6533b7d2fe1ef96bd125e277
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Settlement performance of the Mediterranean reef-builders Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi 1859) in response to natural bacterial films.
Renato ChemelloValentina CataniaMarco MilazzoPaola QuatriniEmanuela Claudia La Marcasubject
0301 basic medicineMediterranean climateGastropodaIntertidal zoneAquatic ScienceOceanography03 medical and health sciencesMediterranean seaAnimalsReefEcosystemgeographygeography.geographical_feature_categorybiologyBacteriaEcologytechnology industry and agricultureBiofilmDendropomasocial sciencesGeneral Medicinebiochemical phenomena metabolism and nutritionbiology.organism_classificationPollution030104 developmental biologyBiofilmspopulation characteristicsVermetidaeBacteriaEnvironmental Monitoringdescription
The gastropod Dendropoma cristatum is a biogenic engineer of the central Mediterranean, forming reefs along the lower rocky intertidal fringe with a remarkable ecological role. To understand whether reef-associated biofilm cultivable bacterial and biofilm ageing may trigger the settlement of the juvenile snails, a combination of laboratory techniques and field experiments was used. Reef-associated biofilm cultivable bacteria were isolated, and a settlement-choice experiment was performed in situ on artificial biofilms composed of i) a mixture of six biofilm-forming selected isolates, ii) all the cultivable bacteria, and iii) 13-, 23-, 32-day old biofilms formed under natural conditions. Overall, settlement rate significantly differed among biofilm treatments (p 0.0001). A significant positive correlation between biofilm ageing and juvenile D. cristatum settlement was assessed (r = 0.69 (p 0.001), whereas the biofilm bacterial composition (relatively to the cultivable fraction) did not show any effect on the vermetid's settlement rate.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-11-10 | Marine environmental research |