Search results for "Dendropoma petraeum"

Ocean acidification impairs vermetid reef recruitment

2014

Vermetids form reefs in sub-tropical and warm-temperate waters that protect coasts from erosion, regulate sediment transport and accumulation, serve as carbon sinks and provide habitat for other species. The gastropods that form these reefs brood encapsulated larvae; they are threatened by rapid environmental changes since their ability to disperse is very limited. We used transplant experiments along a natural CO2 gradient to assess ocean acidification effects on the reef-building gastropod Dendropoma petraeum. We found that although D. petraeum were able to reproduce and brood at elevated levels of CO2, recruitment success was adversely affected. Long-term exposure to acidified conditions…

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 …

A new marker for sea surface temperature trend during the last centuries in temperate areas: Vermetid reef

2004

The presence of Vermetid reefs in temperate waters, their diffusion in the Mediterranean Sea, and the possibility of performing 14 C ages allowed the use of Vermetids as an indicator of sea level changes. We present new data on sea climate trend fluctuations that could be interpreted as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) variations, recorded on Vermetid (Dendropoma petraeum) reefs, by means of isotopic analysis. The isotopic records show positive values of the d 18 O relative to present-day values in the period between 1600 and 1850 AD; this deviation occurs in association with the climatic cooling event known as Little Ice Age (LIA). Subsequently, we can observe the warming trend that character…

Spermiogenesis in the vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia)

2002

The structure and maturation of the male gonad of the Mediterranean vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum are described. Histological sections of the gonads were made throughout development and gonad activity was monitored at regular monthly intervals. During the autumn months the gonad is very small and is surrounded by a large quantity of connective tissue; it becomes more voluminous from December to August, with the highest growth peak in springtime. The stages of spermatogenesis were also observed and described.

Ocean acidification impairs vermetid reef recruitment

2014

Vermetids form reefs in sub-tropical and warm-temperate waters that protect coasts from erosion, regulate sediment transport and accumulation, serve as carbon sinks and provide habitat for other species. The gastropods that form these reefs brood encapsulated larvae; they are threatened by rapid environmental changes since their ability to disperse is very limited. We used transplant experiments along a natural CO2 gradient to assess ocean acidification effects on the reef-building gastropod Dendropoma petraeum. We found that although D. petraeum were able to reproduce and brood at elevated levels of CO2, recruitment success was adversely affected. Long-term exposure to acidified conditions…

Trophic structure of vermetid reef community: High trophic diversity at small spatial scales

2013

Stable isotopes were used to investigate contributions of autochthonous (i.e. benthic: epilithon and macroalgae) and allochthonous (i.e. pelagic: phytoplankton) organic matter sources to the diet of suspension-feeders, grazers and predators associated to small reef-pools (cuvettes) created by the reef-building species Dendropoma petraeum in the north-western coast of Sicily (Italy). Contributions of potential food sources were calculated using Bayesian mixing-models and integrated to a multivariate approach to highlight the diversity of C and N pathways within Dendropoma cuvettes. Both pelagic and benthic organic matter sources were exploited by benthic consumers, although clear differences…

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…

Indagine sul contributo delle fonti bentoniche e planctoniche alla rete trofica del reef a vermeti

2009

Assessing vermetid reefs as indicators of past sea levels in the Mediterranean

2020

Abstract The endemic Mediterranean reef building vermetid gastropods Dendropoma petraeum complex (Dendropoma spp) and Vermetus triquetrus develop bio-constructions (rims) on rocky shorelines at about Mean Sea Level (MSL) and are therefore commonly used as relative sea-level (RSL) markers. In this study, we use elevations and age data of vermetid reefs to (1) re-assess the vertical uncertainties of these biological RSL indicators, and (2) evaluate the vertical growth rates along a Mediterranean east-west transect, in attempt to explain the differences found in both growth rates and uncertainties. In Israel, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and laser measurements relative to the …

Contribution of planktonic and benthic food sources to the diet of the reef-forming vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum in the western Mediterrane…

2012

Abstract In the Mediterranean Sea, the vermetid Dendropoma petraeum (Monterosato, 1884) forms highly biodiverse reefs that have received increasing attention in recent years although very little is known about the food habit of this species. The main goal of this study was to describe the trophic role of planktonic and benthic food sources for D. petraeum . Specimens from three morphological zones of the reef (inner edge, cuvette and outer edge) at two sites with different wave exposure along the north-western coast of Sicily (Italy; western Mediterranean) were compared for δ 13 C and δ 15 N. Isotopic determinations were also carried out on potential food sources identified in epilithon, re…