Search results for "classification"
showing 10 items of 29475 documents
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…
Predictive distribution models of European hake in the south-central Mediterranean Sea
2017
The effective management and conservation of fishery resources requires knowledge of their spatial distribution and notably of their critical life history stages. Predictive modelling of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius L., 1758) distribution was developed in the south-central Mediterranean Sea by means of historical fisheries-independent databases available in the region. The study area included the international waters of the south-central Mediterranean Sea and the territorial waters of Italy, Malta, Tunisia and Libya. Distribution maps of predicted population abundance index, and probabilistic occurrence of recruits and large adults were obtained by means of generalized additive …
Analysis of movement patterns and macrohabitat use in Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni, Gmelin 1789) reintroduced in a coastal area dom…
2016
The Hermann’s tortoise is a strictly European species found mostly in areas with Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean climes and, especially the subspecies T. hermanni hermanni, has to deal with various threats which reduced its geographic distribution to only a few isolated populations. Thus, with the objective of recovering natural populations of the species, numerous reintroduction projects are being carried out throughout its historical and prehistorical geographic distribution. The aim of our study is to evaluate the success of the T. hermanni reintroduction project carried out in the Albufera de Valencia Natural Park since 2011, through the analysis of movements, home range sizes and h…
A new rare species of Oedipoda Latreille, 1829 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from South Italy
2019
Oedipoda cynthiae n. sp. (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) is described from Apulia (South Italy). In the past, the same population here considered had been assigned to O. miniata and later to O. charpentieri. Morphological features, biogeographical considerations, and a preliminary molecular analysis confirm that this population must be assigned to a new species, which is described and illustrated here.
Environmental factors influencing the spatio-temporal distribution of Carybdea marsupialis (Lineo, 1978, Cubozoa) in South-Western Mediterranean coas…
2017
21 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, supporting information 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s001, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s002, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s003, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s004, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s005, 10.1371/journal.pone.0181611.s006
Heat requirements for loquat fruit development may be assessed with a Beta model approach
2018
In Mediterranean areas, loquat trees (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) typically bloom in fall and fruits develop during the winter period, reaching their ripening in spring. So far, little interest has been driven towards models capable of estimating heat requirements for the accomplishment of fruit development in the winter period. In this work, we verified whether in Mediterranean areas the heat accumulation (GDH) needed for loquat fruit growth, may be precisely described using a Beta model, a flexible mathematical function which, in the past, has been successfully used in peach. BBCH phenological stages of ‘Algerie’ trees were recorded in two experimental sites: Palermo, Italy (38°04’N, 13°2…
Typification of the Mediterranean Endemic Deep-Water MacroalgaLaminaria rodrigueziiBornet (Laminariaceae, Phaeophyceae)
2016
Abstract Laminaria rodriguezii Bornet is a deep-water brown alga endemic of the Mediterranean Sea. Lectotypification of Laminaria rodiguezii has been based on both Bornet's protologue and the original material housed at the cryptogamic collections of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris (PC).
Epibiotic barnacles of sea turtles as indicators of habitat use and fishery interactions: An analysis of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta car…
2019
Abstract Sea turtles exploit a variety of habitats during their lifetime and are thus exposed to a number of anthropogenic threats, including interaction with fisheries. Mitigating this impact requires determining patterns of habitat use by turtles, which largely relies on data from marked individuals. We investigated the use of epibiotic barnacles as a cost-effective method to ascertain habitat use by sea turtles, choosing the juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the western Mediterranean as a model. A total of 200 turtles collected in the central Spanish Mediterranean between 1990 and 2017 were examined for epibionts: 25% were accidentally captured by pelagic longliners, 1…
Seascape connectivity of European anchovy in the Central Mediterranean Sea revealed by weighted Lagrangian backtracking and bio-energetic modelling
2020
AbstractEcological connectivity is one of the most important processes that shape marine populations and ecosystems, determining their distribution, persistence, and productivity. Here we use the synergy of Lagrangian back-trajectories, otolith-derived ages of larvae, and satellite-based chlorophyll-a to identify spawning areas of European anchovy from ichthyoplanktonic data, collected in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea), i.e., the crucial channel in between the European and African continents. We obtain new evidence of ecosystem connectivity between North Africa and recruitment regions off the southern European coasts. We assess this result by using bio-energetic modeling, …
A formal classification of the Lygeum spartum vegetation of the Mediterranean Region
2019
Aims: We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the We examined all available literature and some unpublished data on the grasslands dominated by Lygeum spartum from Southern Europe and North Africa to produce a formalised classification of this vegetation and to identify the main factors determining its plant species composition. Location: Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula. Methods: We used a dataset of 728 releves, which were resampled to reduce unbalanced sampling effort, resulting in a dataset of 568 releves and 846 taxa. We classified the plots by TWINSPAN, interpreted the resulting pools, and used them to develop formal definitions of phytosociological …