediterranean waters, maerl can be found at depths of over 50 m making mandatory the use of benthic grabs and ROVs. The last published data from Maltese waters were taken two decades ago. In this present study, we provide new insights on this poorly known habitat, in particular regarding the north western bank, designated as a NATURA 2000 protected …

An improved non-invasive method for measuring heartbeat of intertidal animals

Since its emergence two decades ago, the use of infrared technology for noninvasively measuring the heartbeat rates of invertebrates has provided valuable insight into the physiology and ecology of intertidal organisms. During that time period, the hardware needed for this method has been adapted to currently available electronic components, making the original published description obsolete. This article reviews the history of heartbeat sensing technology, and describes the design and function of a modern and simplified infrared heartbeat rate sensing system compatible with many intertidal and marine invertebrates. This technique overcomes drawbacks and obstacles encountered with previous …

Clearance and respiration rates of shallow Chondrilla nucula at varying temperature.

Effetto dell’impatto antropico e geometria del substrato sulla distribuzione e struttura delle comunità bentoniche vegetali di fouling

Testing the effects of temporal data resolution on predictions of bivalve fitness in the context of global warming

L’analisi meccanicistica dei tratti funzionali degli organismi per predire gli effetti del disturbo sugli ecosistemi.

The stakeholder's perception of socio-economic impacts generated by COVID-19 pandemic within the Italian aquaculture systems.

From the beginning of March 2020 and for the following two and half months, many European countries comprising Italy have been forced into an unprecedented lockdown, allowing only the opening of essential economic activities needed to address the problems created by the pandemic (e.g. sanitary, food provision). Like many sectors of the Italian economy, aquaculture has also slowed down due to the ongoing emergency and the consequent closure of business. In our study we provided a ‘snapshot’ of the socio-economic effects of the lockdown on the aquaculture sector in Italy, immediately following the adoption of the COVID-19 restrictions as they were perceived by the workers. Although it was sur…

Effect of Bacillus thuringiensis on physiological rates of Mediterranean marine intertidal Mytilaster minimus (Mollusca, Bivalvia)

The aim of the present research is to evaluate the impact of agricultural products in the marine environments. Indeed in a country such as Italy and in particularly Sicily where agricultural areas nearshore marine waters, predicting where, when and with what magnitude the impact of xenobiotics derived from agriculture is imperative. In this contest we use as model a biological product (Bacillus thuringiensis) in understanding its potential effects on non target species and on marine biodiversity. Bivalves are important elements of marine biodiversity and very often they play a role of ecosystem engineers in that many other species structurally depend on their presence. Moreover as they cons…

The project DINAUTIS: an ecosystem approach to assess effects of recreational boating noise on Marine Protected Areas

Anthropogenic noise, generated by recreational and commercial boating, affects ecological responses of marine species particularly where the noise is chronic like coastal areas largely exploited by tourism. To date, most research to seek direct relationships between noise and ecological responses of biota is based on laboratory experiments, while scant information is available from at whole-of-ecosystem level from the wild. DINAUTIS is a project designed to study the multi-level ecological response of marine biota subjected to chronic noise and the effect of some “by product” of recreational boating (e.g. PAH contamination). Thus, in the present study, we report on different aspects studied…

Immunomodulation and physiological responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis as bioindicators of environmental change

Immunomodulation and physiological responses of Mytilus galloprovincialis as bioindicators of environmental change Oxygenation level temperature increases and changes in food availability are predicted to occur in the future. In such scenario, a global climate change (GCC), there is growing concern for the health status of wild and farmed organisms. Bivalve molluscs, are important components of coastal marine ecosystems, and as sedentary and filter feeders, are good bioindicators of environmental conditions. The ability of organisms to maintain the immunosurveillance unaltered under adverse environmental conditions may enhance theirs survival capability. Only a few studies have investigated…

New historical data for long-term swordfish ecological studies in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract. Management of marine fisheries and ecosystems is constrained by knowledge based on datasets with limited temporal coverage. Many populations and ecosystems were perturbed long before scientific investigations began. This situation is particularly acute for the largest and commercially most valuable species. We hypothesized that historical trap fishery records for bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1758) could contain catch data and information for other, bycatch species, such as swordfish (Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758). This species has a long history of exploitation and is presently overexploited, yet indicators of its status (biomass) used in fishery management only start…

Stima delle riserve energetiche di due specie ittiche (Aphanius fasciatus e Atherina boyeri) delle lagune Siciliane

Variation of environmental condition and diet act on immune parameters of Mytilus galloprovinciali

Variation of environmental condition and diet act on immune parameters of Mytilus galloprovincialis The knowledge of the immunity mechanisms as environmental indicators and their alterations in the case of physical stress can be of fundamental importance in the environmental management programs. Recently has been shown that environmental factors affect immune responses in some species of bivalves. In this study we assessed different enzymatic activities from digestive gland of M. galloprovincialis such esterase, phosphatase and phenoloxidase (PO), involved in digestive inflammatory, detoxification and melanization processes. Particularly, esterases catalyze the hydrolysis reaction of the es…