Search results for "ISH"

Sandbar shark aggregation in the central Mediterranean Sea and potential effects of tourism

2021

An aggregation of sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus occurs every summer around the remote uninhabited islet of Lampione (Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area, south-western Mediterranean Sea), attracting an increasing number of tourists for a shark watching experience. Despite the ecological and socio-economic importance of this rare occurrence in Mediterranean waters, there is a lack of scientific data and lack of information as to the potential impact of tourist activities on the presence and behaviour of this shark species. Using baited underwater videos, this study provides the first assessment of this shark aggregation, as well as a preliminary evaluation of the potential effects t…

Dual-purpose wheat technology: a tool for ensuring food security and livestock sustainability in cereal-based cropping pattern

2020

Wheat cultivation under a dual-purpose (DP) system holds great potential to provide additional fodder for livestock with marginal grain reduction. This study explores the potential of wheat as a DP...

Ecomorphological inferences in early vertebrates: reconstructing Dunkleosteus terrelli (Arthrodira, Placodermi) caudal fin from palaeoecological data

2017

Our knowledge about the body morphology of many extinct early vertebrates is very limited, especially in regard to their post-thoracic region. The prompt disarticulation of the dermo-skeletal elements due to taphonomic processes and the lack of a well-ossified endoskeleton in a large number of groups hinder the preservation of complete specimens. Previous reconstructions of most early vertebrates known from partial remains have been wholly based on phylogenetically closely related taxa. However, body design of fishes is determined, to a large extent, by their swimming mode and feeding niche, making it possible to recognise different morphological traits that have evolved several times in no…

Positive demographic effects of nest surveillance campaigns to counter illegal harvest of the Bonelli's eagle in Sicily (Italy)

2017

Illegal trade in wildlife has been identified as one of the main challenges to wildlife conservation. In 2010, an illegal trade-ring trafficking in birds of prey was uncovered in Sicily (southern Italy). This illegal trade targeted the three most endangered species in Italy: Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata, Lanner falcon Falco biarmicus and Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, all of them long-lived territorial raptors threatened with extinction across their European distribution. Illegal harvest primarily involved young birds and eggs taken from nests. After the discovery of these activities, surveillance camps and camera traps connected to the mobile Global System for Mobile communicat…

Bryophyte Species Richness on Retention Aspens Recovers in Time but Community Structure Does Not

2014

Green-tree retention is a forest management method in which some living trees are left on a logged area. The aim is to offer ‘lifeboats’ to support species immediately after logging and to provide microhabitats during and after forest re-establishment. Several studies have shown immediate decline in bryophyte diversity after retention logging and thus questioned the effectiveness of this method, but longer term studies are lacking. Here we studied the epiphytic bryophytes on European aspen (Populus tremula L.) retention trees along a 30-year chronosequence. We compared the bryophyte flora of 102 ‘retention aspens’ on 14 differently aged retention sites with 102 ‘conservation aspens’ on 14 d…

2018

BackgroundThe use and partitioning of trophic resources is a central aspect of community function. On the ground of tropical forests, dozens of ant species may be found together and ecological mechanisms should act to allow such coexistence. One hypothesis states that niche specialization is higher in the tropics, compared to temperate regions. However, trophic niches of most species are virtually unknown. Several techniques might be combined to study trophic niche, such as field observations, fatty acid analysis (FAA) and stable isotope analysis (SIA). In this work, we combine these three techniques to unveil partitioning of trophic resources in a tropical and a temperate community. We des…

Male-biased sexual size dimorphism in the nest building corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops): implications for a size regulated fishery

2016

Technical Solutions to Mitigate Shifting Fish Fauna Zones Impacted by Long Term Habitat Degradation in the Bistra Mărui River – Study Case

2018

Abstract The Bistra Mărului River fish fauna has been severely impacted by man-made activities, especially through longitudinal fragmentation, over the past 40 years. Fish fauna monitoring revealed structural changes and technical methods have been proposed, in order to restore the natural connectivity and the conservation of fish species. Benefits should accrue for key species: Salmo trutta fario, Cottus gobio, Thymallus thymallus, Eudontomyzon danfordi, Eudontomyzon vladykovi, Gobio uranoscopus, Barbus meridionalis, and Condrostoma nasus.

Native and invasive hosts play different roles in host–parasite networks

2020

Parasites are often key players in biological invasions since they can mediate the impact of host invasions or can themselves become invasive species. However, the nature and extent of parasite‐mediated invasions are often difficult to delineate. Here, we used individual‐based, weighted bipartite networks to study the roles (degrees of interactions of individuals in a modular network according to their within‐ and among‐module connections) played by native and invasive host individuals to their parasite communities. We studied two phylogenetically and ecologically close fish species, Mugil cephalus s.l. and Planiliza haematocheilus (Teleostei: Mugilidae). Planiliza haematocheilus is native …

Potential of contemporary evolution to erode fishery benefits from marine reserves

2016

Marine reserves are valued for their ecological role: protecting fish populations from overharvesting while, at the same time, potentially maintaining fisheries yields via recruitment effects (net export of pelagic eggs and larvae) and spillover (net export of post-settled juveniles and mature fish) across reserve borders. Focussing on the spillover effect, we argue that when fitness of the protected individuals depends on the relative size of their home ranges compared to the reserve size, and home range size is a property of the individuals, rapid local adaptation might occur in favour of individuals with smaller home ranges. Individuals that avoid fishing mortality by spending most of th…