Marinas may act as hubs for the spread of the pseudo-indigenous bryozoan <em>Amathia verticillata</em> (Delle Chiaje, 1822) and its associates

The spaghetti bryozoan Amathia verticillata, formerly known as Zoobotryon verticillatum, was first described in 1822 from Naples, Italy, although this species was already present in 1807 at Cadiz, Spain. This ctenostome has long been considered a native species in the Mediterranean Sea but it has recently been suggested to be of Caribbean origin. It is most likely to have been introduced by vessels as hull fouling. This pseudo-indigenous species, i.e. a non-indigenous species (NIS) having been perceived to be native, has been found in several marinas and harbours within the Mediterranean Sea. In November 2014, this bryozoan species was abundant in the La Grande Motte marina on the south coast of France. Several thousand colonies were estimated to be present within this marina attached to the floating pontoon units that supported a floating boardwalk. Of the berthed craft examined, 31% were fouled with this species, and it was occasionally a prominent fouling species. Several macroinvertebrate species were associated with A. verticillata colonies, including some NIS, Paracerceis sculpta, Paranthura japonica and Caprella scaura, that are recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. A. verticillata might support their transfer elsewhere by providing a habitat and substrate when attached to vessel hulls

Arrival of the invasive amphipod Grandidierella japonica to the Mediterranean Sea

In the marine environment, shipping is globally acknowledged as the major vector of introduction of organisms outside their native range. We surveyed harbours and marinas in the Western Mediterranean Sea for occurrence of non-indigenous species. More than 200 specimens of the Japanese amphipod Grandidierella japonica were collected in 2013 from the docks of the marina of Viareggio (Tuscany, Tyrrhenian Sea). This is the first record of this species for the Mediterranean Sea. G. japonica was previously introduced elsewhere by oyster trade and shipping; in the case of Viareggio, where no aquaculture facilities or international shipping occur, recreational boating is the only likely vector of introduction. In Europe, G. japonica is currently confined by a few localities, mainly estuaries, enclosed bays and brackish water areas, but its successful history of invasion in the Pacific coasts of North America suggests that a further spread can be expected in the Mediterranean Sea as well

Potvrda predviđanja: venecijanska laguna (Italija) obiluje invazivnim jednakonošcem Ianiropsis serricaudis Gurjanova, 1936 (Crustacea: Peracarida)

The janirid isopod Ianiropsis serricaudis, native to the North-West Pacific region, has recently been identified as a non-indigenous species in several localities in the Northern Hemisphere. Hereby, we present evidence of its occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea, namely in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy). This finding confirms the hypothesis that this species is more widespread in Europe than expected, but has long been underreported on account of the small size of isopods (most of them being in the size range of 3 to 20 mm) and the taxonomic complexity of the genus.Janiridni jednakonošci Ianiropsis serricaudis, koji izvorno potječu iz sjeverozapadne pacifičke regije, nedavno su identificirani kao alohtona vrsta na nekoliko lokaliteta u sjevernoj hemisferi. Ovime iznosimo dokaze o njihovom pojavljivanju u Sredozemnom moru, i to u venecijanskoj laguni (Italija). Ovi nalazi potvrđuju tezu da je ova vrsta rasprostranjenija u Europi nego što se mislilo, ali se o njoj dugo vremena malo izvješćivalo zbog veličine jednakonožaca (većina je veličinom varirala između 3 i 20 mm) te zbog taksonomske složenosti roda

Opportunities for Web-Based Indicators in Environmental Sciences

This paper proposes a set of web-based indicators for quantifying and ranking the relevance of terms related to key-issues in Ecology and Sustainability Science. Search engines that operate in different contexts (e.g. global, social, scientific) are considered as web information carriers (WICs) and are able to analyse; (i) relevance on different levels: global web, individual/personal sphere, on-line news, and culture/science; (ii) time trends of relevance; (iii) relevance of keywords for environmental governance. For the purposes of this study, several indicators and specific indices (relational indices and dynamic indices) were applied to a test-set of 24 keywords. Outputs consistently show that traditional study topics in environmental sciences such as water and air have remained the most quantitatively relevant keywords, while interest in systemic issues (i.e. ecosystem and landscape) has grown over the last 20 years. Nowadays, the relevance of new concepts such as resilience and ecosystem services is increasing, but the actual ability of these concepts to influence environmental governance needs to be further studied and understood. The proposed approach, which is based on intuitive and easily replicable procedures, can support the decision-making processes related to environmental governance

Role of the artificial structures on biodiversity: the case of arthropod fauna in the North Adriatic lagoons

