A brief history of the Italian marine biology

This paper is a short history of Italian marine biology, starting from the mid 16th century. During the Renaissance, a profound curiosity for marine sciences animated the scientific thought and several Italian naturalists started to collect rare and unusual marine items, sometimes acting with little critical sense towards medieval unbelievable legends. The 17th and 18th centuries saw a development of botany and zoology as modern disciplines and Italian scholars started to study the Mediterranean fauna and flora. They became active mainly at the Universities of Trieste, Venice, Palermo, Naples, Rome and Genoa and in other scientific institutions that arose under the different political regimes in which Italy was divided at that time. The Kingdom of Italy, born in 1861 with enormous financial difficulties, was interested in reaching an international scientific limelight: hence, some oceanographic expeditions were organized all around the world with a significant collection of data and specimens. The scientific interest for sea life increased and became at international level at the end of the 19th century, with the foundations of the first shore-based Zoological Stations in Trieste and Naples. At the beginning of the 20th century, intensive studies of inshore benthic communities by dredging and, afterwards by diving, started concurrently with those on structure and dynamics of plankton and fish populations which yielded a significant knowledge of the marine life from the Mediterranean continental platform. After the Second World War, the fundamental studies conducted at the Zoological Station of Naples on genetics, embryology and developmental biology using marine organisms as study models, were spread to different universities, going to constitute an Italian school of experimental embryology of international value. Today, the modern Italian marine biology is increasingly multi-disciplinary, requiring the participation of biochemists, geneticists and mathematicians and it opens up to new frontiers often linked to the global changes

Lithology could affect benthic communities living below boulders

AbstractStructure and diversity of sessile zoobenthic assemblages seem to be driven not only by chemical-physical constraints and biological interactions but also by substrate lithology and its surface features. Nevertheless, broadly distributed crustose epilithic corallines could mask the role of substrate on animal settling. To evaluate the direct influence of different rocky substrates, occurrence and coverage of several sessile species, growing on the dark (i.e. coralline-free) face of sublittoral limestone and granite boulders were compared in the Tavolara MPA (Mediterranean Sea). The analysis of photographic samples demonstrated significant differences in terms of species composition and coverage, according to lithology. Moreover, limestone boulders were widely bare, while the cover per cent was almost total on granite. The leading cause of observed patterns could be the different level of dissolution of the two types of rocks, due to their different mineral composition and textural characteristics. Limestone has previously been shown to have higher dissolution compared with granite, and consequently, a more unstable surface. Our results suggest that, in dark habitats, the absence of the crustose coralline layer allows more rock dissolution and consequent lower stability of the limestone compared with granite, which, in turn, reduces the zoobenthos colonization

El papel del acoplamiento pelágico-bentónico en la estructuración de las comunidades litorales bentónicas en la bahía de Terra Nova (Mar de Ross) y en el Estrecho de Magallanes

