Search results for " non-indigenous species"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) and Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) in the Ligurian Sea: Two additional invasive species detections made…
2017
The non-indigenous crabs Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) and Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Portunidae) are reported from Genoa and La Spezia, respectively, in the Ligurian Sea at the northern rim of the Mediterranean Sea. Both specimens were collected by fishermen who then brought them to the attention of professional scientists. This illustrates the importance of engaging local communities in detecting non-indigenous species and monitoring their spread. © 2017 The Author(s). Journal compilation & 2017 REABIC.
Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The case study of the Aegadian Islands MPA (Sicily, Tyrrhenian Sea) and the Dwejra…
2018
The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) has been pointed out as a major threat to biodiversity. NIS may become invasive alien species (IAS) and may cause biodiversity loss and ecosystem service changes. In the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and surrounding islands, also including a high number of Marine Protected Area (MPAs), as a consequence of their geographic position and the intense maritime traffic, is a region particularly vulnerable and prone to NIS invasions. Since frontiers do not exist in the sea, biological invasions may severely affect MPAs, whose major aim is biodiversity conservation. Among the Sicilian MPAs, the Aegadian Islands MPA report the highest number of NIS (19). M…
CAN HALOPHILA STIPULACEA OUTCOMPETE CYMODOCEA NODOSA? A CASE STUDY OF A MEDITERRANEAN SHALLOW WATER HABITAT
2022
The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal more than 100 years ago. In the coastal-marine ecosystems the spatial niche of H. stipulacea is often overlapped with that of native Mediterranean Sea seagrasses and therefore it might out-compete them. On the basis of previous observations, we monitored for one year a Southern Mediterranean shallow water habitat (North-Western Sicily Island, Italy, Southern Mediterranean Sea), where H. stipulacea co-occurred with the native seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson. In this paper we compare sites with (impacted sites) and without H. stipulacea (non-impacted sites) to analy…
Is Citizen Science a valid tool for monitoring alien species in Marine Protected Areas?
2020
We report on our experience of NIS monitoring within the Egadi Islands MPA and at Pianosa Island National Park of Tuscan Archipelago through Citizen Science projects The Projects Caea cdacea Egadi Islands and Aliens in the Sea allowed to gather useful information on the distribution and colonisation strategies of NIS and cryptogenic species within the Egadi Islands MPA The project Percorsi nel bluBlue Paths allowed to register the first record of two cryptogenic species, Aa dacea Rang, and Pec gbbe H Milne Edwards, , at Pianosa Island As in MPAs the protection does not hinder the introduction and spreading of NIS, we expect they are likely to continue to arrive and expand in the absence of …
Searching for the competitive ability of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea with the autochthonous species Cymodocea nodosa
2023
The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson, 1867 entered in the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal more than 100 years ago. In coastal-marine ecosystems the spatial niche of H. stipulacea is often overlapped with that of native Mediterranean Sea seagrasses and therefore it might out-compete them. Aiming to better understand its invasiveness potential, we monitored a Southern Mediterranean shallow coastal-marine water habitat from August 2010 to August 2011, where H. stipulacea co-occurred with the native seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson, 1870. Besides, the year-round dynamics of H. stipulacea was also monitored in four periods. To test the hypothesis th…
First data on the genetic structure of Trachemys scripta populations in Sicily (Testudines: Emydidae)
2022
The pond slider Trachemys scripta is one of the most widespread alien turtle species in the world. Its unregulated trade and the consequent uncontrolled releases into the wild led to negative impacts on the native turtles of the invaded areas. In Italy, alien pond sliders are widely spread, and the occurrence of hatchlings and well-established populations is known in some areas. However, to date in Sicily, only a single female of Trachemys scripta laying eggs was reported. Besides that, nothing is known about the actual reproduction success and establishment of self-sustaining T. scripta populations in Sicily. Therefore, based on 14 previously characterised highly polymorphic microsatellite…