Search results for "rock"

Cool barnacles: Do common biogenic structures enhance or retard rates of deterioration of intertidal rocks and concrete?

2017

Sedentary and mobile organisms grow profusely on hard substrates within the coastal zone and contribute to the deterioration of coastal engineering structures and the geomorphic evolution of rocky shores by both enhancing and retarding weathering and erosion. There is a lack of quantitative evidence for the direction and magnitude of these effects. This study assesses the influence of globally-abundant intertidal organisms, barnacles, by measuring the response of limestone, granite and marine-grade concrete colonised with varying percentage covers of Chthamalus spp. under simulated, temperate intertidal conditions. Temperature regimes at 5 and 10 mm below the surface of each material demons…

The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

2020

Abstract: The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range is not only determined by its climatic requirements but also by specific edaphic needs. Although most of the natural populations thrive in acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops, some cork oak populations are found growing in soils deriving from calcareous bedrock, which are considered less suitable. We carried out a multidisciplinary investigation at the south eastern edge of the Q. suber distribution range (Mountains of Palermo, NW Sicily), including soil, floristic, and vegetation surveys, aimed at: (i) assessing the native or introduced origin of some peculiar cork oa…

Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea as a potential source of organic matter for benthic consumers: evidences from a stable isotope analysis.

2008

Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea has been invading various types of substrates in wide areas throughout the Mediterranean Sea. However, the effects of the distribution of this alga on zoobenthos are scanty. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of C. racemosa invasion on the feeding habits of some zoobenthic taxa inhabiting the upper infralittoral rocky shores. This was done by identifying the isotopic N and C ratios of several potential food sources and testing differences in isotope composition among the taxa collected from areas invaded and not-invaded areas by C. racemosa. Results suggest that C. racemosa detritus was a significant food source for the polychaete Syllis pro…

Feeding behaviour of Ophidiaster ophidianus (Lmk.) (Asteroidea) in Mediterranean rocky reefs

2017

The thermophilic Atlanto-Mediterranean purple starfish, Ophidiaster ophidianus, is a species protected under the EU’s Habitats Directive which is expanding its distribution in the northern Mediterranean areas as a consequence of global worming. The ecology of the species is largely unknown, specially for the diet. To cover this gap, the feeding habits of O. ophidianus have been studied in two different Mediterranean rocky reef areas: the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Ustica Island, sampled in 2009) and the eastern Adriatic Sea (Molunat, sampled in 2014) by both field observations and ?13C and ?15N stable isotope analysis (SIA). SCUBA divers collected data by turning adult starfish downside-up an…

Mussels as a model system for integrative ecomechanics.

2015

Copyright © 2015 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved. Mussels form dense aggregations that dominate temperate rocky shores, and they are key aquaculture species worldwide. Coastal environments are dynamic across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, and their changing abiotic conditions affect mussel populations in a variety of ways, including altering their investments in structures, physiological processes, growth, and reproduction. Here, we describe four categories of ecomechanical models (biochemical, mechanical, energetic, and population) that we have developed to describe specific aspects of mussel biology, ranging from byssal attachment to energetics, population growth, an…

Seasonal changes in size, sex-ratio and body condition of the damselfishChromis chromisin the central Mediterranean Sea

2014

Chromis chromisis one of the most abundant fish species on the Mediterranean rocky shores. Acting as a by-pass of nutrients from the pelagic to the rocky littoral system, it plays an important role as a resource provider and has a relevant function in the community assemblage.Chromis chromishas many of the characteristics required of an indicator species (e.g. it is easy to recognize in the field, small sized, widespread and abundant). In this study we focused on individual size, sex-ratio and body condition in a damselfish population occurring in a central Mediterranean marine protected area. Fishing trials on a monthly basis (April–November) allowed us to assess seasonal changes in popula…

Unmanned aerial vehicle technology to assess the state of threatened biogenic formations: The vermetid reefs of mediterranean intertidal rocky coasts

2021

Abstract Vermetid bioconstructions are biogenic formations, built by sessile gastropod molluscs belonging to the family Vermetidae worldwide distributed, occurring in the intertidal and upper subtidal in the rocky shores. In the Mediterranean basin, they occur in complex and tridimensional structures that enhance the local biodiversity, allowing to qualify the structuring species as ecosystem engineers. Due to their ecological relevance and considerable extension along the coasts, we assessed their structural complexity using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, as tool of littoral cartography analysis of these bioconstructions, and plaster hemispheres dissolution as a descriptor index…

NEOTECTONIC ACTIVITY AND EMISSION OF FLUIDS IN THE NORTHWEST SICILY CHANNEL

The southern Sicilian coast represents an important contribution to Italian tourism, the Sicily Channel is an important communication path because at the top of its seafloor there are many pipelines, and submarine communication cables which are laid to carry signals, and which are very important to the minor islands. In this work, we are presenting results of the detailed geomorphological and seismostratigraphic analysis based on new very high-resolution dataset (multibeam and CHIRP) acquired during the ACUSCAL 2015 Cruise. We also used low resolution bathymetric and seismic data provided from online database (ViDEPI, GEBCO, EMODnet). This study allows us to reconstruct the tectonic volcani…

The use and beauty of ultra-high-resolution seismic reflection imaging in Late Quaternary marine volcaniclastic settings, Napoli Bay, Italy

2019

A Nápolyi-öbölben felvett ultra nagy felbontású egycsatornás (IKB-Seistec™) reflexiós szeizmikus szelvények korábbi geológiai és geofizikai vizsgálatok eredményeivel együtt kivételes, eddig soha nem látott felbontású szeizmikus leképezését nyújtják a Flegrei-mezők és a Somma-Vezúv felszín alá süllyedt késő-pleisztocén–holocén rétegtani felépí - tésének. A szeizmikus szelvényeken látott geometria és gravitációs magvevővel nyert üledékek adatainak összevetéséből Campania partközeli kontinentális talapzatán számos olyan üledékes és vulkáni szerkezet, valamint hidrotermális jelenség került leképezésre, melyek a legutolsó glaciális maximum (kb. 18 000 év) óta keletkeztek. A Pozzuoli-öbölben mért…

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in western Sicily: Controlling factors, triggering mechanisms, and morphoevolutionary models

2014

Abstract A study of deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) phenomena affecting areas of various geological and geomorphological settings in western Sicily is described. Western Sicily is underlain by a thin-skinned imbricate wedge of Meso–Cenozoic carbonate and siliciclastic rocks that formed by the stacking of several thrust nappes over the Iblean foreland. Locally, the original thrust sheets are folded and cut by high-angle faults. Large areas of western Sicily now display high relief energy due to Plio-Pleistocene block-faulting and uplifting, and the Quaternary morphogenetic phases are characterised by incision, thereby triggering widespread DSGSDs. To identify controlling …