Search results for "Plankton"
showing 10 items of 549 documents
First record of Synedropsis roundii (Bacillariophyta, Fragilariaceae) in the Mediterranean region
2019
Populations of the fragilarioid diatom Synedropsis roundii are described from the phytoplankton of the Albufera of Valencia, a large and shallow eutrophic lagoon in the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The specimens collected are described and illustrated with light and scanning electron microscopy. This is the first documented record of this species since its description, and the first illustrated record of the genus in the Mediterranean region. The Albufera lagoon and the type locality of the species (Imboassica Lagoon, SE Brazil) are similar in some ecological features. The ecological and biogeographical implications of this finding are briefly discussed.
Red sky at night cyanobacteria delight: the role of climate in structuring phytoplankton assemblage in a shallow, Mediterranean lake (Biviere di Gela…
2009
The hypothesis that climate changes may strongly interfere with the peculiar hydrological patterns in the Mediterranean basin and alter the structure of the aquatic biota was tested in a shallow Sicilian lake. A phytoplankton survey, carried out monthly in the brackish and shallow Biviere di Gela, in 2005–2007, revealed a transformation in the structure of its phytoplankton assemblage as compared with similar data collected in 1987–1988. An analysis of the trends followed by precipitation and temperature over the last 40 years, showed reduced water inflows, due to increased air temperature and evapotranspiration rather than to a decrease in the amount of precipitation. A consequent reductio…
Effects of temperature, salinity and food level on the life history traits of the marine rotifer Synchaera cecilia valentina, n. subsp.
1997
A strain of the marine rotifer Synchaeta cecilia valentina, n. subsp., isolated from the Hondo of Elche Spanish Mediterranean coastal lagoon at 22%o salinity, was cultured in the laboratory in 20 ml test tubes and fed with the alga Tetraselmis suecica. The effect of two temperatures (20 and 24°C), four salinities (20,25,30 and 37%o) and two food levels (15 000 and 25 000 cells ml-1) on the life history traits of this rotifer were studied in life tables performed with replicated individual cultures. Temper- ature and salinity had a significant negative effect (P < 0.001) on the average lifespan (LS) and on the number of offspring per female (RQ). The effect of food level on LS is unclear, wh…
Steady-state assemblages in a Mediterranean hypertrophic reservoir. The role of Microcystis ecomorphological variability in maintaining an apparent e…
2003
Lake Arancio is a hypertrophic Mediterranean man-made lake, located on the southern coast of Sicily. Its artificial origin and the climate make it a very dynamic environment, strongly characterised by very wide water-level fluctuations. These vertical water movements interfere with the thermal stability of the water body often causing the breaking of the thermocline in mid-summer. In addition, the summer level-decrease influences the nutrient dynamics and modifies the zmix/zeu ratio. All these modifications were observed to support a high environmental variability, which was reflected by the richness of its phytoplankton composition and by its dynamics. Nevertheless, an investigation carrie…
Utilization of muddy detritus as organic matter source by the fan mussel Pinna nobilis.
2014
The knowledge of the feeding habits in marine species is fundamental to better understand their relationship with the environment. Although phytoplankton has been traditionally reported as the main food source consumed by the Mediterranean fan mussel Pinna nobilis, recent studies have revealed that detritus represents an important food source for this species. We analysed the degree of acceptance of muddy detritus and the utilisation of its organic matter (OM) by P. nobilis on a group of 21 individuals (30.3-59.7 cm of total shell height (Ht)). The specimens were collected between July and September 2012 in two areas (43°04´25” N; 5°46´7” E and 43°04´34” N; 5°47´32” E) of the Embiez archipe…
Multiple stressors in Mediterranean coastal wetland ecosystems : Influence of salinity and an insecticide on zooplankton communities under different …
2021
Temperature increase, salinity intrusion and pesticide pollution have been suggested to be among the main stressors affecting the biodiversity of coastal wetland ecosystems. Here we assessed the single and combined effects of these stressors on zooplankton communities collected from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. An indoor microcosm experiment was designed with temperature variation (20 °C and 30 °C), salinity (no addition, 2.5 g/L NaCl) and the insecticide chlorpyrifos (no addition, 1 μg/L) as treatments. The impact of these stressors was evaluated on water quality variables and on the zooplankton comunity (structure, diversity, abundance and taxa responses) for 28 days. This study shows …
Coastal Evolution in a Mediterranean Microtidal Zone: Mid to Late Holocene Natural Dynamics and Human Management of the Castellò Lagoon, NE Spain
2016
We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) the transition of the lagoon from a marine to a marginal environment between ~3150 cal BC to the 17th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; and 3) natural and anthropogenic forces contributing to these changes. From the Late Neolithic to the Medieval period the lagoon ecosystem was driven by changing marine influence and the land was mainly exploited …
Possible impacts of Hg and PAH contamination on benthic foraminiferal assemblages: An example from the Sicilian coast, central Mediterranean
2007
The Palermo and Augusta urban/industrial areas (Sicily) are examples of contaminated coastal environments with a relatively high influx of unregulated industrial and domestic effluents. Three sediment box-cores were collected offshore of these urban/industrial areas in water depths of 60-150 m during two cruises (summers 2003/2004), dated by (210)Pb and (137)Cs, and analysed for total mercury concentration and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were also examined (in terms of their distribution and morphology) to assess the potential use of benthic foraminifera as bioindicators of pollutant input and environmental change in these Med…
Morphological analysis of phytoplankton as a tool to assess ecological state of aquatic ecosystems: the case of Lake Arancio, Sicily, Italy
2013
Phytoplankton requires a sufficient supply of light and nutrients to grow. At the same time it is largely entrained in water motion and is subject to grazing from planktonic herbivores. The pelagic life of lake phytoplankton is based on 4 pillars: living in suspension, light harvesting, nutrient uptake, and escape from grazing. Environmental variability and the uneven distribution of resources among and within the different aquatic ecosystems exert a selective pressure on these organisms, which are formed by a single cell or by colonies with either relatively low or high numbers of cells. Phytoplankton displays an amazing morphological variability representing an adaptation to spatial and t…
The role of charophytes in a Mediterranean pond created forrestoration purposes
2015
A small, shallow basin was created and flooded with groundwater in a Reserve Area in Albufera de València Natural Park (AVNP) under the scope of a restoration program intended to mimic typical environments such as freshwater springs, abundant in the past but currently suffering from deterioration (desiccation, pollution, etc.), with the ultimate goal of increasing local biodiversity of submerged macrophytes, particularly charophytes. In this study we have monitored, from April 2009 (a few months after its first flooding) to September 2012, the dynamics of charophyte growth and related physical, chemical and biotic variables to highlight the factors determining charophyte success. Just after…