SUMMARY -Role of the artificial structures on biodiversity: the case of arthropod fauna in the North Adriatic lagoons - The lagoons of the North Adriatic region are site of several anthropic activities, which express themselves also with the abundance of artificial structures like the wooden poles (bricole). These become suitable substrate for the colonization of numerous species that, in their absence, would not find an opportune substrate in the natural soft bottoms of the lagoon. Using the arthropod taxocoenosis as study-case, in this work we provide evidence that the presence of artificial hard substrates has a double effect on the biodiversity of this taxon, as they promote the settlement of (i) a much larger pool of species than the one of the surrounding soft bottoms and (ii) of species which are new for the Adriatic transitional environments. In particular, an amphipod already known in the Mediterranean but new for the Adriatic, Ampithoe ferox (Chevreux), has been recorded on the artificial hard substrates of the Sacca di Goro (Po delta). In order to facilitate the identification of this scarcely known species, we provide a key to distinguish it from the more common congener Ampithoe ramondi Audouin. RIASSUNTO -Il ruolo delle strutture artificiali sulla biodiversità degli artropodi lagunari nord adriatici -Le lagune della regione nord-adriatica sono sede di numerose attività antropiche; per questo è frequente trovarvi diverse strutture artificiali tra cui le bricole di legno. Queste costituiscono un substrato idoneo alla colonizzazione di numerose specie che non troverebbero un habitat opportuno nei fondali naturali delle lagune. Considerando la taxocenosi degli artropodi come modello di studio, in questo lavoro si prova che la presenza di substrati duri artificiali ha un duplice effetto sulla biodiversità di questo taxon, poiché favorisce l&apos;insediamento (i) di un pool di specie ben più consistente rispetto a quello degli adiacenti fondi molli e (ii) di specie nuove per gli ambienti di transizione adriatici. In particolare, per i fondi duri artificiali della Sacca di Goro (delta del Po) viene segnalata la presenza dell&apos;anfipode Ampithoe ferox (Chevreux), già noto per il Mediterraneo ma nuovo per l&apos;Adriatico. Al fine di facilitare l&apos;identificazione di questa specie poco conosciuta, viene fornita una chiave per distinguerla dalla ben più diffusa congenerica Ampithoe ramondi Audouin

the increasing distribution of gammarus roeselii gervais 1835 first record of the non indigenous freshwater amphipod in the sub lacustrine ticino river basin lombardy italy

This paper reports the first record of the non-indigenous species Gammarus roeselii Gervais, 1835 in the sub-lacustrine Ticino River basin (Po river floodplain, Northern Italy). Up to now in Italy, this Balkanian amphipod, known as an "exotic species, well established" in Central Europe, had only been reported in the North-Eastern part of the country (Sile River basin). Gammarus roeselii has a low spreading potential, so its presence in other parts of Europe can only be explained by human activities. However, the available data suggests that its presence in the sub-lacustrine Ticino River basin does not currently represent a threat to the population of the native Echinogammarus stammeri, which is still very healthy in this area

A Framework for Automatic Generation of Fuzzy Evaluation Systems for Embedded Applications

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Marinas may act as hubs for the spread of the pseudo-indigenous bryozoan <em>Amathia verticillata</em> (Delle Chiaje, 1822) and its associates

The spaghetti bryozoan Amathia verticillata, formerly known as Zoobotryon verticillatum, was first described in 1822 from Naples, Italy, although this species was already present in 1807 at Cadiz, Spain. This ctenostome has long been considered a native species in the Mediterranean Sea but it has recently been suggested to be of Caribbean origin. It is most likely to have been introduced by vessels as hull fouling. This pseudo-indigenous species, i.e. a non-indigenous species (NIS) having been perceived to be native, has been found in several marinas and harbours within the Mediterranean Sea. In November 2014, this bryozoan species was abundant in the La Grande Motte marina on the south coast of France. Several thousand colonies were estimated to be present within this marina attached to the floating pontoon units that supported a floating boardwalk. Of the berthed craft examined, 31% were fouled with this species, and it was occasionally a prominent fouling species. Several macroinvertebrate species were associated with A. verticillata colonies, including some NIS, Paracerceis sculpta, Paranthura japonica and Caprella scaura, that are recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. A. verticillata might support their transfer elsewhere by providing a habitat and substrate when attached to vessel hulls

Scientific collaboration for early detection of invaders results in a significant update on estimated range: lessons from Stenothoe georgiana Bynum & Fox 1977

Detection of new non-indigenous species is often delayed when taxa are taxonomically challenging, such as small-sized ma-rine organisms. The present study highlights the relevance of scientific cooperation in the early detection of the invader amphipod Stenothoe georgiana. Originally described from North Carolina (USA), the species was recently found in Chile and the Western Mediterranean. Here, we provide the first record of the species in Macaronesia, Atlantic coasts of continental Europe, North Africa and Australia, and extend its known distribution along the Mediterranean coast. Just like other small crustaceans, shipping (both ballast water and recreational boating) and aquaculture are probably the main vectors of introduction and secondary spread for this amphipod species. This case of S. georgiana sheds light on the importance of promoting taxonomical knowledge, and building multidisciplinary networks of experts that ensure an effective diessemination of alien species information. We also encourage the implementation of standardized monitoring methodologies to facilitate early detection of small mobile invaders.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España y fondos FEDER de la Unión Europea. CGL2017-82739-PFondos FEDER: proyecto AS-MAS - M2.1.2/I/032/2011 a través del Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors (COMPETE)National Portuguese Funds a través de FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology). UID/BIA/50027/2013 y POCI-01-0145-FED-ER-00682