Search results for " SEA URCHIN"
showing 10 items of 102 documents
The autophagic demand during oogenesis and early development of sea urchin
2015
The autophagic pathway is an evolutionarily conserved homeostatic process, responsible for degradation and recycling of long-term proteins and cytoplasmic organelles in eukaryotic cells. This process constitutively occurs at basal levels and is involved in cell survival. Increased autophagy is induced by environmental cues, such as starvation and many stress agents, while excessive levels of autophagy can lead to autophagic Programmed Cell Death, with features that differ from those of the apoptotic process. We recently demonstrated massive activation of autophagy in P. lividus embryos, in cadmium stress conditions, and the existence of a temporal relationship between induced autophagy end …
Food selection of a generalist herbivore exposed to native and alien seaweeds
2018
Understanding which factors influence the invasion of alien seaweed has become a central concern in ecology. Increasing evidence suggests that the feeding preferences of native herbivores influence the success of alien seaweeds in the new community. We investigated food selection of a generalist native grazer Paracentrotus lividus, in the presence of two alien seaweeds (Caulerpa cylindracea and Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla) and two native seaweeds (Dictyopteris membranacea and Cystoseira compressa). Sea urchins were fed with six experimental food items: C. cylindracea, C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, a mixture of C. cylindracea and C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, D. membranace…
Are control of extracellular acid-base balance and regulation of skeleton genes linked to resistance to ocean acidification in adult sea urchins?
2020
SCOPUS: ar.j
Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study: Macro-zoobenthos of barren and m…
2020
The study aimed at contributing to the knowledge of alternative stable states by evaluating the differences of mobile and sessile macro-zoobenthic assemblages between sea urchin barrens and macroalgal forests in coastal Mediterranean systems considering a large spatial scale. Six sites (100 s km apart) were selected: Croatia, Montenegro, Sicily (Italy), Sardinia (Italy), Tuscany (Italy), and Balearic Islands (Spain). A total of 531 taxa, 404 mobile and 127 sessile macro-invertebrates were recorded. Overall, 496 and 201 taxa were found in macroalgal forests and in barrens, respectively. The results of this large-scale descriptive study have met the expectation of lower macrofauna complexity …
The rise of thermophilic sea urchins and the expansion of barren grounds in the Mediterranean Sea
2011
Recent ecological studies have shown a strong relation between temperature, echinoids and their grazing effects on macro-algal communities. In this study, we speculate that climate warming may result in an increasingly favourable environment for the reproduction and development of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. The relationship between increased A. lixula density and the extent of barren grounds in the Mediterranean Sea is also discussed.
Polymer aging affects the bioavailability of microplastics-associated contaminants in sea urchin embryos
2022
Microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment undergo complex weathering factors that can affect their ability to interact with different coexisting environmental contaminants (termed here co-contaminants). In this study, the influence of artificially aging using UV on the sorption of a complex mixture of co-contaminants onto MPs was investigated in order to provide meaningful hypotheses on their individual and combined toxicities on sea urchin embryos. A mixture of artificially aged MPs (PS particles and PA microfibers) combined with 2,2′ ,4,4′ - tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), or Cd or Cu, both alone and in a mix, were used to expose embryos of Paracentrotus lividus. The effects of pol…
Trophic Requirements of the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus Varies at Different Life Stages: Comprehension of Species Ecology and Implications for E…
2022
Investigations on trophic requirements of different life cycle stages of Paracentrotus lividus are crucial for the comprehension of species ecology and for its artificial rearing. The future success of echinoculture depends heavily on the development of suitable and cost-effective diets that are specifically designed to maximize somatic growth during the early life stages and gonadal production in the later stages. In this context, a considerable number of studies have recommended animal sources as supplements in sea urchin diets. However, with the exception of Fernandez and Boudouresque (2000), no studies have investigated the dietary requirements over the different life stages of the sea …
Increased water temperature decreases predation rate of an important sea star predator on sea urchins.
2011
Functional traits of two co-occurring sea urchins across a barren/forest patch system
2013
Abstract Temperate rocky reefs may occur in two alternative states (coralline barrens and erect algal forests), whose formation and maintenance are often determined by sea urchin grazing. The two sea urchin species Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are considered to play a similar ecological role despite their differing morphological traits and diets. The patchy mosaic areas of Ustica Island, Italy, offer an ideal environment in which to study differences in the performance of P. lividus and A. lixula in barren versus forest states. Results show that the two sea urchin species differ in diet, trophic position, grazing adaptation, movement ability and fitness in both barren and forest…