Metapopulation structure of a benthic harpacticoid copepod and environmental factors

Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860) is a benthic harpacticoid copepod of the supralittoral environment, the study subject population is currently resident in Genova Nervi rockpools (Ligurian Sea, 44\ub022'52.561 N; 9\ub02'12.570 E). Main environmental rockpools parameters were studied from March To September 2014. Salinity, temperature, pH, density, copepod abundance and rockpools trophism (Seston and Chlorophyll "a") were assessed, these parameters were chosen as more relevant for copepod population development. Populations trends and occasional extinction events suggest, together with appropriate statistic treatment, a metapopulation structure for T.fulvus, even though a genetic evidence is required

Ciclo di sviluppo di Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) ed interazioni con organismi planctonici.

Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) growth cycle and interactions with planktonic organisms

Epibiotic ciliates Scyphidia sp. and diatoms on Tigriopus fulvus (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) exoskeleton

Several microorganisms – epibionts – can adhere to living supports taking advantage for their survival, feeding and movement. Epibiosis occurs particularly in aquatic environments, on both benthic and planktonic organisms, among which copepods and cladocerans represent an important living support. The harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus fulvus, living in the splashpools of rocky coasts, was studied to recognize the occurrence of epibionts on the exoskeleton surface using scanning electon microscopy techniques. The first evidence of ciliate Scyphidia sp. on Tigriopus fulvus has been described and the occurrence of algae Cocconeis sp. has been observed as well. Epibionts were found to adhere to antennae, a site linked to the exploitation of water currents carrying food particles to mouthparts and to swimming legs. The reason of the occurrence on swimming legs is less clear and needs further observations. Pertinent results are described and discussed and the influence of epibionts on life cycle and behavior of Tigriopus fulvus is considered

Effects of environmental factors on Tigriopus fulvus, Fischer 1860, a Mediterranean harpacticoid copepod

Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860) is a benthic harpacticoid copepod of the Mediterranean supralittoral zone. The transitional characteristics of this environment forced this species to develop high resistance to changes of environmental parameters. Nevertheless, Tigriopus fulvus life-cycle is influenced from the splashpools physical-chemical parameters. In this paper, we present the results of a supralittoral monitoring performed in 2014, confirming the influence of some of these environmental parameters on population buildups. Because of recent worldwide climate change effects, a threat might have been posed on this particularly exposed organism, whose population density decreased of a sixfold value in the last 30 years. During the three pools (A, B, C) monitoring, the maximum copepod density recorded was 1456 Ind/l (September 2014, Pool C), alongside first records of extinction event for Tigriopus fulvus

Sea-level change and the supralittoral environment: Potential impact on a splashpool habitat on the Ligurian coast (NW Mediterranean)

Climate change represents one of the major drivers of habitat modification that is affecting a wide variety of environments. In coastal environments, great effort is being put in trying to understand and forecast the possible effects of such processes, and the Sea-Level Rise (SLR) is one of the most investigated phenomena. This paper describes the possible effects of different 2100 sea-level scenarios related to greenhouse gas mitigation policies (Representative Concentration Pathways - RCPs). This work was conducted on a supralittoral habitat situated in Genova (Ligurian Sea), and has covered an eventual change of environmental conditions driven by SLR, which might impact the Culicid Acartomyiamariae, a resident species. The wave run-up stemming from the different RCPs was simulated using the XBeach model, and to infer SLR effects on A. mariae life cycle; the results were coupled with data obtained from field surveys. The model outputs highlighted a variation in the wave run-up oscillations under common wave conditions, which might affect the supralittoral area in terms of water input and hydric balance, and the A. mariae life cycle, which is highly dependent on temperature and salinity

First Evaluation of Microplastic Content in Benthic Filter-feeders of the Gulf of La Spezia (Ligurian Sea)

The ingestion and retention of microplastics of filter-feeder organisms represent a risk for the final consumers and the environment. Biomonitoring is necessary to deal with the effects of plastic material pollution. The selection of the monitored organisms strongly affects the relevance of the results and the understanding of the environmental conditions. The results discussed in this paper highlight the differences in the estimate of microplastic pollution depending on the species subject of study. Ascidia spp. specimens retained a value five-fold higher (0.62 MP/g) than bivalve species (Crassostrea gigas 0.11 MP/g; Mytilus galloprovincialis 0.05 MP/g; Anomia ephippium 0.12 MP/g)

Jellyfish outbreaks: A Mediterranean focus on a global threat.

