Marine alien species in Italy: A contribution to the implementation of descriptor D2 of the marine strategy framework directive

The re-examination of marine alien species or Non-indigenous species (NIS) reported in Italian Seas by December 2018, is here provided, particularly focusing on establishment success, year of first record, origin, potential invasiveness, and likely pathways. Furthermore, their distribution is assessed according to marine subregions outlined by the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Adriatic Sea (ADRIA), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED), and Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED). In Italy, 265 NIS have been detected with the highest number of species being recorded in the CMED (154 species) and the WMED (151 species), followed by the ADRIA (143). Most of these species were recorded in more than one subregion. The NIS that have established stable populations in Italian Seas are 180 (68%), among which 26 have exhibited invasive traits.Among taxa involved, Macrophyta rank first with 65 taxa. Fifty-five of them are established in at least one subregion, mostly in the ADRIA and the CMED. Crustacea rank second with 48 taxa, followed by Polychaeta with 43 taxa, Mollusca with 29 taxa, and Pisces with 28 taxa, which were mainly reported from the CMED. In the period 2012-2017, 44 new alien species were recorded, resulting in approximately one new entry every two months. Approximately half of the NIS (~52%) recorded in Italy have most likely arrived through the transport-stowaway pathway related to shipping traffic (~28% as biofoulers, ~22% in ballast waters, and ~2% as hitchhikers). The second most common pathway is the unaided movement with currents (~19%), followed by the transport-contaminant on farmed shellfishes pathway  (~18%). Unaided is the most common pathway for alien Fisshes, especially in CMED. Escapes from confinement account for ~3% and release in nature for ~2% of the NIS. The present NIS distribution hotspots for new introductions were defined on the first recipient area/location in Italy. In ADRIA the hotspot is Venice which accounts for the highest number of alien taxa introduced in Italy, with 50 newly recorded taxa. In the CMED, hotspots of introduction are the Taranto and Catania Gulfs, hosting 21 first records each. The Strait of Sicily represents a crossroad between the alien taxa from the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific area. In the WMED, hotspots of bioinvasions include the Gulfs of Naples, Genoa and Livorno.This review can serve as an updated baseline for future coordination and harmonization of monitoring initiatives under international, EU and regional policies, for the compilation of new data from established monitoring programs, and for rapid assessment surveys.

Roadmap to the management of marine invasive alien species in Europe: a prioritization exercise in a Mediterranean country

In 2014 the Regulation 1143/14 on invasive alien species (IAS) was issued by the European Community. It provides for important restrictions (as importing and selling) and a set of measures (early detection, rapid eradication or control) that EU member states are required to take for the species included on a list of IAS of Union Concern. The inclusion of a species in this list is based on the results of a risk-assessment procedure. The list, adopted in 2016 and updated in August 2017 contains at present 49 IAS, none of which marine (except from the brackish water crab Eriocheir sinensis). Member states can also adopt a list of “species of national concern” and apply the same measures provided for the species of Union concern. In Italy the scientific community is working on a prioritization exercise to develop a list of IAS of national concern, that may eventually include marine IAS. This list will be composed by both IAS already present and potential new IAS, from a horizon scanning exercise. Their principal pathways have been discussed in relation to the effectiveness of prevention measures. Italy is a major “first hub” for marine introductions in the Mediterranean Sea, with over 200 multicellular marine alien species reported so far. With its central position in the Mediterranean Sea, it shares several species with the Western European countries, carried by ships or with shellfish stocks, as well as a number of Indo-Pacific species with the Eastern Mediterranean countries, entered through the Suez Canal. Therefore, the roadmap that Italy is currently tracing towards the possible inclusion of marine species in the list of IAS to be managed and controlled, is also relevant for other European and Mediterranean countries. This presentation will show how the process has been organized and conducted, and the preliminary outcomes

Roadmap to the management of marine invasive alien species in Europe: a prioritization exercise in a Mediterranean country

In 2014 the Regulation 1143/14 on invasive alien species (IAS) was issued by the European Community. It provides for important restrictions (as importing and selling) and a set of measures (early detection, rapid eradication or control) that EU member states are required to take for the species included on a list of IAS of Union Concern. The inclusion of a species in this list is based on the results of a risk-assessment procedure. The list, adopted in 2016 and updated in August 2017 contains at present 49 IAS, none of which marine (except from the brackish water crab Eriocheir sinensis). Member states can also adopt a list of “species of national concern” and apply the same measures provided for the species of Union concern. In Italy the scientific community is working on a prioritization exercise to develop a list of IAS of national concern, that may eventually include marine IAS. This list will be composed by both IAS already present and potential new IAS, from a horizon scanning exercise. Their principal pathways have been discussed in relation to the effectiveness of prevention measures. Italy is a major “first hub” for marine introductions in the Mediterranean Sea, with over 200 multicellular marine alien species reported so far. With its central position in the Mediterranean Sea, it shares several species with the Western European countries, carried by ships or with shellfish stocks, as well as a number of Indo-Pacific species with the Eastern Mediterranean countries, entered through the Suez Canal. Therefore, the roadmap that Italy is currently tracing towards the possible inclusion of marine species in the list of IAS to be managed and controlled, is also relevant for other European and Mediterranean countries. This presentation will show how the process has been organized and conducted, and the preliminary outcomes

Blood Bacterial DNA Load and Profiling Differ in Colorectal Cancer Patients Compared to Tumor-Free Controls

Inflammation and immunity are linked to intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The gut microbiota is associated with CRC risk. Epithelial barrier dysfunction can occur, possibly leading to increased intestinal permeability in CRC patients. We conducted a case-control study including 100 incident histologically confirmed CRC cases, and 100 IA and 100 healthy subjects, matched to cases by center, sex and age. We performed 16S rRNA gene analysis of blood and applied conditional logistic regression. Further analyses were based on negative binomial distribution normalization and Random Forest algorithm. We found an overrepresentation of blood 16S rRNA gene copies in colon cancer as compared to tumor-free controls. For high levels of gene copies, community diversity was higher in colon cancer cases than controls. Bacterial taxa and operational taxonomic unit abundances were different between groups and were able to predict CRC with an accuracy of 0.70. Our data support the hypothesis of a higher passage of bacteria from gastrointestinal tract to bloodstream in colon cancer. This result can be applied on non-invasive diagnostic tests for colon cancer control