Search results for " Stable"
showing 10 items of 202 documents
Diet and habitat use influence Hg and Cd transfer to fish and consequent biomagnification in a highly contaminated area: Augusta Bay (Mediterranean S…
2016
Abstract Total mercury (T-Hg) and cadmium (Cd) were measured in twenty species of fish to study their bioaccumulation patterns and trophodynamics in the Augusta Bay food web. Adult and juvenile fish were caught in 2012 in Priolo Bay, south of the Augusta harbour (Central Mediterranean Sea), which is known for the high trace element and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination level. T-Hg concentration was found to significantly increase along δ15N and from pelagic to benthic sedentary fish, revealing a marked influence of trophic position and habitat use (sensu Harmelin 1987) on T-Hg accumulation within ichthyofauna. Cd showed the opposite pattern, in line with the higher trace element…
Does evolution of iteroparous and semelparous reproduction call for spatially structured systems?
2000
A persistent question in the evolution of life histories is the fitness trade-off between reproducing only once (semelparity) in a lifetime or reproducing repeated times in different seasons (iteroparity). The problem can be formulated into a research agenda by assuming that one reproductive strategy is resident (has already evolved) and by asking whether invasion (evolution) of an alternative reproductive strategy is possible. For a spatially nonstructured system, Bulmer (1994) derived the relationship v + PA1 (PA is adult survival; vbS and bS are offspring numbers for iteroparous and semelparous breeding strategies, respectively) at which semelparous population cannot be invaded by an ite…
Diet and trophic niche of the invasive signal crayfish in the first invaded Italian stream ecosystem.
2021
The occurrence of the signal crayfsh Pacifastacus leniusculus in the Valla Stream was the frst established population of this invasive species recorded in an Italian stream ecosystem. We evaluated the seasonality of diet and trophic niche of invasive signal crayfsh in order to estimate the ecological role and efects on native communities of the stream ecosystem. We studied the diferences in food source use between sexes, life stages and seasons using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. To supplement stable isotope analyses, we evaluated food source usage using traditional stomach content analysis. We tested the hypothesis that juveniles have a diferent diet, showing diferent trophi…
Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study.
2019
Abstract 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 co…
Hydrogen isotopes reveal evidence of migration of Miniopterus schreibersii in Europe
2020
Abstract Background The Schreiber’s bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, is adapted to long-distance flight, yet long distance movements have only been recorded sporadically using capture-mark-recapture. In this study, we used the hydrogen isotopic composition of 208 wing and 335 fur specimens from across the species' European range to test the hypothesis that the species migrates over long distances. Results After obtaining the hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of each sample, we performed geographic assignment tests by comparing the δ2H of samples with the δ2H of sampling sites. We found that 95 bats out of 325 showed evidence of long-distance movement, based on the analysis of either fur or …
Glycymeris pilosa (Bivalvia) - A high-potential geochemical archive of the environmental variability in the Adriatic Sea.
2019
Due to its outstanding longevity (decades), the shallow-water bivalve Glycmeris pilosa represents a prime target for sclerochronological research in the Mediterranean Sea. In the present study, we analyzed the microgrowth patterns and the stable carbon (δ13Cshell) and oxygen (δ18Oshell) isotopes of the outer shell layer of live-collected G. pilosa specimens from four different sites along the Croatian coast, middle Adriatic Sea. Combined analysis of shell growth patterns and temporally aligned δ18Oshell data indicated that the main growing season lasts from April to December, with fastest growth rates occurring during July and August when seawater temperatures exceeded 22 °C. Slow growth in…
Effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on the Vegetative Vigor of Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle Seedlings under Sustained Pot Limitation
2018
In order to invade new ecosystems, invasive alien plants need to cope with different microbial communities. Whilst the ability to avoid antagonists is well recognized, the opportunity to establish mutualistic associations is less known, even in widespread invasive species such as Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. We sought to evaluate whether the beneficial effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on Ailanthus seedlings are maintained over time, under prolonged pot limitation. We compared three-month-, three-year- and four-year-old mycorrhizal seedlings grown in natural forest soil (NT) with seedlings grown in sterilized (ST) and non-mycorrhizal (NM) soils, in pots of 3.4 L (22 &tim…
Vegetated Habitats Trophically Support Early Development Stages of a Marine Migrant Fish in a Coastal Lagoon
2020
Understanding the trophic ecology of early developmental stages of commercial fish species migrating between sea and coastal lagoons is crucial to effective management of nursery habitats and resulting resources. While most information on diet shift of the gilthead seabream Sparus aurata comes from studies in experimental conditions, here we investigated the trophic niche dynamics of post-larvae, juveniles and sub-adults in natural environment, hypothesising that habitat and resources use of marine and lagoonal sites will exhibit strong relationship with ontogeny of the species. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes showed evidence of a clear shift in the trophic niche features, trophic posit…
Small-scale variability in geomorphological settings influences mangrove-derived organic matter export in a tropical bay
2017
Abstract. Organic matter (OM) exchanges between adjacent habitats affect the dynamics and functioning of coastal systems, as well as the role of the different primary producers as energy and nutrient sources in food webs. Elemental (C, N, C : N) and isotope (δ13C) signatures and fatty acid (FA) profiles were used to assess the influence of geomorphological setting in two climatic seasons on the export and fate of mangrove OM across a tidally influenced tropical area, Gazi Bay (Kenya). The main results indicate that tidal transport, along with riverine runoff, plays a significant role in the distribution of mangrove organic matter. In particular, a marked spatial variability in the export of…
Seasonal variability of diet and trophic level of the gelatinous predator Pelagia noctiluca (Scyphozoa)
2018
13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, supplementary information https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30474-x