Marine caves of the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea: a First Census of BenthicBiodiversity

This is the first paper documenting research on a selection of marine caves located along the coast of Capo Milazzo in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Three submarine and one semi-submerged caves were surveyed and sampled using underwater photo sampling. Surveys have only taken into account the sessile species belonging to the main taxa: Porifera, Anthozoa, Bryozoa and Polychaeta. Diversity indices and abundances were calculated for three sections within each explored cave: the Entrance Zone, Intermediate Zone and Bottom Zone. The richest group was Porifera with 21 taxa, followed by cnidarians, (Anthozoa), with 8 taxa, Polychaeta (5 taxa), and Bryozoa (5 taxa). Among Porifera, the presence of Petrobiona massiliana, a protected species according to SPA/BIO Protocol and the Bern Convention, must be highlighted. The encrusting forms were dominant in the Bottom Zone, the massive forms in the Intermediate Zone and the arborescent forms in the Entrance Zone. Generally, the percentage coverage of each morphological group showed a decline in the Intermediate Zone and a general increase in the Dark Zone within each cave. The S, H’ and J values showed different trends in the five caves. These differences, also evidenced by Permanova analysis, depend on the topographic specificity of each cave which, in turn, affects the gradients of the biotic and abiotic parameters. Finally, no horizontal gradient of rarefaction of the benthic sessile fauna has been detected. This study represents an important step for the management and conservation practices of these fragile ecosystems, especially in view of the forthcoming establishment of the Marine Protected Area

Fishery reserves in the Mediterranean Sea: the Gulf of Castellammare case study

The effects of fisheries management based on artificial reefs and on trawl banning are explored in the Gulf of Castellammare fishery reserve by means of biological (from trammel and trawl survey) data collected during several research programs between 1990 and 2001. The artificial reefs have caused an increase of diversity but not of biomass, as suggested by the comparison between the associated fish assemblage and that of nearby sandy bottoms. The associated species however do not have any trophic relation to the boulders, except the twobanded seabream, Diplodus vulgaris. An overall increase of experimental trammel net yields in the artificial reef area was observed from 1990 to 1998, due mainly to pelagic species associated with the boulders. The trawl ban caused a dramatic increase of groundfish biomass in the protected area (+711% after four years, total species). Different species had different increase rates, from 2-fold for the musky octopus, Eledone moschata to 127-fold for the gurnard, Lepidotrigla cavillone. Eight and ten years after the ban started, the yields did not vary significantly in the overall area, but decreased near to (both outside and inside) the protected area, probably due to increased legal and illegal trawling. The mean size did not increase in three studied species, except for the monkfish, Lophius budegassa. In conclusion the Gulf of Castellammare fishery reserve is considered a positive example of marine coastal fisheries management, especially considering the effects of the trawl ban on the abundance of groundfish stocks, although the cooperation between scientists and administrative bodies is still far from optimal

Dieta del pez de San Francisco Synodus saurus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pisces, Synodontidae) en el Mediterráneo central

The diet composition of the Atlantic lizardfish Synodus saurus, caught on sandy bottoms of the north-western coast of Sicily (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) is described. The stomachs of 224 specimens (from 73 to 280 mm TL) were collected between June 2005 and May 2006. The analysis of stomach contents showed that this species is almost exclusively piscivorous. Unlike other benthic predators of the study area, it mainly feeds on pelagic school-forming fish, such as Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Myctophidae and juveniles of Sparidae and Centracanthidae, and benthic prey play a secondary role. The diet of S. saurus is related to the seasonal availability of resources, depending on the occurrence of juveniles of several species and on the migration of pelagic fishes in the study area. There were no significant changes in prey items between predator length groups, but a positive, significant linear relationship between prey size and predator size was recorded.El presente trabajo ha estudiado la composición de la dieta del pez de San Francisco Synodus saurus, pescado sobre fondos arenosos en la costa nor-occidental de Sicilia (Tirreno meridional). El análisis del contenido estomacal de 224 individuos (entre 73 y 280 mm LT), pescados entre junio 2005 y mayo 2006, evidenció que S. saurus es una especie casi exclusivamente ictiófaga. A diferencia de otros depredadores bentónicos, S. saurus se alimenta fundamentalmente de peces que forman bancos pelágicos como Clupeidae, Engraulidae y Myctophidae y de los juveniles de las familias Sparidae y Centracanthidae, mientras las presas bentónicas resultaron secundarias. S. saurus exhibió una estrategia alimentaria relacionada con la disponibilidad estacional de recursos, dependiendo de la ocurrencia de juveniles de varias especies y de la migración de peces pelágicos en el área de estudio. No hubo cambio significativo de presas entre grupos de tallas pero se evidenció una relacción positiva, lineal y estadísticamente significativa entre el tamaño de la presa y del depredador

