Search results for "bentho"
showing 10 items of 133 documents
Meiofauna and benthic microbial biomass in a semi-enclosed mediterranean marine system (Stagnone di Marsala, Italy)
2004
Microbial and meiofaunal dynamics and their relationships with the biochemical composition of the sedimentary organic matter were investigated in a semi-enclosed marine system (Marsala lagoon, Western Sicily, Mediterranean Sea). Sediment samples were collected on a monthly basis from March 1996 to February 1997 in four stations located along a N–S transect characterized by different hydrodynamic regimes. Total sedimentary organic matter concentration ranged from 5.681.11 to 156.2812.63 mg g1, while the biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon (BPC, measured as sum of the lipids, carbohydrates and proteins) accounted for only a small fraction (24%) of total organic matter. Total meiofaunal de…
Riverine impacts on benthic biodiversity and functional traits: A comparison of two sub-Arctic fjords
2020
Abstract Climate change is leading to increases in freshwater discharge to coastal environments with implications for benthic community structure and functioning. Freshwater inputs create strong environmental gradients, which potentially affect the community structure of benthic infauna. In turn, changes in functional trait composition have the potential to affect the processing of terrestrially-derived nutrients and organic matter along the freshwater to marine continuum. We investigated the effects of riverine inputs on benthic community structure, functional traits, taxonomic and functional diversity, and utilization of terrestrial organic matter in two contrasting northern Norwegian fjo…
Is there light after depth? Distribution of periphyton chlorophyll and productivity in lake littoral zones
2014
Periphyton and phytoplankton contribute to the base of lake food webs, and both groups of microalgae are influenced by resources and physical forcing. Spatial variation in light availability interacts with the physical dynamics of the water column to create predictable depth gradients in resources and disturbance that may differentially affect periphyton vs phytoplankton. We characterized the depth distribution of chlorophyll and productivity of periphyton on sediments (epipelon) and phytoplankton in the euphotic zones of 13 oligomesotrophic lakes that span a large size gradient (0.017–32,600 km2 ). Epipelic chlorophyll usually increased with depth in the epilimnion. Light was the primary d…
Bottom-up control on macrobenthic communities in a guanotrophic coastal system.
2013
Soft bottom macrobenthic assemblage and sediment characteristics were studied from autumn 2008 to summer 2009 in three coastal ponds (Marinello ponds, Sicily, Italy) at increasing distances from a gull (Larus michahellis Naumann, 1840) colony to investigate the effect of seabird-induced eutrophication (i.e. guanotrophication) on macrobenthic communities. We hypothesized that enhanced nutrient concentration and organic load caused by guano input significantly alter the sedimentary condition of ponds, affecting benthic fauna through a bottom-up control. Polychaetes were the dominant taxon in the system, followed by amphipods, gastropods and bivalves. Macrobenthic patterns showed high variabil…
Anti-inflammatory activity in selected Antarctic benthic organisms
2014
Antarctic benthos was prospected in search for anti-inflammatory activity in polar benthic invertebrates, in two different geographical areas: deep-bottoms of the Eastern Weddell Sea and shallow-waters of the South Shetland Islands. A total of 36 benthic algae and invertebrate species were selected to perform solubility tests in order to obtain extracts that were soluble at an innocuous ethanol concentration (0.2%) for cell culture, and further test them for anti-inflammatory activity. From these, ethanol extracts of ten species from five different phyla resulted suitable to be studied in cell macrophage cultures (RAW 264.7). Cytotoxicity (MTT method) and production of inflammatory mediator…
Dynamics of Ostracoda (Crustacea) assemblages in a Mediterranean pond system (Racó de l'Olla, Albufera Nat. Park) with focus on the exotic speciesCan…
2013
Coastal pond systems can account for a rich aquatic faunal diversity and complex functioning due to interplay between freshwater wetlands and marine influences. Within the large Albufera wetland Natural Park, Raco de l'Olla is constituted by a set of permanent and temporary ponds with strict protection level for migrating bird conservation. Its terrestrial faunal diversity and dynamics has been partially characterized in previous studies, but nothing was known about its ostracod communities. Benthic samples collected monthly for 1 year in 11 points through the pond system, together with limnological information, allowed establishing a sound knowledge on its ostracod community and population…
New insights into submarine tailing disposal for a reduced environmental footprint: Lessons learnt from Norwegian fjords
2021
Submarine tailing disposal (STD) in fjords from land-based mines is common practice in Norway and takes place in other regions worldwide. We synthesize the results of a multidisciplinary programme on environmental impacts of STDs in Norwegian fjords, providing new knowledge that can be applied to assess and mitigate impact of tailing disposal globally, both for submarine and deep-sea activities. Detailed geological seafloor mapping provided data on natural sedimentation to monitor depositional processes on the seafloor. Modelling and analytical techniques were used to assess the behaviour of tailing particles and process-chemicals in the environment, providing novel tools for monitoring. To…
Species and genetic diversity relationships in benthic macroinvertebrate communities along a salinity gradient
2022
Background Species- and genetic diversity can change in parallel, resulting in a species-genetic diversity correlation (SGDC) and raising the question if the same drivers influence both biological levels of diversity. The SGDC can be either positive or negative, depending on whether the species diversity and the genetic diversity of the measured species respond in the same or opposite way to drivers. Using a traditional species diversity approach together with ultra-conserved elements and high throughput sequencing, we evaluated the SGDCs in benthic macrofauna communities in the Baltic Sea, a geologically young brackish water sea characterised by its steep salinity gradient and low species …
Diversity, ecology and biogeography of Antarctic benthic hydrozoans: the Weddell Sea and the Scotia Arc as study cases
2017
Introducció: Les comunitats bentòniques que es desenvolupen a les aigües antàrtiques són altament singulars com a resultat d’un ambient relativament estable i aïllat. Tal aïllament és degut, entre altres factors, a la presència de la convergència Antàrtica, una forta barrera (o filtre) de temperatura i salinitat, que circumscriu de forma efectiva un dels ecosistemes marins més discrets i isolats geogràficament. Els factors abans esmentats han jugat un paper important en el desenvolupament d'un dels ecosistemes més rics del món pel que respecta a diversitat de fauna marina sèssil. Així doncs, la plataforma Antàrtica, més profunda que qualsevol altra plataforma continental, està constituïda p…