Fluctuaciones estacionales de algunas características biológicas de la invasora Caprella scaura en el Mar Piccolo de Taranto (mar Jónico, sur de Italia).

Caprella scaura is an epifaunal amphipod crustacean that originates in the western Indian Ocean and has spread throughout the world, but very little is known about fundamental aspects of its biology. This paper is the first presentation of its life history traits in an invaded region. The study was conducted in the Mar Piccolo basin (southern Italy, Ionian Sea), over a one-year period. All biological parameters showed a strong seasonal pattern, breeding peaked twice during the year and the number of eggs in the ventral brood pouch ranged from 5 to 72. The sex ratio was generally close to 1:1. A strong correlation between total length of ovigerous females and number of eggs was observed. The mean length of both mature males and mature females was 10.63 and 7.70 mm, respectively. The results of this study showed that the population dynamics of this species was not dissimilar to that of other caprellids or marine epifaunal Crustacea. This caprellid has given rise to a stable population in the Mar Piccolo; it was present all year round in the study area but its density suggests that it is not yet a strong invader.Caprella scaura es un crustáceo anfípodo originario del Océano Índico occidental, que se ha extendido por todo el mundo. Sin embargo, poco se conoce sobre la biología de la especie. Este artículo es un primera presentación de algunas características de la especie en una región invadida. El estudio se realizó en la cuenca del Mar Piccolo (sur de Italia, Mar Jónico) durante un año. Todos los parámetros biológicos mostraron un patrón estacional con picos reproductivos en dos ocasiones durante el año y con un número de huevos entre 5 y 72. La proporción de sexos estuvo en torno 1:1. Se observó una fuerte correlación entre la longitud total de hembras ovígeras y el número de huevos. La longitud media de las hembras y los machos maduros fue 10.63 y 7.70 respectivamente. Los resultados de este estudio mostraron que la dinámica poblacional de esta especie no es muy distinta al resto de crustáceos caprélidos. Se puede hablar de una población estable en el Mar Piccolo, ya que estuvo presente durante todo el año en el área estudiada, sin embargo su densidad sugiere que no parece ser un invasor fuerte aún

Effects of commercial formulations of glyphosate on marine crustaceans and implications for risk assessment under temperature changes.

Abstract Glyphosate-based formulations are the most commonly used herbicides worldwide with the risk of potential contamination of aquatic bodies. The present study assessed the response of four marine crustaceans to three different brands of herbicides Roundup®Platinum, Efesto® and Taifun® MK CL.T, under two selected temperatures of 20 °C and 30 °C. The harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus fulvus, the anostracan Artemia franciscana, the amphipod Corophium insidiosum and the isopod Sphaeroma serratum were chosen as testing organisms. Effects of herbicides and temperatures were assessed by estimating lethal concentrations. The results showed that the high temperature rises the toxicity of glyphosate with an increase of mortality of all the tested species. This is an important aspect for future risk assessments of pesticides under global climate change scenarios. Efesto® resulted the most toxic brand, showing C. insidiosum the most sensitive with 96 h-LC50 values of 3.25 mg/L acid equivalent (a.e.) at 30 °C and 7.94 mg/L a.e. at 20 °C followed by T. fulvus while A. franciscana and S. serratum were the less sensitive. This study provides important information for assessing the toxic effects of three different brands of glyphosate-based herbicides on non-target marine organisms suggesting that they should be carefully managed to minimize any negative impact on marine organisms

Multi-endpoint effects of derelict tubular mussel plastic nets on Tigriopus fulvus

Microplastic debris from direct and indirect human activities is considered a major threat to the marine biodiversity mainly due to its abundance, durability, persistence, and ability to accumulate contaminants from the environment. Derelict tubular plastic nets of various colours (blue (BN), yellow (YN), green (GN), pink (PN), and white (WN) net), used to distinguish mussel farming owners, were collected by scuba-dive from the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea). All nets were made of polypropylene. Investigations looked for potential acute (mortality) and sub-chronic (mortality, larval development and moult release number, and adult percentage after 5–9 days) effects on Tigriopus fulvus nauplii considering both whole plastics (microplastic (MP), 50 mg/L) and leachates (12.5–100%). Acute test determined a median lethal concentration (LC50) only for BN for both MPs (107 mg/L) and leachates (50.1%). The prolonged exposure (5 days) to microplastics did not affect the T. fulvus survival. After 9 days, YN and BN decreased of approximately 100% larval development

Individual and combined effects of amoxicillin and carbamazepine to the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus

: Pharmaceuticals can be considered a global threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their pseudo-persistence and their potential toxicity towards non-target species. Amoxicillin (AMX) and carbamazepine (CBZ) and their mixture (1:1) were investigated on the marine copepod Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer, 1860) considering both acute and chronic endpoints. While acute and chronic exposure did not directly affect survival, reproductive endpoints were affected like the mean egg hatching time that was significantly longer than the negative control for treatments with AMX (0.789 ± 0.079 μg/L), CBZ (8.88 ± 0.89 μg/L), and AMX and CMZ as a mixture (1.03 ± 0.10 μg/L and 0.941 ± 0.094 μg/L), in that order

Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Profile of Red Mullet (<i>Mullus barbatus</i>)

