Search results for "UAT"
showing 10 items of 12350 documents
The Amphipod assemblages of Sabellaria alveolata reefs from the NW coast of Portugal: an account of the present knowledge, new records, and some biog…
2016
Amphipod assemblages associated with the biogenic reefs built by the honeycomb worm Sabellaria alveolata were studied at two sites (Praia da Aguda and Belinho) along the northwestern coast of Portugal. A total of 3909 specimens were collected, comprising 14 different amphipod species. A first record from the northeastern Atlantic coast was registered here for the species Caprella santosrosai, which was, up to now, recorded only along the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. A male specimen collected from the Sabellaria-reef located in Belinho allowed an update to the known distribution of C. santosrosai, thus altering its previous status as an endemic Mediterranean species. The mos…
Mediterranean sponges from shallow subtidal rocky reefs: Cystoseira canopy vs barren grounds
2018
Abstract Porifera richness was investigated in Cystoseira canopies vs barren grounds considering different substrates at 6 areas in the Central-Western Mediterranean Sea. In total 31 sponge taxa were recorded at 2–7 m depth and the sponge community structure and composition were characterized by a notably low richness with 25 taxa in the Cystoseira forest and 15 in the barren area. As for the sponge habitus, the massive sponges were dominant in both facies, whereas encrusting, and cavity dwelling sponges were found in higher numbers in the Cystoseira forest. Results revealed that rocky substrata seem to play a key role in driving the sponge community composition and diversity in both facies…
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…
Structuring factors of the spatio-temporal variability of macrozoobenthos assemblages in a southern Mediterranean lagoon: How useful for bioindicatio…
2017
International audience; The authors investigated the impact of the extension of the El Kantra Channel on the composition and structure of macrobenthic assemblages in Boughrara Lagoon (Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia along with the use of 4 biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, M-AMBI and TUBI). Thirteen stations were sampled seasonally in 2012–2013. Forty-one species were found in 2012–2013 not recorded in 2009–2010, including 20 species of polychaetes belonging to the trophic groups of deposit-feeders and carnivores which are expected to increase in areas disturbed by organic pollution. During the survey, we recorded a high fish mortality, essentially caused by the development of harmful algal blooms (HAB)…
Biochemical characterization of cassiopea andromeda (Forsskål, 1775), another red sea jellyfish in the western mediterranean sea
2021
Increasing frequency of native jellyfish proliferations and massive appearance of non-indigenous jellyfish species recently concur to impact Mediterranean coastal ecosystems and human activities at sea. Nonetheless, jellyfish biomass may represent an exploitable novel resource to coastal communities, with reference to its potential use in the pharmaceutical, nutritional, and nutraceutical Blue Growth sectors. The zooxanthellate jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda, Forsskål, 1775 (Cnidaria, Rhizostomeae) entered the Levant Sea through the Suez Canal and spread towards the Western Mediterranean to reach Malta, Tunisia, and recently also the Italian coasts. Here we report on the biochemical characte…
The Mediterranean Sea hosts endemic haplotypes and a distinct population of the dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758 (Perciformes, Coryphae…
2017
Abstract The dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758, is an important target species for Mediterranean artisanal, recreational and commercial fisheries but to date only scarce genetic data are available for its Mediterranean population(s). The genetic variation of Mediterranean dolphinfishes was thus investigated through the sequencing of fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) mitochondrial DNA markers with the explicit aims of (i) testing for significant genetic differentiation of the Mediterranean vs . non-Mediterranean populations of the species, and (ii) investigating the possible presence of molecular structuring wi…
Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study.
2019
Abstract The study aimed at contributing to the knowledge of alternative stable states by evaluating the differences of mobile and sessile macro-zoobenthic assemblages between sea urchin barrens and macroalgal forests in coastal Mediterranean systems considering a large spatial scale. Six sites (100 s km apart) were selected: Croatia, Montenegro, Sicily (Italy), Sardinia (Italy), Tuscany (Italy), and Balearic Islands (Spain). A total of 531 taxa, 404 mobile and 127 sessile macro-invertebrates were recorded. Overall, 496 and 201 taxa were found in macroalgal forests and in barrens, respectively. The results of this large-scale descriptive study have met the expectation of lower macrofauna co…
Spatial variations in Ba/Cashell fingerprints of Glycymeris pilosa along the eastern Adriatic Sea
2020
Abstract The long living Glycymeris pilosa bivalve is an interesting target species for the sclerochronological research in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, Ba/Cashell and Mg/Cashell variations were studied along the coast of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Specimens were collected alive by SCUBA and skin diving during several occasions in 2014, 2015 and 2016 from five sites including Pag, Pasman Channel, Cetina, Živogosce and Drace. Element-to-Cashell ratios were measured by LA-ICP-MS in line scan mode in three specimens of each site, ranging in age from 7 to 21. In addition, chemical analysis was conducted on three ontogenetically older specimens (68-97 years-old) from Drace. Mg/Cashell an…
Contribution to the knowledge of Mediterranean wetland vegetation: Lemnetea and Potamogetonetea classes in Western Sicily
2021
The freshwater aquatic vegetation of the Lemnetea and Potamogetonetea classes in Western Sicily was surveyed and analyzed. 85 lakes and small pools were investigated collecting 147 phytosociological unpublished relevés to integrate the very scarce available data (only 3 relevés). By applying statistical analyses on abundances data and on the bases of physiognomy and dominant species, two alliances (Lemnion minoris and Stratiotion) and four different coenoses have been identify for the Lemnetea class; while 11 associations, assigned to two orders (Potamogetonetalia pectinati and Callitricho hamulatae-Ranunculetalia aquatilis) and four alliances (Potamogetonion, Nymphaeion albae, Ranunculion …
Consumption of pelagic tunicates by cetaceans calves in the Mediterranean Sea
2018
Gelatinous zooplankton, including jellyfish, ctenophores and pelagic tunicates, constitutes fragile marine animals that live in the water column, and represent an important resource for marine food webs through their seasonal pulses. Although there is scarce evidence on the occurrence of gelatinous zooplankton in stomach contents of apex, endothermic predators such as cetaceans, the ecological significance of such observations requires consideration. In this study, we report on the occurrence of pelagic tunicates in the stomach of three individual calves of two cetacean species from the western Mediterranean, and collate all previous reports of gelatinous zooplankton in cetacean diets. We t…