Spiculosiphon oceana (foraminifera) and its affinity to intermediate stress conditions in the Panarea hydrothermal complex (Mediterranean Sea)

Spiculosiphon oceana Maldonado, L\uf3pez-Acosta, Sitj\ue0, Aguilar, Garc\ueda & Vacelet, 2013 is a Mediterranean endemic giant stalked foraminifer described as a potential bio-indicator of acidic environments, thanks to its ability to cope with stressful chemical conditions. Here, we present the first record and the first video images of living specimens of this giant foraminifera in the Panarea Volcanic Complex (PVC; southern Tyrrhenian Sea), representing the third discovery worldwide. Specimens of S. oceana were identified through microscopic and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) image analyses, in two different areas characterised by water column physico-chemical parameters typical of the non-vented areas, but with some evidence of hydrothermal alteration. This new finding enhances knowledge on the ecology of S. oceana, enlarges its known spatial distribution, and corroborates its affinity to intermediate stress conditions related to hydrothermal activity

Assessing the potential of Suez Canal shipping traffic as an invasion pathway for non-indigenous species in Central Mediterranean harbours

The shipping traffic visiting seven Central Mediterranean ports within Sicily and Malta over a period of one year (2013) and the ballast water volumes it transported was quantified and classified according to port of origin in order to assess the influence of traffic navigating through the Suez Canal on the marine biota of the same geographical area. Scraping and benthic sediment collection exercises were also conducted within the same ports and a list of non -indigenous species is reported.peer-reviewe

Setting of Methods for Analysis of Mucosal Antibodies in Seminal and Vaginal Fluids of HIV Seropositive Subjects from Cambodian and Italian Cohorts

International audienceBACKGROUND: Genital mucosae play a key role in protection from STD and HIV infection, due to their involvement in both horizontal and vertical disease transmission. High variability of published observations concerning IgA isolation and quantification underlies the strong requirement of specific methods able to maximize investigation on HIV-specific IgA. METHODOLOGY: Genital fluids from 109 subjects, including male and female cohorts from Italy and Cambodia, were collected, aliquoted and processed with different techniques, to assess optimal conditions maximizing mucosal antibody recovery. Three sampling techniques, up to sixteen preservation conditions, six ELISA methods and four purifications protocols were compared. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The optimal method here described took advantage of Weck-Cel sampling of female mucosal fluids. Immediate processing of genital fluids, with the addition of antibiotics and EDTA, improved recovery of vaginal IgA, while the triple addition of EDTA, antibiotics and protease inhibitors provided the highest amount of seminal IgA. Due to low amount of IgA in mucosal fluids, a high sensitive sandwich ELISA assay was set; sensitivity was enhanced by milk-based overcoating buffer and by a two-step biotin-streptavidin signal amplification. Indeed, commercial antisera to detect human immunoglobulins showed weak cross-reactivity to different antibody types. Three-step affinity purification provided reproducible immunoglobulin recovery from genital specimens, while conventional immuno-affinity IgA purification was found poorly manageable. Affinity columns were suitable to isolate mucosal IgA, which are ten-fold less concentrated than IgG in genital specimens, and provided effective separation of IgA monomers, dimers, and J-chains. Jacalin-bound resin successfully separated IgA1 from IgA2 subfraction. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Specific, effective and reliable methods to study local immunity are key items in understanding host mucosal response. The sequence of methods here described is effective and reliable in analysing humoral local responses, and may provide a solid advance to identify and measure the effective mucosal responses to HIV

Pseudoaneurysm overlying an osteochondroma: a noteworthy complication

Pseuodaneurysms are an extremely rare complication of osteochondromas. We describe a case of traumatic pseudoaneurysm of the brachial artery presenting as a soft tissue mass in a patient who was treated for an osteochondroma 3 years earlier. This case demonstrates that radiographic follow-up of large osteochondromas is mandatory and that, in patients with soft tissue masses and a history of osteochondroma, pseudoaneurysms should be included in the differential diagnosis

Signals of loss: Local collapse of neglected vermetid reefs in the western Mediterranean Sea

During the summer of 2022, an extensive die-off of Dendropoma cristatum and other marine organisms associated with vermetid reefs was observed in the western Mediterranean Sea (northern coast of Sicily). Quantitative data from more than 300 km of coastal stripe indicated that the percentage of dead D. cristatum specimens, showing empty and/or transversely fractured shells, ranged from 64 to 84 % in populations having a density of 2900-4730 ind./m2, suggesting that millions of organisms had recently died along the Sicilian coast. This high mortality range coincided with prolonged desiccation events during which biogenic vermetid reefs were exposed to extreme warm-air conditions for several consecutive days. This warning report about neglected shallow vermetid reefs raises concern regarding the loss of Mediterranean biodiversity, underlining the need to develop and implement monitoring and conservation efforts on a basin-wide scale