0000000000879083
AUTHOR
M. Toccaceli
Interactions among introduced and indigenous submerged macrophytes in a Mediterranean shallow system
In Termini Imerese H. stipulacea has been recorded inside artificial basins, characterized by a sandy bottom (0.80‐2.5 m depth). H. stipulacea in good health conditions shows a competition strategy with C. nodosa. But during winter denudations, C. racemosa var. cylindracea seems to negatively interfere with the rhizomes of H. stipulacea.
Spreading of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Hydrocharitaceae) along the sicilian coast (western Mediterranean Sea)
Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson is a tropical seagrass distributed along the western coasts of the Indian Ocean and in the Red Sea (den Hartog, 1977). This species was previously considered a paleomediterranean element, survived as a relict in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but later on Por (1971) hypothesized that it was a Lessepsian immigrant entered the Mediterranean Sea after the opening of the Suez Canal (1869). H. stipulacea remained in the eastern Mediterranean for several decades (Lipkin, 1975), and only recently it spreads towards the western basin through Malta and the Ionian coast of Sicily (Lanfranco, 1970; Van der Velte and Den Hartog, 1989; Alongi et al., 1993). The …
Responses of macroalgal community to environmental changes
Species of Cystoseira (Ochrophyta, Fucales) seem to be sensitive to a variety of environmental changes, as a consequence of which, they are now used in ecological status assessment. On the contrary, invasive species tend to be more resilient to disturbances than Cystoseira species, and thus environmental changes to allow them to out-compete these species. All these evidences lead to consider Cystoseira species, as well as invasive species, as biological indicators of environmental changes. Therefore, the effects of environmental changes can be measured through: (1) the assessment of the current state of the popu- lations of Cystoseira species and of invasive species, (2) the comparison of i…
Vulnerability of algae and seagrasses to climate change
Biodiversity is undergoing rapid and worrying changes, partially driven by anthropogenic activities. Human impacts and climate change (e.g. increasing temperature and ocean acidification) represent the most serious threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Aim of this study was to assess, analysing the scientific literature and published data, how climate change can affect algae and seagrasses, evaluating their vulnerability and the possibility to use these organisms as indicators. Algae and seagrasses have a central role for several important ecological processes in aquatic ecosystems, and their loss can lead repercussions for the ecological function. Climate stressors affected ac…