Search results for " ECOLOGIA"

Life history traits to predict biogeographic species distributions in bivalves

2015

Organismal fecundity (F) and its relationship with body size (BS) are key factors in predicting species distribution under current and future scenarios of global change. A functional trait-based dynamic energy budget (FT-DEB) is proposed as a mechanistic approach to predict the variation of F and BS as function of environmental correlates using two marine bivalves as model species (Mytilus galloprovincialis and Brachidontes pharaonis). Validation proof of model skill (i.e., degree of correspondence between model predictions and field observations) and stationarity (i.e., ability of a model generated from data collected at one place/time to predict processes at another place/time) was provid…

Dynamic Energy Budget parameters of Brachidontes pharaonis, a lessepsian bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea.

2014

Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) models are used for describing the flow of energy through organisms. The most important and powerful aspect of DEB theory is that inter-specific differences can be captured in the same model by comparison of parameter values. However, estimation of these parameters is complicated and can often not be done with direct empirical measurements alone. Here, we present DEB parameter estimates obtained by combining both experimental and literature data for the filter feeder Brachidontes pharaonis, which is considered one among the 100 worst invasive marine species in the Mediterranean Basin. We utilize a statistical procedure based on the covariation method to obtain pa…

Effect of a new formulated diet based on terrestrial vegetables on roe yield and quality in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (L. 1816)

2010

Individual and population-scale carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of Procambarus clarkii in invaded freshwater ecosystems

2022

Este artículo contiene 16 páginas, 1 figura, 1 tablas.

Predicting biological invasions in marine habitats through eco-physiological mechanistic models: a case study with the bivalveBrachidontes pharaonis

2013

Aim We used a coupled biophysical ecology (BE)-physiological mechanistic modelling approach based on the Dynamic Energy Budget theory (DEB, Dynamic energy budget theory for metabolic organisation, 2010, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; DEB) to generate spatially explicit predictions of physiological performance (maximal size and reproductive output) for the invasive mussel, Brachidontes pharaonis. Location We examined 26 sites throughout the central Mediterranean Sea. Methods We ran models under subtidal and intertidal conditions; hourly weather and water temperature data were obtained from the Italian Buoy Network, and monthly CHL-a data were obtained from satellite imagery. Results …

How do freshwater organisms cross the “dry ocean”? A review on passive dispersal and colonization processes with a special focus on temporary ponds

2014

Lakes and ponds are scattered on Earth’s surface as islands in the ocean. The organisms inhabiting these ecosystems have thus developed strategies to pass the barrier represented by the surrounding land, to disperse and to colonize new environments. The evidences of a high potential for passive long-range dispersal of organisms producing resting stages inspired the idea that there were no real barriers to their actual dispersal, and that their distribution was only limited by the ecological characteristics of the available habitats. The development of genetic techniques allowed to criticize this view and revealed the existence of a more complex and diverse biological scenario governed by an…

Predicting patterns of stress and mortality in intertidal invertebrates: applications of biophysical ecology in a changing world

2010

Abstract Background , Questions and Methods Recent studies have emphasized that local and geographic patterns of species distributions can be set by a variety of factors related to weather and climate, including exposure to lethal environmental conditions, indirect effects on consumers and competitors, and sublethal effects of physiological stress on growth and reproduction. Predicting where, when and with what magnitude these impacts are most (and least) likely to occur is imperative if we are to effectively plan for (i.e. adapt to) the effects of climate change.We developed a series of methods for translating patterns of environmental “signals” into organismal responses in intertidal ecos…

Seasonal variations in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (13C/12C and 15N/14N) of primary producers and consumers in a western Mediterran…

2003

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (13C/12C and 15N/14N) of primary producers and consumers were investigated seasonally throughout 1999, in order to describe the food web in a western Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Lake of Sabaudia, central Italy). Particulate organic matter and algal material (seagrass epiphytes and macroalgae) seem to constitute the main food sources for primary consumers (zooplankton and small benthic invertebrates, respectively) throughout the sampling year, while the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa appears to play a negligible trophic role. As regards the ichthyofauna, carbon stable isotopes differentiated between planktivore and benthivore fish species. However, a be…

The first confirmed record of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 (Decapoda, Brachyura) from Maltese waters

2022

The invasive portunid species Callinectes sapidus is hereby recorded for the first time from Maltese waters, thus updating the known distribution of this decapod of Atlantic origin within the Mediterranean. Potential introduction pathways of the species to Maltese waters are discussed.

Developing a scuba trail vulnerability index (STVI): a case study from a Mediterranean MPA

2008

Scuba diving is now one of the major form of commercial use of marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world and the control of its potential impacts on the marine environment represents a fundamental key to manage this recreational activity in highly dived areas. A potential tool to tackle such issues has been thought to be the definition of a value of recreational carrying capacity of an area, but this approach has been rarely considered management-effective. Therefore, the first step for effectively managing scuba-diving should be ‘bottom-up’: characterizing the benthic communities potentially affected by diving and evaluating their vulnerability. Aim of this paper is to propose a tool …