Search results for "non-indigenous species"
showing 10 items of 16 documents
First data on the genetic structure of Trachemys scripta populations in Sicily (Testudines: Emydidae)
2022
The pond slider Trachemys scripta is one of the most widespread alien turtle species in the world. Its unregulated trade and the consequent uncontrolled releases into the wild led to negative impacts on the native turtles of the invaded areas. In Italy, alien pond sliders are widely spread, and the occurrence of hatchlings and well-established populations is known in some areas. However, to date in Sicily, only a single female of Trachemys scripta laying eggs was reported. Besides that, nothing is known about the actual reproduction success and establishment of self-sustaining T. scripta populations in Sicily. Therefore, based on 14 previously characterised highly polymorphic microsatellite…
A review on the animal xenodiversity in Sicilian inland waters (Italy)
2015
This paper reviews the available knowledge about faunal xenodiversity in Sicilian inland waters (Italy). The aim is to provide an updated checklist and bibliography of those non-indigenous species (NIS) which occur in the island, and to identify possible threats to its native biological diversity. Data were collected through an extensive literature search which encompassed also local journals, books, congress abstracts, and other grey literature. All the collected data were critically revised and, when possible, verified by consulting available collections or through dedicated sampling surveys. Only those data contained in reports indicating precise occurrence localities, which were confirm…
Is Citizen Science a valid tool for monitoring alien species in Marine Protected Areas?
2020
We report on our experience of NIS monitoring within the Egadi Islands MPA and at Pianosa Island National Park of Tuscan Archipelago through Citizen Science projects The Projects Caea cdacea Egadi Islands and Aliens in the Sea allowed to gather useful information on the distribution and colonisation strategies of NIS and cryptogenic species within the Egadi Islands MPA The project Percorsi nel bluBlue Paths allowed to register the first record of two cryptogenic species, Aa dacea Rang, and Pec gbbe H Milne Edwards, , at Pianosa Island As in MPAs the protection does not hinder the introduction and spreading of NIS, we expect they are likely to continue to arrive and expand in the absence of …
Parasites in sympatric populations of native and invasive freshwater bivalves
2021
An increasing threat to local, native freshwater mussels (Unionida)—an ecologically important but globally alarmingly declining group— is the invasion by exotic bivalves. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts that introduced species should benefit from enemy-mediated competition because they are less likely to be harmed by natural enemies, such as parasites, than their native competitors. We investigated within-site differences in parasitism between sympatric native (tot. five spp.) and invasive (tot. three spp.) bivalves in eight northern European waterbodies, which harboured totally 15 parasite taxa. In paired comparisons using within-site averages, the mean number of parasite species in …
Isotopic Niche and Trophic Position of the Invasive Portunid Portunus segnis Forskål, (1775) in Elounda Bay (Crete Island, Eastern Mediterranean)
2022
There is a growing recognition that an advanced understanding of the trophic characteristics of an invasive consumer can provide important information on its ecological impact. In recent years, the blue swimming crab Portunus segnis, one of the earliest Lessepsian invaders, has considerably expanded its distribution range in the Mediterranean Sea, yet, its trophic habits in invaded areas remain scarcely investigated. In this study, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes analysis (SIA) to determine the trophic position and isotopic niche of the crab compared with other representatives of the flora and fauna occurring in Elounda Bay (Crete). P. segnis showed a trophic position of 3.9, hi…
Searching for the competitive ability of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea with the autochthonous species Cymodocea nodosa
2023
The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea (Forsskål) Ascherson, 1867 entered in the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal more than 100 years ago. In coastal-marine ecosystems the spatial niche of H. stipulacea is often overlapped with that of native Mediterranean Sea seagrasses and therefore it might out-compete them. Aiming to better understand its invasiveness potential, we monitored a Southern Mediterranean shallow coastal-marine water habitat from August 2010 to August 2011, where H. stipulacea co-occurred with the native seagrass Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson, 1870. Besides, the year-round dynamics of H. stipulacea was also monitored in four periods. To test the hypothesis th…
“Hidden invaders” conquer the Sicily Channel and knock on the door of the Western Mediterranean sea
2019
Abstract This study updates the current distribution, range expansion and establishment status of the non-indigenous species Amphistegina lobifera Larsen, 1976 and other foraminifera that are cryptogenic in the Sicily Channel. Prior to this study, amphisteginids were reported from the Levantine Basin, the Central Mediterranean (Tunisia, Malta, Pelagian islands) and the southern Adriatic Sea. Here, we provide new records documenting a north-western expansion in the Central Mediterranean. In summer-autumn 2017 and spring-summer 2018, we collected algae and sediment samples from shallow coastal habitats along the shores of the Maltese archipelago, southern and north-western Sicily, Pantelleria…
Unpublished Mediterranean records of marine alien and cryptogenic species
2020
Este artículo contiene 18 páginas, 4 figuras.
Tracking marine alien macroalgae in the mediterranean sea: The contribution of citizen science and remote sensing
2021
The accelerating rate of the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) and the magnitude of shipping traffic make the Mediterranean Sea a hotspot of biological invasions. For the effective management of NIS, early detection and intensive monitoring over time and space are essential. Here, we present an overview of possible applications of citizen science and remote sensing in monitoring alien seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea. Citizen science activities, involving the public (e.g., tourists, fishermen, divers) in the collection of data, have great potential for monitoring NIS. The innovative methodologies, based on remote sensing techniques coupled with in situ/laboratory advanced sampli…
First Record Of Aplysia Dactylomela Rang, 1828 (Heterobranchia, Aplysiidae) from Pianosa Island (northern Tyrrhenian Sea)
2018
The non-indigenous spotted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela Rang, 1828, entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic, is recorded for the first time from shallow coastal waters of Pianosa Island in 2015. This record can be considered the first occurrence in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. One specimen of A. dactylomela was photographed while was feeding on a rock bottom mainly covered with red algae.