Spring composition of the macroalgal vegetation of a small offshore island in the north-western Mediterranean (Gallinara Island, Ligurian Sea)

Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, north-western Mediterranean Sea) was included in a list of proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the early 90s. Since then, its benthic assemblages have been studied in detail and the main macrophytic communities have been mapped. A detailed assessment of its benthic macroalgal flora, however, has never been made. Gallinara was visited in the course of 5 consecutive years and its macroalgal flora was studied based on collections made by snorkelling and SCUBA diving. Overall, 141 macroalgal taxa were collected and identified (23 Chlorophyta, 94 Rhodophyta, 24 Ochrophyta); 91 of them represent new records for the island. One of the most notable new records is the non-indigenous red alga Womersleyella setacea, previously unreported from the island and widely distributed, particularly on the south-eastern shore. Observations made in the course of the surveys confirm the rarefaction of some large-sized brown algae (particularly Sargassum vulgare) but indicate also that others previously reported as rare (Cystoseira compressa, Dictyopteris polypodioides) are still common on the island

Diversity, host specificity and biogeography in the Cladocorynidae (Hydrozoa, Capitata), with description of a new genus

The hydrozoan family Cladocorynidae inhabits tropical to temperate waters and comprises the two genera Pteroclava and Cladocoryne. Pteroclava lives in association with some octocorals and hydrozoans, whereas Cladocoryne is more generalist in terms of substrate choice. This work provides a thorough morpho-molecular reassessment of the Cladocorynidae by presenting the first well-supported phylogeny of the family based on the analyses of three mitochondrial and four nuclear markers. Notably, the two nominal genera were confirmed to be monophyletic and both morphological and genetic data led to the formal description of a new genus exclusively associated with octocorals, Pseudozanclea gen. nov. Maggioni & Montano. Accordingly, the diagnosis of the family was updated. The ancestral state reconstruction of selected characters revealed that the symbiosis with octocorals likely appeared in the most recent common ancestor of Pteroclava and Pseudozanclea. Additionally, the presence of euryteles aggregation in the polyp stage and the exumbrellar nematocyst pouches with euryteles represent synapomorphies of all cladocorynid taxa and probably emerged in their most recent common ancestor. The analysis of several Pteroclava krempfi colonies from Indo-Pacific and Caribbean localities associated with several host octocorals revealed a high intra-specific genetic variability. Single- and multi-locus species delimitations resulted in three to five species hypotheses, but the statistical analysis of morphometric data showed only limited distinction among the clades of P. krempfi. However, P. krempfi clades showed differences in both host specificity, mostly at the octocoral family level, and geographic distribution, with one clade found exclusively in the Caribbean Sea and the others found in the Indo-Pacific.Fil: Maggioni, Davide. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Garese, Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Danwei Huang. National University Of Singapore; SingapurFil: Hoeksema, Bert W.. University of Groningen; Países BajosFil: Arrigoni, Roberto. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; ItaliaFil: Seveso, Davide. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Galli, Paolo. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Berumen, Michael L.. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; Arabia SauditaFil: Montalbetti, Enrico. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Pica, Daniela. Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare; ItaliaFil: Torsani, Fabrizio. Università Politecnica Delle Marche; ItaliaFil: Montano, Simone. Università degli Studi di Milano; Itali

Reconstructing change of benthic seascapes through temporal comparison of historical and present photographies

La mancanza di dati storici a lungo termine è generalmente considerata uno dei principali ostacoli allo sviluppo di adeguate misure di conservazione degli ecosistemi marini. Per incrementare la nostra conoscenza in materia, è emerso il campo dell’ecologia storica, cui obiettivo principale è quello di ricostruire “baseline” di riferimento posizionate più possibile indietro nel tempo. In questa tesi sono stati ricostruiti i cambiamenti nel tempo di alcune comunità bentoniche di fondo duro del Mar Ligure (Mediterraneo nord-occidentale), integrando differenti metodologie (serie temporali vs confronto temporale), scale temporali (pluriannuale vs multidecadale), fonti di dati (fotografia scientifica vs fotografia non scientifica) e substrati (naturale vs artificiale). È stato possibile tracciare un quadro dei principali cambiamenti delle comunità marine dell’AMP di Portofino negli ultimi 30 anni analizzando vecchie fotografie subacquee. I principali taxa che mostrano un chiaro declino sono E. cavolini e le alghe erette, mentre è stato osservato un deciso aumento, tra gli altri, di P. clavata, C. rubrum, spugne incrostanti e massive e feltro algale. Inoltre, nelle foto attuali sono state osservate C. cylindracea e W. setacea, non presenti in quelle vecchie. Un approccio più dettagliato ma lungo una scala temporale più breve, è stato applicato all’isola Gallinara, utilizzando un fotocampionamento durato quasi dieci anni. Qui è stata documentata una variabilità temporale estremamente limitata, specialmente in profondità. Inoltre, la componente più grande della variabilità spaziale orizzontale è stata osservata alla più piccola scala spaziale. Un terzo approccio ha preso in considerazione vecchi numeri di riviste subacquee, su cui è stata svolta un’analisi semiquantitativa dei taxa più comunemente presenti nelle foto, dagli anni 70 a oggi. In passato spugne, esacoralli, ottocoralli e briozoi erano presenti nelle foto pubblicate più frequentemente rispetto a oggi. In conclusione, questa tesi ha documentato il ruolo potenziale della fotografia subacquea non-scientifica come fonte non convenzionale di dati per le comunità bentoniche di fondo duro, suggerendo che possa essere uno strumento efficace nel colmare le lacune nella conoscenza della loro storia.Marine ecosystems are directly and indirectly threatened by several anthropogenic disturbances, like overexploitation, pollution, habitat modification, alien species and climate change. Since loss of biodiversity affects seriously goods and services provided by the ecosystems, its conservation has become a global priority. To achieve an effective and good process of management, restoration and recovery of marine ecosystems, we need to know their history and the magnitude and drivers of their long-term changes. The measurement of these changes is impaired by the gradual sliding of the reference conditions against which they are assessed toward more degraded states (shifting baseline syndrome). To contrast this process the field of marine historical ecology has emerged, with the aim of reconstruct historical baselines as far as possible in the past. In the Mediterranean Sea, since the antiquity of its process of anthropization, both human impacts and historical data are particularly ancient. It makes this basin one of the best scenario where try to turn back the clock of marine ecosystems history. However, few studies before have investigated the changes occurred on hard-bottom benthic communities, despite their importance. In fact, although heavily affected by human activities, they are almost not directly fished. Since the vast majority of the historical data existing is linked to exploited resources, it is particularly difficult to find useful data about these communities. In this thesis the changes of some benthic hard-bottom communities of the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea) were reconstructed, integrating different methods (time series vs. temporal comparison), time scales (pluriannual vs. multidecadal), data sources (scientific vs. non scientific photography) and substrates (natural vs. artificial). Moreover, the potential of non-scientific photography to serve as unconventional source of data for these communities was investigated

