direct and indirect impacts of marine acidification on the ecosystem services provided by coralligenous reefs and seagrass systems

Increasing emissions of CO2 and the resultant ocean acidification (OA) will have large implications for the marine ecosystems sustained by habitat-forming species and their related ecosystem services (ES), with potentially significant impacts on human well-being. Here, we provide an assessment of the direct and indirect impacts of OA on ES. The changes in the functioning of coralligenous reefs and Posidonia oceanica meadows promoted by OA were investigated by i) synthesizing current knowledge into conceptual models. The models were then used to, ii) assessing the impacts of exposure of the selected taxa at the acidification level associated with two CO2 emission scenarios and iii) using the conceptual model outputs to project the cascading impacts from individuals to functions to ES.The results highlight that the combination of the direct and indirect effects of acidification will alter many functions of both coralligenous and P.oceanica systems, triggering habitat modifications and the loss of highly valuable ES.While the exact timing of the expected changes will depend on the severity of the emission scenarios, significant and hardly reversible changes can be expected as quickly as a few decades under the business-as-usual scenario, and many ecosystem services are at risk even under much more conservative scenarios. Keywords: Ocean acidification, Posidonia oceanica, Coralligenous, Ecosystem services, Mediterranean sea, Conceptual model

Cultural Ecosystem Services Provided by Coralligenous Assemblages and Posidonia oceanica in the Italian Seas

Posidonia oceanica meadows and coralligenous reefs are two Mediterranean ecosystems that are recognized as suppliers of valuable ecosystem services (ESs), including cultural services. However, valuation studies on these ecosystems are scarce; rather, studies have mainly focused on provisioning and regulating services. Here we focus on the cultural services provided by P. oceanica and coralligenous assemblages by addressing a specific group of users. Through an online survey submitted to Italian scuba divers, we assess their willingness to pay for a dive in the two ecosystems and how their preferences will change under different degradation scenarios. Diving preferences are assessed using a discrete choice experiment. The results confirmed that ecological knowledge is associated with higher ecosystem values. Moreover, the results confirm and assess how a high degradation of coralligenous and P. oceanica habitats would reduce the value of the underwater environment, by decreasing scuba diver satisfaction and their rate of return visits. Considering a 50% reduction in the coverage of keystone species, the marginal willingness to pay decreased by approximately (sic)56 and (sic)18 for coralligenous reefs and P. oceanica, respectively, while the willingness to pay decreased by approximately (sic)108 and (sic)34, respectively, when there was a total reduction in coverage. Our results can be used to support marine ecosystem based management and the non-destructive use of Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadows and coralligenous reefs

Effect of orthopedic and functional orthodontic treatment in children with obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis

: Orthodontic treatment is suggested in growing individuals to correct transverse maxillary deficiency and mandibular retrusion. Since, as a secondary effect, these orthodontic procedures may improve pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this systematic review assessed their effects on apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen saturation (SaO2). Twenty-five (25) manuscripts were included for qualitative synthesis, 19 were selected for quantitative synthesis. Five interventions were analyzed: rapid maxillary expansion (RME, 15 studies), mandibular advancement (MAA, five studies), myofunctional therapy (MT, four studies), and RME combined with MAA (one study). RME produced a significant AHI reduction and minimum SaO2 increase immediately after active treatment, at six and 12 months from baseline. A significant AHI reduction was also observed six and 12 months after the beginning of MAA treatment. MT showed positive effects, with different protocols. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of data from mainly uncontrolled studies, interceptive orthodontic treatments showed overall favorable effects on respiratory outcomes in pediatric OSA. However, due to the low to very low level of the body evidence, this treatment cannot be suggested as elective for OSA treatment. An orthodontic indication is needed to support this therapy and a careful monitoring is required to ensure positive improvement in OSA parameters

Mapping human impacts to support sustainable uses of marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean sea

European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, 23-27 May 2022, Vienna, AustriaLocal and global anthropogenic pressures due to climate change and to local uses and activities are exerting significant cumulative impacts to greater extents of the oceans and seas. Coastal ecosystems are particularly threatened by the intensity and coexistence of several marine uses and pressures, including sewage and urban constructions, tourism, ship traffic, fisheries and aquaculture. Assessment of pressures and the identification of mitigation measures are key urgent actions, as already highlighted by the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14. The aim of this work, developed within the Interreg-Med project SHAREMED, is to systematize existing knowledge on threats and pollution, including those of transboundary origin, for long term strategies and common action marine spatial planning, jointly developed with stakeholders. The quest is to assess coexisting environmental threats, and their propagation in space and time, at proper spatial and temporal scales, according to the type and action of each stressor (i.e. global vs. local). Cumulative pressures are tackled within a dedicated Atlas comprising three sub-basinsins of the Mediterranean Sea: the North Adriatic Sea, the Sicilian Channel and the North-Western region. The Atlas integrates information generated at the best available resolutions by 1) in-situ sampling, 2) remote observations, 3) numerical models, and 4) focusing on target ecosystems and habitat forming species. These sub-basins are subjected to multiple local and larger scale (e.g. climate) pressures that propagate in space and time, and across political boundaries, that need to be addressed through coordinated actions, based on evidence-rooted common understanding. Interactions with relevant Stakeholders, solicited through an online survey, and meetings, were used to select target ecosystems and to identify the key relevant pressures. The Atlas is based on open-access databases and portals, literature reviews and from ad-hoc model simulations concerning marine heatwaves, ship traffic, oil pollution, marine litter and fishing efforts. We will present the main preliminary results and needs and gaps in observations related to marine ecosystems threatsPeer reviewe