In Antarctic and peri-Antarctic regions, benthic communities are persistent in time and show high biomass and large numbers of individuals, mainly consisting of suspension and deposit feeders. In fact, apart from recruitment, the major factor structuring these communities is the high flow of organic matter from the pelagic domain to the bottom, representing an important energy source for the benthic organisms. The aim of this paper is to review, compile and compare the data from earlier investigations in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea) and the Straits of Magellan, in order to come to a more general conclusion about the role of the pelagic-benthic coupling in structuring littoral benthic communities in southern coastal areas. Few measurements of flux rates and the biochemical composition of the sinking particles occurring in Antarctic and peri-Antarctic shallow waters are available, but a compilation of our own data and others allows a comparison of these two systems. The different environmental conditions between Antarctica and the Straits of Magellan lead to differences in the origin of the particulate organic matter and in its biochemical composition, and consequently in the coupling between pelagic and benthic domains. At Terra Nova Bay the summer particulate matter shows a high labile fraction of a good food value: its flux has been evaluated at about 0.67 g m-2d-1. Conversely, the Straits of Magellan show multi-structured ecosystems where the quality and quantity of the organic matter flux towards the bottom change according to the local geomorphology and current dynamics. Moreover, the three-dimensional assemblages of suspension-feeders, so common in Antarctic shallow waters, seem to be absent in the Magellan area. In particular sponges, gorgonarians and bryozoans play a secondary role inside the Straits of Magellan, where polychaetes (60%) and molluscs (9-10%) are dominant on soft bottoms, and where they reach high values in density and biomass. Bivalves seem to play an important role in both regions: for instance, at Terra Nova Bay, the scallop Adamussium colbecki processes about 14 % of the total carbon flux, with an assimilation efficiency of 36 %. This scallop seems to be able to adapt its reproductive period and its trophic behaviour to the changes in the quality and quantity of the pelagic events. The pulsing trend of the vertical flux, which in a few weeks can reach the total annual input, produces significant changes in the physiology (growth, reproduction, spawning) and trophic behaviour of many benthic species, such as sponges and polychaetes. The study of the pelagic-benthic coupling could be essential in the evaluation of the trophic capacity and the environmental response around sites of sea-farming, which are an ever-growing activity in the Magellan area.En las regiones Antártica y periantártica, las comunidades bentónicas son persistentes en el tiempo y muestran altos valores de biomasa y número de individuos. Estas comunidades están constituídas, principalmente, por organismos suspensívoros y detritívoros. Aparte del reclutamiento, el factor más importante en estructurar estas comunidades es el flujo de materia orgánica desde la zona pelágica al bentos, lo que representa una importante fuente de energía para los organismos del fondo. No obstante la gran importancia de la producción primaria como suministro de alimento para las comunidades béntonicas litorales, la información sobre la tasa de flujo y la composición bioquímica del material que sedimenta es reducida. Muestreos rea lizados con trampas de sedimento han mostrado altos valores de flujo de materia orgánica caracterizado por una elevada presencia de paquetes fecales, particularmente importantes en el transporte de materia orgánica desde la zona fótica a las aguas profundas. En Bahía Terra Nova (Mar de Ross) la materia orgánica estival presenta una fracción lábil importante, un alto valor alimentario y un flujo que se evaluó en aproximadamente 0.67 g m-2d-1. Las diferentes condiciones ambientales de la Antártida y el Estrecho de Magallanes ocasionan diferencias en el origen y en la composición bioquímica de la materia orgánica particulada y, consecuentemente, en el acoplamiento entre los dominios pelágico y bentónico. El Estrecho de Magallanes, contrariamente a las observaciones hechas en la Antártida, muestra un sistema de flujo de materia orgánica hacia el fondo , debido a su geomorfología peculiar y a la dinámica de las corrientes. Por otra parte, los agrupamientos tridimensionales de suspensívoros, comunes en las aguas someras antárticas, parecen estar ausentes en el área del Estrecho de Magallanes. Particularmente esponjas, gorgonias y briozoos desempeñan un papel secundario en el interior del Estrecho de Magallanes, donde poliquetos (60%) y moluscos (9-10%) dominan en los fondos blandos, alcanzando altos valores de densidad y biomasa. Los bivalvos desempeñan un papel importante en ambas regiones: en la Bahía de Terra Nova, el pectínido Adamussium colbecki procesa aproximadamente el 14% del flujo total de carbono, con una eficiencia de asimilación del 36%. Este pectínido sería capaz de adaptar su periodo reproductivo y su estrategia trófica a los cambios en la calidad y la cantidad de materia orgánica. Los pulsos del flujo vertical, que en pocas semanas puede alcanzar el suministro total anual, producen cambios significativos en la fisiología (crecimiento, reproducción, freza) y en el comportamiento trófico de algunas especies bentónicas, como esponjas y poliquetos. Finalmente, el estudio del acoplamiento bentos-pélagos puede ser esencial en la evaluación de la capacidad trófica y la respuesta ambiental para la ubicación de zonas de cultivos marinos, actividad en continuo crecimiento en el área de Magallanes

The sub-fossil red coral of Sciacca (Sicily Channel, Mediterranean Sea): colony size and age estimates

