Variabilidad en la estructura de las comunidades de microalgas epífitas en las hojas de Posidonia oceanica en respuesta a las perturbaciones humanas en una pradera de Túnez

We investigated the impact of sewage discharge on Posidonia oceanica meadows in Mahdia, eastern Tunisia. We specifically addressed changes in biometric plant parameters and epiphytic microalgae composition on leaves caused by this anthropogenic interference. A hierarchical sampling design was used to compare epiphytic microalgae structure between one disturbed and two control stations. Samples were collected by SCUBA diving at 8 m depth in August 2009. A total of 58 microalgae taxa were identified on leaves. At the disturbed station, leaf length, leaf surface area and the leaf area index decreased, whereas epiphytic dinoflagellate abundances increased compared with the control stations, with more Prorocentrales, Protoperidiniales and potentially toxic species on leaves of the disturbed station. Moderate nutrient enrichment (mainly Si(OH)4 and NH4+) and low water transparency at the disturbed station were associated with the increased abundances of some dinoflagellate species.Se ha investigado el impacto de los vertidos de aguas residuales en praderas de Posidonia oceanica situadas en Mahdia (Este de Túnez). Se han estudiado los cambios en los parámetros biométricos de la planta y la composición de las microalgas epífitas en las hojas causadas por esta interferencia antrópica. Se ha utilizado un diseño de muestreo jerárquico para comparar las microalgas epífitas entre la estación perturbada y dos estaciones control. Las muestras se recolectaron en buceo autónomo a 8 m de profundidad en Agosto de 2009. La longitud, el área y el índice de área de las hojas era inferior en la estación perturbada mientras que las abundancias de los dinoflagelados epífitos eran mayores en las estaciones control, con más Prorocentrales, Protoperidiniales y otras especies tóxicas potenciales en las hojas de la estación perturbada. Un ligero aumento de nutrientes en la estación perturbada (sobre todo Si(OH)4 y NH4+) y una menor transparencia del agua iba asociada a un aumento en la abundancia de algunas especies de dinoflageladas

Existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for a class of psi-Caputo time-fractional systems of order from one to two

We prove the existence and uniqueness of mild solutions for a specific class of time-fractional $\psi$-Caputo evolution systems with a derivative order ranging from 1 to 2 in Banach spaces. By using the properties of cosine and sine family operators, along with the generalized Laplace transform, we derive a more concise expression for the mild solution. This expression is formulated as an integral, incorporating Mainardi's Wright-type function. Furthermore, we provide various valuable properties associated with the operators present in the mild solution. Additionally, employing the fixed-point technique and Gr\"{o}nwall's inequality, we establish the existence and uniqueness of the mild solution. To illustrate our results, we conclude with an example of a time-fractional equation, presenting the expression for its corresponding mild solution.Comment: 25 page

Variability in the structure of epiphytic microalgae assemblages on the leaves of <em>Posidonia oceanica</em> in relation to human disturbance in a meadow off Tunisia

We investigated the impact of sewage discharge on Posidonia oceanica meadows in Mahdia, eastern Tunisia. We specifically addressed changes in biometric plant parameters and epiphytic microalgae composition on leaves caused by this anthropogenic interference. A hierarchical sampling design was used to compare epiphytic microalgae structure between one disturbed and two control stations. Samples were collected by SCUBA diving at 8 m depth in August 2009. A total of 58 microalgae taxa were identified on leaves. At the disturbed station, leaf length, leaf surface area and the leaf area index decreased, whereas epiphytic dinoflagellate abundances increased compared with the control stations, with more Prorocentrales, Protoperidiniales and potentially toxic species on leaves of the disturbed station. Moderate nutrient enrichment (mainly Si(OH)4 and NH4+) and low water transparency at the disturbed station were associated with the increased abundances of some dinoflagellate species

What factors drive seasonal variation of phytoplankton, protozoans and metazoans on leaves of Posidonia oceanica and in the water column along the coast of the Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia

International audienceA hierarchical sampling design was used during two seasons (spring (May) and summer (August) 2006). Using this design, three regions of the Kerkennah Islands (Tunisia) were analyzed for the distribution of microalgal, protozoan and metazoan assemblages in two different habitats: (1) the water column; and (2) on Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile (P. oceanica) leaves in shallow meadows. A total of 85 species were obtained. In particular, the diatom family Naviculacea consistently dominated (both numerically and in their diversity) the micro-algae in all regions for the two seasons of the study and in both habitats. In the Chergui region, which is the closest area to a source of impact, fast growing centric diatoms (such as Thalassionema, Rhizosolenia, Striatella, and Skeletonema) were identified as indicators of high organic matter and nutrient enrichment in water bodies. Protozoan and metazoan species abundance in the different regions indicate a non-random spatial and temporal distribution of the epiphytic organisms on leaves of P. oceanica that correlated with phytoplankton. The results also indicate that (1) the abundance of micro- and macroorganisms in the three regions were higher on P. oceanica leaves than in the water column for the two seasons; (2) environmental factors such as currents and tide influenced assemblages; and (3) the highest abundance was due to direct exposure to the polluted coast of Sfax and the effect of tidal asymmetries generating nutrient-rich inputs from the city

A Comparison of Abundance and Diversity of Epiphytic Microalgal Assemblages on the Leaves of the Seagrasses Posidonia oceanica (L.) and Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch in Eastern Tunisia

We studied spatial patterns in assemblages of epiphytic microalgae on the leaves of two seagrass species with different morphologies and longevity, Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica, which cooccur in Chebba in Eastern Tunisia. Epiphyte assemblages were described for each species in summer. Epiphyte microalgal assemblages were more abundant on the leaves of C. nodosa but more diversified on the leaves of P. oceanica. We suggest that the differences in species composition and abundance between those seagrass species may reflect an interaction of timescales of seagrass longevity with timescales of algal reproductive biology. Short-lived C. nodosa was dominated by fast growing species such as the cyanobacteria species Oscillatoria sp., while P. oceanica leaves were colonized by more mature and diversified species such as Prorocentrales. Local environmental conditions (hydrodynamics, light penetration), host characteristics (meadow type, shapes forms of leaves, life span, and growth rate), and grazing effect seem also to be responsible for these dissimilarities in epiphytic microalgae communities

Bathymetric variation of epiphytic assemblages on Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile leaves in relation to anthropogenic disturbance in the southeastern Mediterranean

International audienceA survey of the epiphytic leaves of Posidonia oceanica was conducted along a depth transect at both the control station Attaya in the Kerkennah Islands and the disturbed Mahres station on the Sfax coast (Tunisia). Samples were collected by scuba divers at depths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 m in July 2008. We evaluated whether the pattern of spatial variability of the macroepiphyte assemblages of leaves of Posidonia oceanica differed in relation to anthropogenic interference. The results indicate that the decrease in shoot density and leaf length according to depth was low at Mahres. The biomass of epiphytic leaves and the percentage cover of epiphytic assemblages decreased with depth for both stations and heavily at Mahres, this decline being related to anthropogenic disturbance. This study shows that the highest values of epifauna and epiflora were detected at the disturbed station Mahres. Macroalgae assemblages decreased with depth at both stations and were dominated by Rhodophyta, whereas the percentage cover of the epifauna leaf that decreases according to depth was dominated by Hydrozoa and Bryozoa. Changes in epiphyte assemblages, epiphytic biomass, percentage cover, and species richness in proportion to Heterokontophyta, Rhodophyta, Cyanobacteria, Hydrozoa, Porifera, and Tunicata between the two stations constitute promising tools for detecting environmental disturbance