Effects of ocean acidification on benthic organisms in the Mediterranean Sea under realistic climatic scenarios: A meta-analysis

Ocean acidification is expected to cause significant changes in the marine environment over the coming century. The effects of acidificationonorganisms\u2019 physiology have been studied over the pasttwodecades. However, the experimental findings are not always easily comparable because of differences in experi- mental design, and comparable experimentsdonot always produce similar results. To rigorously integrate the current knowledge, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies focused on benthic organisms in the Mediterranean Sea, both in controlled manipulative experiments and in situ experiments near vent areas. In each experiment, the effect of acidification was calculated as the log-transformed response ratio (LnRR) of experimental versus control conditions. The quantitative results obtained by the meta-analysis highlight: (a) an increase in fleshy algae cover, which may lead to a competitive advantage over calcify- ing macroalgae; (b) a reduction of calcification by both algae and corals; (c) an increase in seagrass shoot density under low pH; and (d) a general increase in the photosynthetic activity of macrophytes

Copernicus Marine Service Ocean State Report, Issue 4

The 4th edition of the Copernicus Marine Service Ocean State Report (OSR 4) published in 2020 provides information on changes and variations in the ocean over the past decades, with a focus on changes in the marine environment during the year 2018. It is written by 140 scientific experts from more than 30 institutions and draws from the marine monitoring capabilities of the Copernicus Marine Service.The authors would like to thank the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) for providing data. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2019), through national funds.Article signat per 142 autors/es: Karina von Schuckmann (Editor), Pierre-Yves Le Traon (Editor), Neville Smith (Chair) (Review Editor), Ananda Pascual (Review Editor), Samuel Djavidnia (Review Editor), Jean-Pierre Gattuso (Review Editor), Marilaure Grégoire (Review Editor), Glenn Nolan (Review Editor), Signe Aaboe , Enrique Álvarez Fanjul , Lotfi Aouf , Roland Aznar , T. H. Badewien , Arno Behrens , Maristella Berta , Laurent Bertino , Jeremy Blackford , Giorgio Bolzon , Federica Borile , Marine Bretagnon , Robert J.W. Brewin , Donata Canu , Paola Cessi , Stefano Ciavatta , Bertrand Chapron , Thi Tuyet Trang Chau , Frédéric Chevallier , Boriana Chtirkova , Stefania Ciliberti , James R. Clark , Emanuela Clementi , Clément Combot , Eric Comerma , Anna Conchon , Giovanni Coppini , Lorenzo Corgnati , Gianpiero Cossarini , Sophie Cravatte , Marta de Alfonso , Clément de Boyer Montégut , Christian De Lera Fernández , Francisco Javier de los Santos , Anna Denvil-Sommer , Álvaro de Pascual Collar , Paulo Alonso Lourenco Dias Nunes , Valeria Di Biagio , Massimiliano Drudi , Owen Embury , Pierpaolo Falco , Odile Fanton d’Andon , Luis Ferrer , David Ford , H. Freund , Manuel García León , Marcos García Sotillo , José María García-Valdecasas , Philippe Garnesson , Gilles Garric , Florent Gasparin , Marion Gehlen , Ana Genua-Olmedo , Gerhard Geyer , Andrea Ghermandi , Simon A. Good , Jérôme Gourrion , Eric Greiner , Annalisa Griffa , Manuel González , Annalisa Griffa , Ismael Hernández-Carrasco , Stéphane Isoard , John J. Kennedy , Susan Kay , Anton Korosov , Kaari Laanemäe , Peter E. Land , Thomas Lavergne , Paolo Lazzari , Jean-François Legeais , Benedicte Lemieux , Bruno Levier , William Llovel , Vladyslav Lyubartsev , Pierre-Yves Le Traon , Vidar S. Lien , Leonardo Lima , Pablo Lorente , Julien Mader , Marcello G. Magaldi , Ilja Maljutenko , Antoine Mangin , Carlo Mantovani , Veselka Marinova , Simona Masina , Elena Mauri , J. Meyerjürgens , Alexandre Mignot , Robert McEwan , Carlos Mejia , Angélique Melet , Milena Menna , Benoît Meyssignac , Alexis Mouche , Baptiste Mourre , Malte Müller , Giulio Notarstefano , Alejandro Orfila , Silvia Pardo , Elisaveta Peneva , Begoña Pérez-Gómez , Coralie Perruche , Monika Peterlin , Pierre-Marie Poulain , Nadia Pinardi , Yves Quilfen , Urmas Raudsepp , Richard Renshaw , Adèle Révelard , Emma Reyes-Reyes , M. Ricker , Pablo Rodríguez-Rubio , Paz Rotllán , Eva Royo Gelabert , Anna Rubio , Inmaculada Ruiz-Parrado , Shubha Sathyendranath , Jun She , Karina von Schuckmann , Cosimo Solidoro , Emil V. Stanev , Joanna Staneva , Andrea Storto , Jian Su , Tayebeh Tajalli Bakhsh , Gavin H. Tilstone , Joaquín Tintoré , Cristina Toledano , Jean Tournadre , Benoit Tranchant , Rivo Uiboupin , Arnaud Valcarcel , Nadezhda Valcheva , Nathalie Verbrugge , Mathieu Vrac , J.-O. Wolff , Enrico Zambianchi , O. Zielinski , Ann-Sofie Zinck & Serena ZuninoPostprint (published version