This study investigated the effect of five in-house cooking methods (grilling, oven-cooking, frying, microwaving, and boiling) on lipid content and fatty acid composition in red mullet (Mullus barbatus). Moreover, the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction was evaluated by determining a number of lipid nutritional quality indices (LNQI). Moisture content of red mullet decreased after cooking, with the exception of boiled fish, while the lipid content significantly increased after microwave treatment and frying. After the latter, a ten-fold increase in lipid content was noted compared to fresh fish (from 2.1 to 21.1 g/100 g wet matter). All cooking methods caused significant changes in the fatty acid (FA) profile of M. barbatus. The content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) varied significantly between raw and cooked fish with the lowest values determined for fried sample. Monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content increased after oven cooking and frying, while polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content showed an opposite trend. The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) were the dominant fatty acids among n3 acids in all samples. EPA+DHA contribution in total FAs was significantly lower in the samples after oven cooking (19.6% total FAs) and frying (4.99% total FAs) than in the raw (25.5% of total FAs) fish. The n3/n6 ratio (range 1.25–3.65) decreased significantly after cooking; however, it remained above the recommended values for a healthy human nutrition (1:5). The PUFA/SFA ratio was between 0.69 in fried and 1.02 in boiled fish, both being greater than those recommended by the WHO/FAO [2003]. Atherogenicity index value decreased significantly after the cooking particularly in fried fish. The polyene index (PI), as a measure of PUFA damage, was in the range of 0.42–1.18. Although all cooking methods affected the FA profile, based on LNQI, it can be concluded that barbecue-grilling and boiling were the best cooking methods for healthy eating, due to their lowest effect on essential FAs

Strategies for Successful Scallops Spat Collection on Artificial Collectors in the Taranto Gulf (Mediterranean Sea)

The high variability in natural recruitment of Pectinidae is a common feature of many marine invertebrates with a pelagic larval stage, but may negatively affect aquaculture activities. Detailed information on settlement patterns and spat availability is required to reduce costs and labor. In this regard, we attempted to establish the precise immersion time and the deployment dates for spat collectors in the Taranto Gulf (Mediterranean Sea, Italy). The first experiment was carried out from June to October 2013, deploying collectors every 15 days and retrieving them after 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks. Results from the first experiment allowed us to select 8 weeks as the best immersion time for spat collection. The second experiment was carried out from June 2013 to July 2014 when we deployed spat collectors every 15 days and recovered them after 8 weeks to detect the favorable periods to place the collectors in water to obtain the highest scallop spat harvest rate. Mimachlamys varia was the most abundant pectinid (greater than 90%), whose recruits were collected during most of the year studied, followed by Flexopecten glaber with the highest rates in July (87%) and Pecten jacobaeus, which never exceeded 17% of collected spat. M. varia had a long recruitment period (from October to early June), F. glaber showed a high number of spat during autumn months and from June to July while P. jacobaeus showed a restricted period of spawning. Our experiments provide useful insights into strategies for establishing scallop aquaculture in order to promote these mollusks as alternative candidates for aquaculture farming in the area

Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Profiles of <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i>

The effect of cooking (barbecue-grilling, boiling, microwaving, oven cooking and frying) on lipids, fatty acids (FAs) and lipid quality indices of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was investigated. In general, all processing methods significantly (p n-3 and highest polyunsaturated (PUFA) and n-6 FAs content. A significant decrease in the n-3 PUFA from the raw sample to five cooking methods was observed. The n-3/n-6 ratio decreased from raw (6.01) to cooked mussels, exhibiting the lowest value in fried ones (0.15). C20:5 n-3 and C22:6 n-3 significantly decreased during all cooking processes, and overall in fried mussels. It can be concluded that cooking does not compromise the nutritional quality of mussels except with frying, although it resulted in a decrease of the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices

Bioactive fatty acids of three commercial scallop species

The fat content and fatty acid profile of commercially important scallops Flexopecten glaber, Mimachlamys varia, and Pecten jacobaeus were investigated in samples of adductor muscle, gonad, mantle, and viscera. The viscera showed the highest lipid content in all species examined. Significant differences were found in the fatty acid composition among tissues and among scallops. All pectinids exhibited high levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in the adductor muscle, with a maximum value of 211 mg/100 g tissue and 252 mg/100 g tissue in the viscera of F. glaber. Highest n3/n6 ratios were recorded in F. glaber gonad and viscera, in P. jacobaeus muscle, and in the gonad of M. varia. M. varia adductor muscle had the lowest values of atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices used as indicators of beneficial health effects. These data contribute to the overall evaluation of the nutritional quality of scallops and suggest that their consumption may provide health benefits

Estimation of Growth Parameters of the Black Scallop Mimachlamys Varia in the Gulf of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy)

The present study examines the juvenile growth of nine cohorts of Mimachlamys varia in a coastal area of the Ionian Sea, from January 2014 to May 2015. The results showed that M. varia could reach commercial size in less than one year of cultivation, but significant differences in absolute growth rate (AGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) were found among cohorts (p &lt; 0.05). Relationships between scallop growth (size and weight) and environmental variables (water temperature, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll concentration) were also identified. The length&ndash;weight relationship showed negative allometric growth and indicated high correlation with R2, ranging from 0.95 to 0.82. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters showed the highest values of L&infin; in the cohorts collected in January, April and February (52.2, 51.2 and 50.3), respectively. The growth performance index (&phi;&rsquo;) ranged between 2.52 (cohort collected in June) and 3.03 (cohort collected in August). The obtained data add basic knowledge to the growth performance of this species, making this a good opportunity to facilitate aquaculture diversification in this part of Mediterranean Sea