Search results for " Mytilaster"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
Effect of Bacillus thuringiensis on physiological rates of Mediterranean marine intertidal Mytilaster minimus (Mollusca, Bivalvia)
2010
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…
Heart beat rate of invasive Brachidontes pharaonis with respect to the native Mytilaster minimus within the Mediterranean Sea at varying salinites
2011
Changes in heart beat rates (HBR) of Brachidontes pharaonis (an invasive Lessepsian species) and Mytilaster minimus (a native Mediterranean species) in response to changes in salinity values from brackish (20) to extreme hyper-saline (75) were investigated both in situ and in the laboratory. The two species displayed different responses to varying salinity, with clear differences in HBR observed between groups investigated at different salinities and between groups originating from different environments. The native species, adapted to narrow salinity changes as those observed in the superficial waters of the Mediterranean Sea, showed signs of stress at salinities slightly above 37 (in the …
Eco-physiological response of two marine bivalves to acute exposition to commercial Bt-based pesticide
2013
Microbial products based on the entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are among the most common biopesticides used worldwide to suppress insect pests in forests, horticulture and agricultural crops. Some of the effects of commercial Bt have been recorded for terrestrial and freshwater non-target organisms but little research is available on marine fauna. Nevertheless, due to the contiguity of agro-ecosystems and coastal habitats, marine fauna may be highly influenced by this control method. We studied the effect of a commercial Bt product on the physiological and ecological responses and the energy budget of two of the most frequent marine intertidal bivalves in the Mediter…