Semisynthesis, Biological Activity, and Molecular Modeling Studies of C-Ring-Modified Camptothecins

The synthesis, biological activity, and molecular modeling studies of C-ring-modified camptothecins are reported. A general synthetic protocol, based on "C-5 camptothecin (C-5-CPT) enolate chemistry", allows one to obtain various C5-substituted analogues. All new compounds, obtained as 1:1 epimeric mixtures, were tested for their antiproliferative activity. Experimental data showed that all novel derivatives are less active than the reference compounds and that one of the two epimers is more active than the other. Molecular docking simulations were performed to achieve more insight into the interactions between the new C5-modified CPTs and Topo I. A good correlation was observed when the data of cytotoxicity and the values calculated for the free binding energy were combined

Ocean governance : knowledge systems, policy foundations and thematic analyses

Despite the progress in the international and regional governance efforts at the level of climate change, ocean acidification (OA) remains a global problem with profoundly negative environmental, social, and economical consequences. This requires extensive mitigation and adaptation effective strategies that are hindered by current shortcomings of governance. This multidisciplinary chapter investigates the risks of ocean acidification (OA) for aquaculture and fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea and its sub-basins and the role of regional adaptive governance to tackle the problem. The identified risks are based on the biological sensitivities of the most important aquaculture species and biogenic habitats and their exposure to the current and future predicted (2100) RCP 8.5 conditions. To link OA exposure and biological sensitivity, we produced spatially resolved and depth-related pH and aragonite saturation state exposure maps and overlaid these with the existing aquaculture industry in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean basin to demonstrate potential risk for the aquaculture in the future. We also identified fisheries’ vulnerability through the indirect effects of OA on highly sensitive biogenic habitats that serve as nursery and spawning areas, showing that some of the biogenic habitats are already affected locally under existing OA conditions and will be more severely impacted across the entire Mediterranean basin under 2100 scenarios. This provided a regional vulnerability assessment of OA hotspots, risks and gaps that created the baseline for discussing the importance of adaptive governance and recommendations for future OA mitigation/adaptation strategies. By understanding the risks under future OA scenarios and reinforcing the adaptability of the governance system at the science-policy interface, best informed, “situated” management response capability can be optimised to sustain ecosystem services.peer-reviewe

The data we have and the information we still need... lessons from SHAREMED consultation

10 Mediterranean Operational Network for the Global Ocean Observing System (MONGOOS) Workshop, 10 Years of Operational Oceanography in the Mediterranean Sea - Towards a Full Ocean Data Integration, 26-27 October 2021Scientific research priorities and the need for assessing the marine environmental status and appropriately manage natural resources have encouraged the development of multidisciplinary and a wide range of observing capabilities, ranging from discrete in situ sampling to the use of large scale satellite remote sensing. In addition, long-term efforts have been made by the EU as well as by international organisations (EMODnet, Copernicus, OBIS, IODE, Reef Check ¿) to collect, harmonise and make data and information available to different types of end-users. However, due to the complex and rapidly changing dynamics of marine ecosystems, current monitoring procedures in the Mediterranean need to be revised to address current and most urgent environmental threats. The Interreg Med project SHAREMED (Sharing and enhancing capabilities to address environmental threats in the Mediterranean Sea) organized a virtual workshop aimed to share knowledge on the state of the art of observation systems and to identify the main environmental threats in the Mediterranean Sea. Leading representatives of major international projects and initiatives in marine observation systems and relevant to address the main environmental threats the Mediterranean Sea participated in the workshop. Also, a wide range of stakeholders (research institutions, national, regional and local authorities, NGOs) across the Mediterranean region attended the online workshop while others were contributed through a SHAREMED online survey. The information gathered helped to compare data and information available from current observation systems with the needs to address present and future threats, and thus to identify and prioritise gaps that should be addressed in designing a future transnational joint observation system. The outcomes of the SHAREMED stakeholder consultation highlighted the need to improve, upgrade and integrate physical, biological and chemical observations and assessment systems to cover from high-resolution/small-scale to large scale processes. In addition, the results from this poll highlighted the need for more efficient governance, the establishment of cooperation frameworks, increase data sharing among different entities involved in marine monitoring and assessment and between neighbouring countries, as well as ensuring long-term sustainability of the transnational joint observation syste