Search results for "Ruppia"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Ocean Acidification and the Loss of Phenolic Substances in Marine Plants
2012
Rising atmospheric CO(2) often triggers the production of plant phenolics, including many that serve as herbivore deterrents, digestion reducers, antimicrobials, or ultraviolet sunscreens. Such responses are predicted by popular models of plant defense, especially resource availability models which link carbon availability to phenolic biosynthesis. CO(2) availability is also increasing in the oceans, where anthropogenic emissions cause ocean acidification, decreasing seawater pH and shifting the carbonate system towards further CO(2) enrichment. Such conditions tend to increase seagrass productivity but may also increase rates of grazing on these marine plants. Here we show that high CO(2) …
Differences in the growth cycle ofRuppia cirrhosa(Petagna) Grande in a Mediterranean shallow system
2014
Ruppia cirrhosa growth cycle was analysed in a southern Mediterranean shallow system throughout 1 year. We examined the temporal variation in R. cirrhosa cover percentage, shoot density, biomass, leaf length, no. flowers m-2 and no. fruits m-2 in two groups of pond characterized by differences in some environmental parameters. Ponds were comparable for salinity and temperature but they differed for other environmental parameters such as water depth, level of suspended organic matter and chlorophyll a (CHL a). Biological parameter values were higher in B ponds, characterized by lower values of water depth, suspended organic matter and CHL a. A seasonal trend for all considered biological par…
Diploid Ruppia cirrhosa populations from a southern Mediterranean shallow system
2016
Abstract This paper focuses on the morphology and karyology of representative Ruppia populations from a southern Mediterranean shallow system. The cosmopolitan genus Ruppia L. generally inhabits shallow waters such as coastal lagoons and brackish habitats. Ruppia species are characterised by a simplified morphology and high intraspecific phenotypic plasticity. The chromosome number of Sicilian Ruppia populations is reported here for the first time. The analysed populations showed morphological and reproductive characters of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande but a diploid cytotype (2n = 20). A low fruit production was also observed, suggesting that vegetative reproduction is the main reproduc…
A revision of the typification of some names in the seagrass genera Amphibolis, Cymodocea, Halodule and Syringodium (Cymodoceaceae)
2020
The typification of eight names of species currently included in the family Cymodoceaceae is revised in order to contribute to their nomenclatural stability. The previously designated lectotype of Ruppia antarctica Labill. (≡ Amphibolis antarctica (Labill.) Sond. & Asch.) is cited. Lectotypes are designated here for Zostera nodosa Ucria (≡ Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch.), Cymodocea rotundata Asch. & Schweinf., Caulinia serrulata R. Br. (≡ Cymodocea serrulata (R. Br.) Asch. & Magnus), Halodule bermudensis Hartog, Diplanthera pinifolia Miki (≡ H. pinifolia (Miki) Hartog) and Cymodocea isoetifolia Asch. (≡ Syringodium isoetifolium (Asch.) Dandy). A neotype is designated here for Z. uninervis F…
Heavy Metal Contents in Soft-Bottom Marine Macrophytes and Sediments Along the Mediterranean Coast of Spain
2000
. Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations were determined in sediment and in tissues of five species of soft-bottom marine macrophytes (Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltii, Ruppia cirrhosa and Caulerpa prolifera) along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Levels of metals were low in most of the sampling stations and similar to those found by other authors in uncontaminated zones. Certain locations, however, showed some degree of contamination (Cambrils, Almassora, Alacant, Mar Menor and El Portus). In Santa Pola we found high contents of metals in one sample of sediment due to the high proportion of the fine fraction (particules < 63µm) and organic matter, but not in the seagrass spe…
The effect of Ruppia cirrhosa features on macroalgae and suspended matter in a Mediterranean shallow system
2006
Relationships among chemical–physical features, total gross suspended organic matter, coverage of the seagrass Ruppia cirrhosa and its associated algal community in eight ponds of a saltworks system of western Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) were investigated in spring and summer 2004. All biological features varied both at different levels of seagrass coverage and between seasons. A low algal diversity (46 taxa, 14.75 ± 1.41 on average) was highlighted; algal coverage and species richness showed to be negatively correlated. Ruppia cirrhosa coverage was negatively correlated with algal coverage, but positively correlated with species richness. Moreover, a significant correlation among R. cirrhos…
Life cycle and reproductive phenology of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande in a southern Mediterranean shallow system
2007
Along Mediterranean coasts, highly variable shallow systems with salinities higher than in marine environment, as saltworks basins or some marginal secondary shallow environments, are widespread; shallow waters function as a dynamic buffer system between open sea and land, and aquatic macrophytes represent key species regulating fluxes of energy and matter. In these systems Ruppia species are often the dominant macrophytes, and markedly colonise shallow habitats with extended beds. Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande, mainly found in permanent lagoons, plays a crucial role in Mediterranean hyper-haline shallow waters, being a very important primary contributor to many food webs. In the context…
A contribution to the characterization of Ruppia drepanensis (Ruppiaceae), a key species of threatened Mediterranean wetlands
2021
To elucidate the taxonomic status of Ruppia drepanensis Tineo ex Guss. (Alismatales, Ruppiaceae), we performed morphological analysis and DNA barcoding of historical materials (including the lectotype) and fresh samples (including those from a recently discovered population near the locus classicus in Sicily, Italy). We conclude that R. drepanensis is a separate species, closely related to R. spiralis L. ex Dumort., that occurs in temporary inland waters from the western to central sectors of the Mediterranean region. We also highlight the importance of vouchers and the need to link molecular investigations to field, ecological, and morphological investigations.
Temporal and spatial variation of the algal community in a southern Mediterranean shallow system
2010
The algal community of a shallow system located in Western Sicily (Mediterranean Sea) has been investigated over 1 year in eight ponds (fredde). The spatio-temporal variation in total algal coverage, species richness and coverage in relation to environmental variables has been analysed. The algal community was very species-poor. A total of 50 taxa, mainly detached algae, were identified. A dominance of filamentous and foliose taxa was observed. Significant spatio-temporal differences in total algal coverage, species richness and coverage between the ponds of group A and those of group B were found. The separation into groups A and B was made a priori on the basis of different levels of prox…
The genus Ruppia L. (Ruppiaceae) in the Mediterranean region: An overview
2015
Abstract This paper reviews the current knowledge on the diversity, distribution and ecology of the genus Ruppia L. in the Mediterranean region. The genus Ruppia, a cosmopolitan aquatic plant complex, is generally restricted to shallow waters such as coastal lagoons and brackish habitats characterized by fine sediments and high salinity fluctuations. In these habitats Ruppia meadows play an important structural and functional role. Molecular analyses revealed the presence of 16 haplotypes in the Mediterranean region, one corresponding to Ruppia maritima L., and the others to various morphological forms of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande, all together referred to as the “R. cirrhosa s.l. co…