Records of alien marine species in the shallow coastal waters of Chios Island (2009)

The shallow coastline of Chios Island was surveyed for the presence of any alien marine benthic species, during August 2009. Fourteen randomly selected sites were surveyed by snorkeling during standardized one-hour transects at depths between 0 and 10 m, and the presence of all identified alien benthic species was recorded. Six alien species were identified: Asparagopsis taxiformis, Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea, Stypopodium schimperi, Halophila stipulacea, Percnon gibbesi, and Siganus luridus. The green alga C. racemosa var. cylindracea was found in high densities in all the surveyed sites and was characterized as invasive in the island. The brown alga S. schimperi, the crab P. gibbesi, and the fish S. luridussustain established populations in the area. For three of the recorded marine alien species (S. schimperi, P. gibbesi, and S. luridus),Chios Island seems to be the northernmost margin of their geographical range in the Aegean Sea

Seaweeds of the Greek coasts. I. Phaeophyceae

An updated checklist of the brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae) of Greece is provided, based on both literature records and new collections. The total number of species and infraspecific taxa currently accepted is 107. The occurrence of each taxon in the North Aegean, South Aegean and Ionian Seas is given. In addition, 17 taxa pending confirmation of their presence, 11 excludenda and 8 inquirenda are briefly discussed

Seaweeds of the Greek coasts. II. Ulvophyceae

An updated checklist of the green seaweeds (Ulvophyceae) of the Greek coasts is provided, based on both literature records and new collections. The total number of species and infraspecific taxa currently accepted is 95. The occurrence of each taxon in the North Aegean, South Aegean and Ionian Seas is given. In addition, 12 taxa pending confirmation of their presence, 9 excludenda and 14 inquirenda are briefly discussed

Updated records and range expansion of alien marine macrophytes in Greece (2009)

In the present study the list of alien marine macrophytes already recorded on Greek coasts has been revised in the light of recent studies and new observations. In comparison  to 2008, the total number consists of 32 taxa, and the classification as established, casual and debatable species has been modified, with a total of 14, 5 and 13 species respectively. An interesting increase in established species from 9 taxa in 2008 to 14 taxa in 2009 is noted. With 23 taxa listed, Rhodobionta is the best represented group, followed by Chlorobionta (4 taxa) and Chromobionta (4 taxa), while seagrasses (Streptobionta) are represented by only one species. Several new records, one new entry and two putative additions are considered here, while two other taxa previously assumed introduced are excluded from the list of aliens

Inventory of alien marine species of Cyprus (2009)

An updated inventory of alien marine species from coastal and offshore waters of Cyprus is presented. Records were compiled based on the existing scientific and grey literature, including HCMR database of Mediterranean alien species, technical reports, scientific congresses, academic dissertations, and websites, as well as on unpublished/personal observations. The listed species were classified in one of five categories: established, invasive, casual, cryptogenic, and questionable. The mode of introduction and the year of first sighting were also reported for each species. Eight new records based on personal observations of the authors were reported (Chondria coerulescens, Neosiphonia sphaerocarpa, Enchelycore anatina, Lagocephalus spadiceus, Lagocephalus suezensis, Scomberomorus commerson, Sillago sihama, and Sphoeroides pachygaster). Nine species, previously reported as aliens in Cypriot waters, were excluded from the inventory for various reasons. Ten established species were characterized as invasive (Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea, Cerithium scabridum, Strombus persicus, Trochus erythraeus, Brachidontes pharaonis, Pinctada radiata, Fistularia commersonii, Lagocephalus sceleratus, Siganus luridus, and Siganus rivulatus) as they have a substantial impact on biodiversity and/or local economy. The impact of alien marine species in Cyprus is expected to grow in the close future, and further effort directed towards recording alien invasions and their impact will be needed

Timing techniques with picosecond-order accuracy for novel gaseous detectors

A simulation model is developed to train Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), for precise timing of PICOSEC Micromegas detector signals. The aim is to develop fast, online timing algorithms as well as minimising the information to be saved during data acquisition. PICOSEC waveforms were collected and digitised by a fast oscilloscope during a femptosecond-laser test beam run. A data set comprising waveforms collected with attenuated laser beam intensity, eradicating the emission of more than one photoelectron per light pulse from the PICOSEC photocathode, was utilised by a simulation algorithm to generate waveforms to train an ANN. A second data set of multi-photoelectron waveforms was used to evaluate the ANN performance in determining the PICOSEC Signal Arrival Time, relative to a fast photodiode time-reference. The ANN timing performance is the same as the results of a full offline signal processing, achieving a timing precision of 18.3$\pm$0.6 ps.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

European primary datasets of alien bacteria and viruses

Bacteria and viruses are a natural component of Earth biodiversity and play an essential role in biochemical and geological cycles. They may also pose problems outside their native range, where they can negatively impact on natural resources, wildlife, and human health. To address these challenges and develop sustainable conservation strategies, a thorough understanding of their invasion related- factors is needed: origin, country and year of introduction, and pathways dynamics. Yet, alien bacteria and viruses are underrepresented in invasion ecology studies, which limits our ability to quantify their impacts and address future introductions. This study provides primary datasets of alien bacteria and viruses of plants and animals present in the European environment. The datasets contain expert-revised data on 446 taxa and their invasion related- factors across terrestrial and aquatic environments. Taxa information are complemented with spatial occurrences. The datasets provide a basis for collaborative initiatives to improve the collection of alien bacteria and viruses' data, and a starting point for data-driven conservation practices