Search results for "Island"
showing 10 items of 761 documents
δ15N in deployed macroalgae as a tool to monitor nutrient input driven by tourism activities in Mediterranean islands
2020
Abstract Mediterranean Sea is among the world's leading tourist destinations; however, the sharp increase in tourists during the high season may affect coastal seawater. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and temporal variation of anthropogenic nutrients in coastal seawater in relation to tourist flows in three Mediterranean islands (Cyprus, Sicily and Rhodes), through short-term macroalgae deployments, coupled with δ15N analysis and GIS mapping. In all islands, an overall increase in macroalgae δ15N occurred over the deployment carried out in August in the tourist sites, suggesting the presence of anthropogenic nutrients. Decreasing δ15N values occurred at increasing…
The "Tracked Roaming Transect" and distance sampling methods increase the efficiency of underwater visual censuses.
2018
Underwater visual census (UVC) is the most common approach for estimating diversity, abundance and size of reef fishes in shallow and clear waters. Abundance estimation through UVC is particularly problematic in species occurring at low densities and/or highly aggregated because of their high variability at both spatial and temporal scales. The statistical power of experiments involving UVC techniques may be increased by augmenting the number of replicates or the area surveyed. In this work we present and test the efficiency of an UVC method based on diver towed GPS, the Tracked Roaming Transect (TRT), designed to maximize transect length (and thus the surveyed area) with respect to diving …
Colonisation and diversification of the Zenaida dove (Zenaida aurita) in the Antilles: phylogeography, contemporary gene flow and morphological diver…
2013
12 pages; International audience; Caribbean avifaunal biogeography has been mainly studied based on mitochondrial DNA. Here, we investigated both past and recent island differentiation and micro-evolutionary changes in the Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) based on combined information from one mitochondrial (Cytochrome c Oxydase subunit I, COI) and 13 microsatellite markers and four morphological characters. This Caribbean endemic and abundant species has a large distribution, and two subspecies are supposed to occur: Z. a. zenaida in the Greater Antilles (GA) and Z. a. aurita in the Lesser Antilles (LA). Doves were sampled on two GA islands (Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands) and six…
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations in adult and juvenile Zenaida Dove, Zenaida aurita.
2013
10 pages; International audience; Understanding how fitness is related to genetic variation is of crucial importance in both evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. We report a study of heterozygosity-fitness correlations in a wild, noninbred population of Zenaida Doves, Zenaida aurita, based on a sample comprising 489 individuals (382 adults and 107 juveniles) typed at 13 microsatellite loci, resulting in a data set comprising 5793 genotypes. In both adults and juveniles, and irrespective of sex, no evidence was found for an effect of either multilocus or single-locus heterozygosity on traits potentially related to fitness such as foraging tactic, competitive ability, and fluctuatin…
An updated overview of the marine alien and cryptogenic species from the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area (Italy)
2016
An updated overview of the marine alien and cryptogenic species recorded in the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), based on relevant publications, grey literature and unpublished data, is presented and discussed. Altogether, 17 species (14 aliens and 3 cryptogenic) belonging to five taxa are present in the area: Rhodophyta (Antithamnionella elegans, Asparagopsis armata, Asparagopsis taxiformis, Bonnemaisonia hamifera, Botryocladia madagascariensis, Ceramium strobiliforme, Laurencia caduciramulosa, Lophocladia lallemandii, Neosiphonia harveyi, Womersleyella setacea), Chlorophyta (Caulerpa cylindracea and Caulerpa taxifolia), Mollusca (Aplysia dactylomela), Arthropod…
Can phthalates move into the eggs of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta? The case of the nests on the Linosa Island in the Mediterranean Sea
2021
During the monitoring of Caretta caretta nests on the island of Linosa, 30 unhatched eggs from four nests were collected to study the presence of phthalates in their three components (shell, yolk, and albumen). Four phthalates, namely diethyl (DEP), dibutyl (DBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP), and dioctyl (DOTP) phthalic acid esters (PAE), which are widely used as additives in plastics, were detected in all egg components. The most frequently found phthalate was DBP, followed by DEHP in eggshell and yolk. Dimethyl- (DMP) and butylbenzyl-phthalate (BBP) were below the limits of detection for all samples. The high total phthalate recorded in the yolk suggests that contamination could arise by vit…
Assessing coastal habitats with Juniperus sp. pl. in the Iberian Peninsula and on the Balearic Islands
2021
Coastal habitats with Juniperus sp. pl. represent the mature stage in the ecological succession of dune ecosystems. Maritime junipers (Juniperus macrocarpa), prickly junipers (J. navicularis) and c...
Network analysis by simulated annealing of taxa and islands of Macaronesia (North Atlantic Ocean)
2018
With the aim of explaining the role that taxa and island features have in biogeographical patterns, we processed presence–absence matrices of all the Macaronesian native species of ten different taxa (arthropods, birds, bryophytes, fungi, lichens, mammals, mollusks, pteridophytes, reptiles and spermatophytes) through simulated annealing analysis. Distribution patterns among the archipelagos were pinpointed, along with the different biogeographic roles played by islands and species groups. All the networks analysed resulted to be significantly modular and the structure of biogeographic modules reflects known past connections among the archipelagos and the current drivers of species distribut…
Analysis of some renewable energy uses and demand side measures for hotels on small Mediterranean islands: A case study
2018
Abstract Tourist activity strongly influences the energy consumption and the overall load profile of communities with isolated energy systems. One example is hotel sectors on small islands that are not connected to mainland energy distribution grids. The use of solar energy systems could be a smart option for reducing energy consumption and tackling seasonal fluctuation. The operation of a weak and isolated electric grid requires attention to the management of power profiles in very short time frames. Energy storage (thermal or electric), as well as building automation control technologies, can be utilised for these aims. In this context, the present paper illustrates a study conducted at a…
Solar and Heat Pump Systems for Domestic Hot Water Production on a Small Island: The Case Study of Lampedusa
2020
The achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, related to energy and resource use, is a critical issue for small and insulated communities. In many minor islands, solar energy is not correctly exploited, and electrical heaters are connected to weak grids with very a high share of generation by fossil fuels. As a consequence, there is the necessity to assess the potential and the suitability of diffusion of alternative systems to avoid dependency on the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and economic performances of some alternative systems exploiting renewable energy for domestic hot water production. Four different syste…