Search results for "IMPACT"

Food web reconstruction gives evidence of increased trophic levels in no-trawl areas: the red mullet, Mullus barbatus L. case in northern Sicily

2018

This study was aimed at identifying the food web of the red mullet, Mullus barbatus in order to understand how it is affected by trawling disturbance. To achieve this objective: a) the main features of the red mullet habitat were investigated; b) the food web of this habitat was studied in two no-trawl areas and in two areas open to trawling. The working hypothesis is that trawling affects the biochemistry of the sediment and the trophic structure of the benthic assemblage. It was predicted: a) less biomass, smaller size and higher production rate in the benthic assemblages of protected gulfs; b) higher average trophic level for both the red mullet and its predators in protected gulfs; c) a…

Indoor spectroradiometric characterization of plastic litters commonly polluting the Mediterranean Sea: toward the application of multispectral image…

2020

AbstractAround 350 million tonnes of plastics are annually produced worldwide. A remarkable percentage of these products is dispersed in the environment, finally reaching and dispersed in the marine environment. Recent field surveys detected microplastics’ concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea. The most commonly polymers found were polyethylene, polypropylene and viscose, ethylene vinyl acetate and polystyrene. In general, the in-situ monitoring of microplastic pollution is difficult and time consuming. The main goals of this work were to spectrally characterize the most commonly polymers and to quantify their spectral separability that may allow to determine optimal band combinations for…

Aquaculture impact on benthic microbes and organic matter cycling in coastal Mediterranean sediments: a synthesis

2003

Microbial assemblages and organic matter composition as well as their response to the disturbance induced by mussel and fish-farm biodeposition were compared in several areas of the Mediterranean: La Spezia (Ligurian Sea), Gaeta (Tyrrhenian Sea), Cattolica (Adriatic Sea) and Cyprus (Levantine Sea), on both unvegetated and Posidonia bed sediments. In all systems investigated, organic matter (as biopolymeric carbon) accumulated in aquaculture impacted sediments. Among the main biochemical classes, lipids appeared to be a good tracer of aquaculture impact, especially in fish-farm sediments. Exoenzymatic activities displayed higher values in sediment beneath the cages, indicating faster organic…

Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes as a tool for assessing the environmental impact of aquaculture: a case study from the western Medite…

2005

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios ( 13C/ 12 C and 15N/14 N) of in situ dominant primary producers and consumers were investigated to assess the impact on a natural ecosystem of a land-based fish farm along the south-western coast of Sicily (Italy). The putatively impacted area close to the farm along outfall was compared with other locations at increasing distances from the outfall. Carbon and mainly nitrogen stable isotopes revealed evidence of widespread aquaculture waste in the study site: benthic organisms collected in the impacted area showed more enriched δ 15N signatures than those at greater distances from the outfall, suggesting a large contribution of aquaculture waste to …

How do non-indigenous species affect native species and habitats?

Biological invasions are a key driver of global change, affecting biodiversity and natural ecosystem functioning. Non-indigenous species (NIS) with significant established and expanding populations have the potential to become invasive, with serious environmental, socio-economic, and/or human health consequences. Mediterranean Islands (including Marine Protected Areas “MPAs”), important hotspots of biodiversity, are particularly vulnerable to NIS invasions. Understanding the effects of NIS species on biodiversity, as well as their current distribution and expansion trends, is therefore critical for creating effective conservation strategies. Here, we present three different case studies fro…

Heterotrophic bacteria community and pollution indicators of mussel--farm impact in the Gulf of Gaeta (Tyrrhenian Sea).

2001

Field studies were carried out to determine and compare the impact of organic loads due to the biodeposition of a mussel farm on the water quality and sediment in a coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). A total of five environmental and five microbial parameters were examined from March, 1997 to February, 1998 on a monthly basis at three stations: the first was located under the mussel farm, the second located at about 40 m away from the mussel farm, while the third designed as a control was at about 1-km. No clear changes in the physical characteristics of the water masses were observed, comparing the three sampling sites and the water column generally showed homogene…

Dispersal and accumulation of mariculture waste in the surrounding environment: the importance of site selection

2010

Aspetti ambientali dello sviluppo della maricoltura mediterranea

2006

The effect of mariculture facilities on water column trophodynamics as revealed by biochemical features of suspended organic matter (South Tyrrhenian…

2006

A comparison of a Mediterranean aquaculture impacted area and control areas was made to assess the effect of fish farm waste discharge on the biochemical features of the water column. Trophic variables commonly used in marine ecology such as total suspended matter, suspended chlorophyll-a, biochemical features of particulate organic matter (proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) and biopolymeric carbon were chosen as the best descriptors of trophic conditions. An initial analysis of data from the impact area was carried out in order to test the effect of farm waste using a gradient of distances downstream from the fish farm cages (50 m, 300 m, 1000 m). The results were then compared with a con…

The effect of fish farming organic waste on food availability for bivalve molluscs (Gaeta Gulf, Central Tyrrhenian, MED): stable carbon isotopic anal…

2001

Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) analysis was used in a fish-farming impacted Mediterranean area (the Gulf of Gaeta, Central Tyrrhenian) to determine the predominant carbon sources available to bivalve molluscs cultivated around fish cages. Wether the organic matter generated by fish farming was taken up by the bivalve molluscs was also investigated. Stable carbon isotope values were measured in the particulate organic carbon (POC) of samples from potential organic matter sources such as fish-pelleted feed, mollusc faecal waste and bivalve flesh. The sources of organic matter affecting the study area water column and benthic communities appeared to be terrigenous-continental, autochthonous (phy…