Evaluation of Water Variables in No-Take Zone of Ustica Marine Protected Area (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

ABSTRACT In this research, the seasonal fluctuations of the main water variables in the no-take area (A zone) of the Ustica MPA were investigated. This study aims to monitor the water quality of the Ustica MPA, to analyze all the hydrological parameters useful to the physical-chemical characterization of water and to use TRIX index to characterize the trophic level of the coastal marine area. The final results shown that Ustica is an area of relevant environmental and ecological value and is a good example of a Marine Protected Area, which is not excessively affected by the human presence even during the touristic season. This study represents the first records based on well-organized protocol in order to assess water column characteristics of the studied area. This paper could be used as a reference document for future studies regarding the same or similar areas

Distribution of the order Lampriformes in the Mediterranean Sea with notes on their biology, morphology, and taxonomy

publishedVersio

Assessing the effects of neonicotinoid insecticide on the bivalve mollusc Mytilus galloprovincialis

Abstract In the present work, the marine invertebrate Mytilus galloprovincialis was used as model organism to evaluate the toxic effects of the neonicotinoid Calypso 480 SC (CAL) following 20 days of exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of 7.77 mg L-1 (0.1 % 96h-LC50) and 77.70 mg L-1 (1 % 96h-LC50), and a recovery period of 10 days in uncontaminated seawater. Results revealed that exposure to both concentrations of CAL increased significantly mortality rate in the cells of haemolymph and digestive gland, while digestive gland cells were no longer able to regulate cell volume. Exposure significantly reduced haemolymph parameters (Cl-, Na+), affected the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase of digestive gland and catalase of gill, and caused also histopathological alterations in digestive gland and gills. Main histological damages detected in mussels were lipofuscin accumulation, focal points of necrosis, mucous overproduction and infiltrative inflammations. Interestingly, alterations persisted after the recovery period in CAL-free water, especially for haemocyte parameters (K+, Na+, Ca2+, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose). A slight recovery of histological conditions was detected. These findings suggested that sub-chronic exposure to the neonicotinoid insecticide caused important alterations in both cell and tissue parameters of M. galloprovincialis. Considering the ecologically and commercially important role of mussels in coastal waters, a potential risk posed by neonicotinoids to this essential aquatic resource can be highlighted

Acute effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on Mytilus galloprovincialis: A case study with the active compound thiacloprid and the commercial formulation calypso 480 SC

Abstract Pesticides can enter aquatic environments potentially affecting non-target organisms. Unfortunately, the effects of such substances are still poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of the active neonicotinoid substance thiacloprid (TH) and the commercial product Calypso 480 SC (CA) (active compound 40.4% TH) on Mytilus galloprovincialis after short-term exposure to sublethal concentrations. Mussels were tested for seven days to 0, 1, 5 and 10 mg L−1 TH and 0, 10, 50 and 100 mg L−1 CA. For this purpose, several parameters, such as cell viability of haemocytes and digestive cells, biochemical haemolymph features, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activity of gills and digestive gland, as well as histology of such tissues were analysed. The sublethal concentrations of both substances lead to abatement or completely stopping the byssal fibres creation. Biochemical analysis of haemolymph showed significant changes (

Structural identification of the pacemaker cells and expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels in the heart of the wild Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758)

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels are proteins that contain highly conserved functional domains and sequence motifs that are correlated with their unique biophysical activities, to regulate cardiac pacemaker activity and synaptic transmission. These pacemaker proteins have been studied in mammalian species, but little is known now about their heart distribution in lower vertebrates and c-AMP modulation. Here, we characterized the pacemaker system in the heart of the wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), with respect to primary pacemaker molecular markers. Special focus is given to the structural, ultrastructural and molecular characterization of the pacemaker domain, through the expression of HCN channel genes and the immunohistochemistry of HCN isoforms, including the location of intracardiac neurons that are adjacent to the sinoatrial region of the heart. Similarly to zebrafish and mammals, these neurons are immunoreactive to ChAT, VAChT and nNOS. It has been shown that cardiac pacemaking can be modulated by sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways, and the existence of intracardiac neurons projecting back to the central nervous system provide a plausible link between them.publishedVersio

Expression of the Antimicrobial Peptide Piscidin 1 and Neuropeptides in Fish Gill and Skin: A Potential Participation in Neuro-Immune Interaction