Dispositivi mobili per un\u2019educazione linguistica inclusiva. App e italiano L2 per migranti

The contribution provides an overview of how mobile devices may be integrated into language education for migrants. The first paragraph focuses on the heterogeneity of the migrant population in Italy. In the following paragraph, we argue that Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) may support the personalisation of learning and the hybridisation between classroom and extracurricular. Since the choice of the app may not be easy, we introduce, in the third paragraph, a reference framework for MALL, and we examine four mobile apps for Italian language. We conclude that mobile apps may support the linguistic inclusion and we try to envisage some areas of potential development for this field

Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique)

The diversity of Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique) has been evaluated; this paper presents the first taxonomic effort devoted to sponges in the area, while studies of closeby areas are quite dated. Overall, 55 specimens were examined, leading to 26 described species; among these, four are new (Hyattella sulfurea Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., H. pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., Amphimedon palmata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov. and Phoriospongia mozambiquensis Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov.) and four (Chondrosia corticata Thiele, 1900, Callyspongia (Cladochalina) aerizusa Desqueyroux-Faundez, 1984, Clathria (Thalysias) hirsuta Hooper & Levi, 1993 and Ciocalypta heterostyla Hentschel, 1912) are new records for the Indian Ocean. For Callyspongia (Euplacella) abnormis Pulitzer-Finali, 1993, Callyspongia (Callyspongia) pulitzeri Van Soest & Hooper, 2020 and Amphimedon brevispiculifera (Dendy, 1905) this represents the first record after their initial discovery. The majority of the species have a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but species from South and East Africa have also been recorded. These data highlight the characteristic of Ponta do Ouro as a transitional zone, located between a tropical and temperate biogeographic province, as well as the importance of increasing biodiversity knowledge of this biogeographic border to monitor possible shifts in the area as a consequence of climate crisis

Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique)

The diversity of Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique) has been evaluated; this paper presents the first taxonomic effort devoted to sponges in the area, while studies of closeby areas are quite dated. Overall, 55 specimens were examined, leading to 26 described species; among these, four are new (Hyattella sulfurea Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., H. pedunculata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov., Amphimedon palmata Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov. and Phoriospongia mozambiquensis Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov.) and four (Chondrosia corticata Thiele, 1900, Callyspongia (Cladochalina) aerizusa Desqueyroux-Faundez, 1984, Clathria (Thalysias) hirsuta Hooper & Levi, 1993 and Ciocalypta heterostyla Hentschel, 1912) are new records for the Indian Ocean. For Callyspongia (Euplacella) abnormis Pulitzer-Finali, 1993, Callyspongia (Callyspongia) pulitzeri Van Soest & Hooper, 2020 and Amphimedon brevispiculifera (Dendy, 1905) this represents the first record after their initial discovery. The majority of the species have a wide distribution in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, but species from South and East Africa have also been recorded. These data highlight the characteristic of Ponta do Ouro as a transitional zone, located between a tropical and temperate biogeographic province, as well as the importance of increasing biodiversity knowledge of this biogeographic border to monitor possible shifts in the area as a consequence of climate crisis

Do colonies of Lytocarpia myriophyllum, L. 1758 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) affect the biochemical composition and the meiofaunal diversity of surrounding sediments?

Lytocarpia myriophyllum, the biggest hydroid of the Mediterranean, lives at soft bottoms. It is severely threatened by bottom trawling activities. To assess its possible influence on trophodynamics and biodiver- sity of surrounding sediments, we compared the organic matter content and biochemical composition, and meiofaunal biodiversity in sediments below L. myriophyllum colonies and in surrounding bare sediments. Below L. myriophyllum sediments, the protein to carbohydrate ratio, the lipid contents and meiofaunal abundance showed values higher than in bare sediments, suggesting that L. myriophyllum may influ- ence the availability of resources for benthic consumers. The richness of meiofaunal taxa and nematode species generally decreased from below the colonies to bare sediments suggesting that the presence of L. myriophyllum colonies can have a certain influence also on benthic biodiversity. The possible influence of L. myriophyllum on trophodynamics and biodiversity of neighbouring soft bottoms claims for efforts to increase our knowledge about the trophodynamics of mesophotic coral forests and to develop adequate measures of conservation of these important and threatened habitats