Marine alien species as an aspect of global change

The transport of organisms across oceans is an anthropogenic agent of global change that has profoundly affected the natural distribution of littoral biota and altered the makeup of biogeographic regions. The homogenization of marine biotas is a phenomenon especially affecting coastal regions and is spearheaded by a suite of opportunistic species at the expense of native species. Climate change may exacerbate the trend: sea surface temperatures, hydrodynamics, pH and carbonate cycles, already show marked fluctuations compared to the past. Alien invasive species are impacted by the change of marine climate in a variety of ways, which are we have just begun to notice, observe and interpret. A conceptual framework has yet to be conceived that links theories on biological introductions and invasions with the physical aspects of global change. Therefore predicting the scale of invasions or their impact on biodiversity is a daunting task. Integration of biological and environmental information systems, niche models, and climate projections would improve management of aquatic ecosystems under the dual threats of biotic invasions and climate change. The recorded spread of alien species and analysis of patterns of invasions may serve as the starting point for searching connections with climate change descriptors. The Mediterranean Sea is home to an exceptionally large number of alien species, resulting from its exceptional history and multiple vectors. For much of the twentieth century alien thermophilic species, which had entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, have been confined to the Levantine Basin. In recent years climate driven hydrographic changes have coincided with a pronounced expansion of alien thermophilic biota to the central and western basins of the Mediterranean. We discuss some changes in emergent functions and services in Mediterranean ecosystems under the combined effect of invasive species and climate changes

Colonización del Mediterráneo oriental por cumáceos del Mar Rojo, con la descripción de una nueva especie

In samples collected in the course of the national monitoring programme, two interesting cumacean species were collected on the shallow bottoms (6-14 m) of Haifa Bay, Israel. Scherocumella gurneyi, previously known from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Eocuma rosae is described as a species new to science. Diagnostic characters such as its flattened carapace bearing a sharp marginal carina, the pair of anteriorlycurved acute horns and the pair of dorsal carinae, place E. rosae with other species of the same genus known from the Indo- Pacific Ocean. It is suggested it entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.  En muestras obtenidas en el curso del programa nacional de seguimiento, se recolectaron dos especies interesantes de cumáceos en los fondos superficiales de la bahía de Haifa, Israel. Scherocumella gurneyi, una especie previamente conocida del mar Rojo y del Canal de Suez, se cita por primera vez en el Mediterráneo. Eocuma rosae se describe como una nueva especie para la ciencia. Sus carácteres diagnósticos, tales como su caparazón aplanado con una marcada carena lateral, el par de dientes dirigidos hacia adelante y el par de carenas dorsales, situan a esta especie junto con otras del mismo género conocidas del Indo-Pacífico. Se sugiere que E. rosae entró en el Mediterréneo por el Canal de Suez.

Much can change in a year : the Massawan mantis shrimp, Erugosquilla massavensis (Kossmann, 1880) in Sicily, Italy

A flourishing population of the Massawan mantis shrimp, Erugosquilla massavensis, an Erythraean species, is recorded off Sicily, Italy, one year after the very first specimen was collected off the eastern coast of the island. The species is already established as a minor, albeit valuable, fishery resource. Once its population increases, however, it may compete with the native Mediterranean spot-tail mantis shrimp, Squilla mantis. This article presents the results of a joint effort between members of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Comiso and local fishermen to monitor non-indigenous species in Sicilian waters.peer-reviewe

Biodiversity impacts of ship movement, noise, grounding and anchoring

Marine life in the Mediterranean Sea is threatened by intensive human activities such as fisheries, ship traffic, pollution and coastal development. Cetaceans and other vertebrates are affected not only by chemical pollution, but also by noise pollution (Richardson et al., 1995; Simmonds et al., 2004). Noise has become a ubiquitous form of marine pollution, especially in areas of heavy maritime traffic and along developed coasts. Intense underwater noise is generated by airguns, widely used for geophysical exploration in the oil and gas industry as well as for academic and government research purposes; by high power sonar, either military or civilian; by ship traffic; by shoreline and offshore construction works; and by a number of other commercial, scientific, military and industrial sources. The most powerful noises (from airguns, sonars, and explosions) may directly injure animals in the vicinity of the source. General ship traffic, heavy industries on the coast and a variety of other human activities generally do not generate such intense noise, but the acoustic pollution they produce is constant over time and may affect large areas. It may be a serious hazard not only to individual animals, but also to entire populations. Such increased background noise affects underwater life just as airborne noise affects terrestrial animals, including human beings.peer-reviewe

Desalination effluents and the establishment of the non-indigenous skeleton shrimp Paracaprella pusilla Mayer, 1890 in the south -eastern Mediterranean

A decade long monitoring programme has revealed a flourishing population of the non-indigenous skeleton shrimp Paracaprella pusilla in the vicinity of outfalls of desalination plants off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The first specimens were collected in 2010, thus predating all previously published records of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. A decade-long disturbance regime related to the construction and operation of the plants may have had a critical role in driving the population growth.University of Palermo FFR 201

Microbial Ecology of Ballast Water During a Transoceanic Voyage and the Effects of Open-Ocean Exchange

The only procedure used frequently to reduce the risk of invasion by ballast-mediated biota is open-ocean exchange of ballast water, a procedure in which vessels release coastal water and replace it with oceanic water. Limited information exists concerning the effects of transport upon the aquatic microbial community throughout transit and following open-ocean exchange, A transoceanic voyage aboard a commercial bulk carrier afforded us the opportunity to sample the microbial community in exchanged and unexchanged ballast-water holds during the journey from Hadera, Israel to Baltimore, USA. Five days following the exchange process, all microbial metrics tested (i.e. bacteria concentration, virus-like particle density, chl a and phaeopigment concentration, and microbial biomass) had decreased 1.6- to 34-fold from initial values, With respect to microbial measures, no significant differences existed between exchanged and unexchanged holds on Day 15, the final day of sampling. We stress that we quantified differences in total microorganism abundance and biomass, not species composition, and more research is necessary to determine the changes that nonindigenous microorganisms, including potential pathogens, may effect in receiving waters