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are found widespread in nature and possess antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. Due to their multifunctional properties, these peptides are a focus of growing body of interest and have been characterized in several fish species. Due to their similarities in amino-acid composition and amphipathic design, it has been suggested that neuropeptides may be directly involved in the innate immune response against pathogen intruders. In this review, we report the molecular characterization of the fish-specific AMP piscidin1, the production of an antibody raised against this peptide and the immunohistochemical identification of this peptide and enkephalins in the neuroepithelial cells (NECs) in the gill of several teleost fish species living in different habitats. In spite of the abundant literature on Piscidin1, the biological role of this peptide in fish visceral organs remains poorly explored, as well as the role of the neuropeptides in neuroimmune interaction in fish. The NECs, by their role as sensors of hypoxia changes in the external environments, in combination with their endocrine nature and secretion of immunomodulatory substances would influence various types of immune cells that contain piscidin, such as mast cells and eosinophils, both showing interaction with the nervous system. The discovery of piscidins in the gill and skin, their diversity and their role in the regulation of immune response will lead to better selection of these immunomodulatory molecules as drug targets to retain antimicrobial barrier function and for aquaculture therapy in the future.Expression of the Antimicrobial Peptide Piscidin 1 and Neuropeptides in Fish Gill and Skin: A Potential Participation in Neuro-Immune InteractionpublishedVersio

Identification and distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and neurochemical markers in the neuroepithelial cells of the gill and the skin in the giant mudskipper, Periophthalmodon schlosseri

Mudskippers are amphibious fishes living in mudflats and mangroves. These fishes hold air in their large buccopharyngeal-opercular cavities where respiratory gas exchange takes place via the gills and higher vascularized epithelium lining the cavities and also the skin epidermis. Although aerial ventilation response to changes in ambient gas concentration has been studied in mudskippers, the localization and distribution of respiratory chemoreceptors, their neurochemical coding and function as well as physiological evidence for the gill or skin as site for O2 and CO2 sensing are currently not known. In the present study we assessed the distribution of serotonin, acetylcholine, catecholamines and nitric oxide in the neuroepithelial cells (NECs) of the mudskipper gill and skin epithelium using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Colocalization studies showed that 5-HT is coexpressed with nNOS, Na+/K+-ATPase, TH and VAChT; nNOS is coexpressed with Na+/K+-ATPase and TH in the skin. In the gill 5-HT is coexpressed with nNOS and VAhHT and nNOS is coexpressed with Na+/K+-ATPase and TH. Acetylcholine is also expressed in chain and proximal neurons projecting to the efferent filament artery and branchial smooth muscle. The serotonergic cells c labeled with VAChT, nNOS and TH, thus indicating the presence of NEC populations and the possibility that these neurotransmitters (other than serotonin) may act as primary transmitters in the hypoxic reflex in fish gills. Immunolabeling with TH antibodies revealed that NECs in the gill and the skin are innervated by catecholaminergic nerves, thus suggesting that these cells are involved in a central control of branchial functions through their relationships with the sympathetic branchial nervous system. The Na+/K+-ATPase in mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs), which are most concentrated in the gill lamellar epithelium, is colabeled with nNOS and associated with TH nerve terminals. TH-immunopositive fine varicosities were also associated with the numerous capillaries in the skin surface and the layers of the swollen cells. Based on the often hypercapnic and hypoxic habitat of the mudskippers, these fishes may represent an attractive model for pursuing studies on O2 and CO2 sensing due to the air-breathing that increases the importance of acid/base regulation and the O2-related drive including the function of gasotransmitters such as nitric oxide that has an inhibitory (regulatory) function in ionoregulation.This research was supported by project PAN LAB PONA3_00166. The authors would like to thank Michał Ignaszewski (TDT) for his kind help in statistical analysis

Evaluation of Water Variables in No-Take Zone of Ustica Marine Protected Area (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

ABSTRACT In this research, the seasonal fluctuations of the main water variables in the no-take area (A zone) of the Ustica MPA were investigated. This study aims to monitor the water quality of the Ustica MPA, to analyze all the hydrological parameters useful to the physical-chemical characterization of water and to use TRIX index to characterize the trophic level of the coastal marine area. The final results shown that Ustica is an area of relevant environmental and ecological value and is a good example of a Marine Protected Area, which is not excessively affected by the human presence even during the touristic season. This study represents the first records based on well-organized protocol in order to assess water column characteristics of the studied area. This paper could be used as a reference document for future studies regarding the same or similar areas

Spatiotemporal Organic Carbon Distribution in the Capo Peloro Lagoon (Sicily, Italy) in Relation to Environmentally Sustainable Approaches

Transitional water environments represent very ecologically interesting areas, which provide various ecosystem services, both concerning biodiversity protection and sustainable fruition of resources. In this way, the evaluation of total carbon and its components, chlorophyll, and chemical and physical parameters is of fundamental importance to deepen the dynamics of these peculiar natural areas. Commercial interests linked to the biological resources of these areas are often not well exploited in relation to their sustainability, due to lack of knowledge. In this study, we investigated the distribution of total organic carbon, chlorophyll, and other related physical and chemical parameters in the natural Lagoon of Capo Peloro (Eastern Sicily), to deepen the knowledge on the carbon equilibrium of these transitional basins. Collected data showed different trends for all parameters, mainly related to different seasons and water exchanges with sea. The influences of primary production sources and farmed molluscs were not negligible and deserve to be further investigated in the future. The results obtained reveal good margins for the possibility of environmentally sustainable exploitation of natural resources in both basins, but at the same time, there is a need for a more detailed knowledge of anthropogenic impacts on the area