Search results for "Dendropoma cristatum"
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Settlement performance of the Mediterranean reef-builders Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi 1859) in response to natural bacterial films
2018
The gastropod Dendropoma cristatum is a biogenic engineer of the central Mediterranean, forming reefs along the lower rocky intertidal fringe with a remarkable ecological role. To understand whether reef-associated biofilm cultivable bacterial and biofilm ageing may trigger the settlement of the juvenile snails, a combination of laboratory techniques and field experiments was used. Reef-associated biofilm cultivable bacteria were isolated, and a settlement-choice experiment was performed in situ on artificial biofilms composed of i) a mixture of six biofilm-forming selected isolates, ii) all the cultivable bacteria, and iii) 13-, 23-, 32-day old biofilms formed under naturalconditions. Overall,sett…
The Mediterranean vermetid reefs: distribution and conservation status
2016
The vermetid reef is an intertidal bioconstruction distributed in the warmest waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and is built by the gregarious vermetid gastropodDendropomaspp. cemented by the coralline red algae of the genusNeogoniolithon.Thisbiogenichabitatisonly generically protected under the European Habitat Directive, but to date it is not explicitly taken into account in many conservation plans. Despite the documented local extinction of Dendropomain the some Eastern Mediterranean locations, its role as habitat engineer and the high numbers of ecosystem services provided, vermetid reef is among the least known marine bioconstruction of the Mediterranean. We counted 112 reefs along the …
Biological diversity of the microbial film associated to the central-Mediterranean Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859) reefs.
2017
Microbial films may provide physical and bio-chemical cues which positively affect the settlement dynamic of a variety of benthic marine organisms, driving the development of ecosystems. Also for the Mediterranean intertidal reef-builder Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859), biofilm maturity has been found to enhance the settlement pattern. However, the microbial diversity associated with these bioconstructions has never been described. This study investigates the D. cristatum reef bacterial assemblage composition and temporal evolution in two localities in the northwest of Sicily. Biological diversity of the reef-associated biofilm and of 3 progressively older biofims obtained on artificial…
Drawing the Line at Neglected Marine Ecosystems: Ecology of Vermetid Reefs in a Changing Ocean
2016
Vermetid mollusks form reefs that protect coasts from erosion, regulate sediment transport, serve as carbon sinks, and provide habitat for many fish and invertebrates. This biogenic habitat is found in tropical, sub-tropical, and warmtemperate coastal areas, such as Bermuda, oceanic islands in Brazil, and Hawaii, several locations within the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. These reefs are functionally similar to tropical coral fringing reefs but are built by gregarious vermetid gastropods cemented by a crustose coralline algal species, which probably triggers their settlement. Some descriptive studies in different regions worldwide and comparisons among tropical and Mediterranean reefs con…
Unmanned aerial vehicle technology to assess the state of threatened biogenic formations: The vermetid reefs of mediterranean intertidal rocky coasts
2021
Abstract Vermetid bioconstructions are biogenic formations, built by sessile gastropod molluscs belonging to the family Vermetidae worldwide distributed, occurring in the intertidal and upper subtidal in the rocky shores. In the Mediterranean basin, they occur in complex and tridimensional structures that enhance the local biodiversity, allowing to qualify the structuring species as ecosystem engineers. Due to their ecological relevance and considerable extension along the coasts, we assessed their structural complexity using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, as tool of littoral cartography analysis of these bioconstructions, and plaster hemispheres dissolution as a descriptor index…
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF DENDROPOMA CRISTATUM (MOLLUSCA, GASTROPODA) ADULT BIOMASS ON A VERMETID REEF
2023
A spatial characterization of Dendropoma cristatum biomass was carried out on a Vermetid reef in north-western Sicily. Biomass distribution of adult specimens is not homogenous in the different areas of the reef, with an increasing trend from the inner edge to the outer edge, while the central pool supports intermediate values of vermetid biomass. Considering the entire reef area, the cuvette has the highest Dendropoma biomasses of the bioconstruction, even if the highest surface-biomass ratio is found in the outer edege.
Investigations into the development and role of a Mediterranean intertidal bioconstruction for coastal conservation: the Vermetid Reef
2017
Vermetid reefs are intertidal biogenic habitats created by a dense aggregation of mollusks, frequently cemented by calcareous algae, and are typical of sub-tropical and warm–temperate rocky shores. These bioconstructions are valuable key-habitats of the coastal zones, increasing their productivity and biological value. In the Mediterranean, the main vermetid reef builders belong to the genus Dendropoma and are associated to encrusting coralline red algae. These organisms are ecosystem engineers protected under international European Legislation, although vermetid reef conservation is limited by a lack of biological and ecological knowledge. The two-way interactions between biota and the phy…