AbstractThe Mediterranean red coral, Corallium rubrum (L.), has been a valuable economic resource for more than 2000 years. The Sicily Channel and surrounding areas are one of the most famous red coral fishing grounds of the whole region, hosting the deepest ever found living colonies and large sub-fossil red coral deposits; the so-called Sciacca banks are a unique location in the whole Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, a morphometric description of this sub-fossil population is presented for the first time from studies of colonies in the collection of several coral factories from Torre del Greco (Naples), with radiocarbon age estimations and growth rate evaluations. From the results of this study, after several thousand years Sciacca red coral colonies maintained the organic matrix structure with evident annual discontinuities, allowing estimations of the annual growth rate (about 0.3 mm/year) and the average population age (about 33.5 years). These resulting data are similar to the values determined for deep-dwelling living red coral populations. The radiocarbon dating evidenced a range of ages, from 8300 to 40 years before 1950 CE, mostly falling between 2700 and 3900 YBP, suggesting that colonies accumulated over a wide span of time. In view of the tectonically active nature of the area, several catastrophic events affected these ancient populations, maintaining them in a persistent state of early-stage, structurally similar to the those in current over-exploited areas

Recreational fisheries within the Portofino MPA and surrounding areas (Ligurian Sea, Western Mediterranean Sea)

In the Mediterranean Sea, recreational fishing is a popular activity and anglers catch a significant amount of fish which could represent more than 10% of the total harvesting in a littoral area. The Portofino Marine Protected Area, established in 1999 in the Ligurian Sea (North-Western Mediterranean), traditionally hosts a well-developed recreational fishery. Aim of this study has been to characterize the activities of the local anglers, analysing their annual harvesting within and around the Portofino MPA and the species composition of the catches. This was possible studying data from the mandatory anglers' logbooks, and through interviews and surveys at sea. In 2015, the 340 checked anglers fished, in average, 1 kg/day, on average, mainly by trolling or handlining systems. Each fisherman, during 25 (± 21) trips, fished approximately 25 kg/year, for a total harvesting of about 8-9 t/year. Seriola dumerili, with 230 kg/year, was the species most caught in terms of biomass. It was followed by Coryphaena hippurus (130 kg/year). In addition, the analysis of catches occurring during local fishing competitions organized off the MPA limits suggested a harvesting capacity for each angler varying between 0.7 and 1.1 kg/angler per day, depending on the used gear (handlining, trolling, spear-guns). Finally, 36% of the anglers claimed to hook often the hard bottom seabed, often losing nylon lines. Consequently, the Management Body of the Portofino MPA has been advised to suspend recreational fishing activities in the most busy areas for a period of two years, calling for a complete removal of the lost fishing gears

New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea (October 2020)

This Collective Article presents information about 21 taxa belonging to seven Phyla (one Ochrophyta, one Porifera, three Cnidaria, two Arthropoda, three Mollusca, one Echinodermata, and ten Chordata) and extending from the western Mediterranean Sea to the Levantine Sea. The new records were reported from nine countries as follows: Spain: first records of three deep-sea species from the Blanes Canyon along the Catalan margin, namely the gorgonian Placogorgia coronata, the bivalve Acesta excavata, and the Azores rockling Gaidropsarus granti; Italy: first record of the mesopsammic nudibranch Embletonia pulchra from Ligurian shallow-waters; first record of the deep-sea carnivorous sponge Lycopodina hypogea from the north-central Tyrrhenian Sea, living in dense clusters over dead black corals; new records of the Portuguese man o’ war Physalia physalis from Sardinian and Sicilian waters; first Italian record of the large asteroid Coronaster briareus from the Ionian Sea; first record of the white grouper Epinephelus aeneus in the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea; Croatia: first record of the gastropod Haliotis mykonosensis for the Adriatic Sea; Malta: new sightings of Physalia physalis from Maltese waters; Libya: first record of the sand crab Albunea carabus from two localities along the Libyan coast; Greece: first records of the deep-sea black coral Parantipathes larix from the eastern Mediterranean Sea; first verified record of the agujon needlefish Tylosurus imperialis in the Hellenic Ionian Sea; first confirmed record of the brown algae Treptacantha squarrosa in the eastern Mediterranean Sea; new records of three deep-sea fish species from the Aegean Sea, namely the bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus, the Atlantic pomfret Brama brama, and the rudderfish Centrolophus niger; new record of the tripletail Lobotes surinamensis from Lesvos Island; new record of the shrimp Brachycarpus biunguiculatus from the gut content of the non-indigenous lionfish Pterois miles; Turkey: new record of the imperi- al blackfish Schedophilus ovalis from Turkish waters; Lebanon: first record of the slender sunfish Ranzania laevis, stranded along the Lebanese coast; Israel: new record, after about 60 years from the last catch, of the spotted dragonet Callionymus maculatus.peer-reviewe