The venomousness of Cnidaria is a subject of concern having great influence on human activities and public health. Notably, during jellyfish outbreaks some activities of economical concern, such as fishing and tourism, can be compromised. In some regions across the globe venomous jellyfish are known to be a very important sanitary problem, some of them being able to cause serious symptoms with erythema, vesicles, redness, swelling, and further dermonecrotic, cardiotoxic, and neurotoxic effects. These reactions are particularly dangerous and can be lethal in sensitive subjects. Conversely, in the Mediterranean Sea extensive studies about the morphology, the biology, and the ecology of cnidarians were carried out, albeit the toxicological research on cnidarian venoms was scarcely developed until the 1980s. This is in part due to the fact that these studies were not of great interest for human pathology due to the weak poisonousness of Mediterranean jellyfish and anemones. In spite of this, during jellyfish blooms, which occurred from late 1970s to early 1980s and after the subsequent recurrent outbreaks, jellyfish stinging caused several problems throughout the Mediterranean region. As a consequence, several research papers focused on this subject were provided and the research fast developed. In this paper the available data on jellyfish outbreaks, with an emphasis on the situation of the Mediterranean Sea, are reviewed and discussed examining the possible relationships with environmental global threats, such as the Global Change, and taking into consideration the effects on humans

Epibiotic ciliates Scyphidia sp. and diatoms on Tigriopus fulvus (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) exoskeleton

Several microorganisms – epibionts – can adhere to living supports taking advantage for their survival, feeding and movement. Epibiosis occurs particularly in aquatic environments, on both benthic and planktonic organisms, among which copepods and cladocerans represent an important living support. The harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus fulvus, living in the splashpools of rocky coasts, was studied to recognize the occurrence of epibionts on the exoskeleton surface using scanning electon microscopy techniques. The first evidence of ciliate Scyphidia sp. on Tigriopus fulvus has been described and the occurrence of algae Cocconeis sp. has been observed as well. Epibionts were found to adhere to antennae, a site linked to the exploitation of water currents carrying food particles to mouthparts and to swimming legs. The reason of the occurrence on swimming legs is less clear and needs further observations. Pertinent results are described and discussed and the influence of epibionts on life cycle and behavior of Tigriopus fulvus is considered

Planktonic, benthic and sympagic copepods collected from the desalination unit of Mario Zucchelli Research Station in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica).

Distributional data on planktonic, benthic and sympagic copepods collected in the framework of the XXXIVth Expeditions of the Italian National Antarctic Programme (PNRA) to the Ross Sea sector from 2018–2019 are here provided. These occurrences correspond to specimens collected from the 25 μm filters used in the desalination plant of the Italian research station "Mario Zucchelli" (MZS), located in the Terra Nova Bay area (TNB; Ross Sea, Antarctica). This dataset is a contribution to the Antarctic Biodiversity Portal, the thematic Antarctic node for both the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (AntOBIS) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility Antarctic Biodiversity Information Facility (ANTABIF). The dataset was uploaded and integrated with the SCAR-AntOBIS database (the geospatial component of SCAR-MarBIN). Please follow the guidelines from the SCAR Data Policy (ISSN 1998-0337) when using the data. If you have any questions regarding this dataset, please contact us via the contact information provided in the metadata or via [email protected]. Issues with the dataset can be reported at the biodiversity-aq GitHub project.We describe the diversity of marine copepods Terra Nova Bay sampled by the filters installed in the desalination unit (DU) of the Italian research station "Mario Zucchelli" described in recent work. The opening of the intake pipe of the DU is positioned at a depth of 4 m and allowed a total of 2,116 specimens to be sampled and recognised. In addition, new occurrence records of copepod genera and species are reported in the same zone. We provide an overview of the marine copepod diversity reported for TNB. The total of 2,116 individuals corresponds to 14 genera and 15 species and is represented by 136 occurrence records in this dataset. Around 52% of the total number of species are new records for the TNB area. The publication of this data paper was funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO, contract n°FR/36/AN1/AntaBIS) in the Framework of EU-Lifewatch as a contribution to the SCAR Antarctic biodiversity portal (biodiversity.aq)

Distributional records of Ross Sea (Antarctica) planktic Copepoda from bibliographic data and samples curated at the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA): checklist of species collected in the Ross Sea sector from 1987 to 1995

Distributional data on planktic copepods (Crustacea, Copepoda) collected in the framework of the IIIrd, Vth, and Xth Expeditions of the Italian National Antarctic Program (PNRA) to the Ross Sea sector from 1987 to 1995 are here provided. Sampling was performed with BIONESS and WP2 nets at 94 sampling stations at depths of 0–1,000 m, with a special focus on the Terra Nova Bay area. Altogether, this dataset comprises 6,027 distributional records, out of which 5,306 were obtained by digitizing original data reports and 721 are based on physical museum vouchers curated by the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA, Section of Genoa). The MNA samples include 8,224 individual specimens that were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. They belong to four orders, 25 families, 52 genera, and 82 morphological units (out of which 17 could be determined at the genus level only). A variety of environmental data were also recorded at each of the sampling stations, and we report original abundances (ind/m3) to enable future species distribution modelling. From a biogeographic point of view, the distributional data here reported represented new records for the Global Biogeographic Information Facility (GBIF) registry. In particular, 62% of the total number of species are new records for the Ross Sea sector and another 28% new records for the Antarctic region