First documented record of a living solemyid bivalve in a pockmark of the Nile Deep-sea Fan (eastern Mediterranean Sea)

A living specimen of a solemyid bivalve was collected at bathyal depths near a pockmark in the Nile Deep-sea Fan (eastern Mediterranean) and is here presented. Both taxonomic and molecular results suggest a Solemya species but due to the small size of the animal and the lack of molecular data for other solemyid species the species cannot be determined. This is the first record of a living solemyid from deep-sea cold seeps in the Mediterranean Basin.FCT - SFRH/ BPD/64154/2009ANR DEEP-OASES - ANRO6BDV005CHEMECO ESF EURODEEPMPG-CNRS-GDRE - DIWOO

The Yellow Coral Dendrophyllia cornigera in a Warming Ocean

Ocean warming is expected to impinge detrimentally on marine ecosystems worldwide up to impose extreme environmental conditions capable to potentially jeopardize the good ecological status of scleractinian coral reefs at shallow and bathyal depths. The integration of literature records with newly acquired remotely operated vehicle (ROV) data provides an overview of the geographic distribution of the temperate coral Dendrophyllia cornigera spanning the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the whole Mediterranean Sea. In addition, we extracted temperature values at each occurrence site to define the natural range of this coral, known to maintain its physiological processes at 16\ub0C. Our results document a living temperature range between 3c7\ub0C and 17\ub0C, suggesting that the natural thermal tolerance of this eurybathic coral may represent an advantage for its survival in a progressively warming ocean

Meiobenthos and nematode assemblages from different deep-sea habitats of the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Much attention is currently devoted at upgrading our knowledge on biodiversity and functioning of deep water ecosystems. Information is constantly enriched by researchers, even from basins as the long-studied Mediterranean Sea. In such a perspective, we studied meiobenthic and nematode communities inhabiting muddy sediments from three different habitats at bathyal depths in the Strait of Sicily: a cold-water coral site (CS) in the Maltese Coral Province, a muddy bottom in the same area (MS), and a hydrocarbon imprinted pockmark site (PS) in the Gela Basin. The average meiofauna density at CS (1343 ind/10 cm2) and MS (1804 ind/10 cm2) is much higher than that reported in literature for similar habitats; it is also markedly more elevated than that recorded at PS (224 ind/10 cm2). Although nematodes of the three sites show different abundances, they share similar assemblage structure. Nematodes (avg. 86%) and copepods (avg. 9.3%) were the most abundant meiofaunal taxa at all sites followed by annelids, kinorhynchs and turbellarians. Nematodes were composed by 21 families and 46 genera, with Terschellingia, as most abundant genus (12.4%), followed by Microlaimus (11%), Daptonema (11%), Thalassomonhystera (10.8%), Acantholaimus (9.5%) and Sabatieria (8.7%). The genera Thalassomonhystera, Terschellingia, Microlaimus, Daptonema, Chromadorita, Sabatieria, and Anticoma display a dominance in at least one station. The taxonomic structure of meiofaunal communities of the studied sites is rather similar but differences in relative abundance are evident

Promising primers for detection of phytoplasma causing coconut lethal yellowing disease in Mozambique

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Late Glacial to Preboreal sea-level rise recorded by the Rhône deltaic system (NW Mediterranean)

International audienceA unique late Glacial–Preboreal record of changes in sea-level and sediment fluxes originating from the Alps is recorded in the Rhône subaqueous delta in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The compilation of detailed bathymetric charts, together with high-resolution seismic profiles and long cores, reveals the detailed architecture of several sediment lobes, related to periods of decreased sea-level rise and/or increased sediment flux. They are situated along the retreat path of the Rhône distributaries, from the shelf edge and canyon heads up to the modern coastline. They form transgressive backstepping parasequences across the shelf, the late Holocene (highstand) deltas being confined to the inner shelf. The most prominent feature is an elongated paleo-shoreface/deltaic system, with an uppermost sandy fraction remolded into subaqueous dunes. A long piston core into the bottomsets of this prograding unit allows precise dating of this ancient deltaic system. In seismic data, it displays aggradation, starting at not, vert, similar 15 cal kyr BP, followed by progradation initiated during the first phase of the Younger Dryas, a period of reduced sea-level rise or stillstand. The delta kept pace with resumed sea-level rise during the Preboreal (which is estimated at about 1 cm/yr), as a result of increased sediment supply from the Alps (melting of glaciers and more humid climate “flushing” the sediment down to the sea). Abandonment of the delta occurred around 10,500 cal yr BP, that is to say about 1000 yr after the end of the Younger Dryas, probably because of decreased sediment flux

Global-scale genetic structure of a cosmopolitan cold-water coral species

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Addamo, A. M., Miller, K. J., Haussermann, V., Taviani, M., & Machordom, A. Global-scale genetic structure of a cosmopolitan cold-water coral species. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, (2020): 1-14, doi:10.1002/aqc.3421.1. When considering widely distributed marine organisms with low dispersal capabilities, there is often an implication that the distribution of cosmopolitan species is an artefact of taxonomy, constrained by the absence of characters for delimiting either sibling or cryptic species. Few studies have assessed the relationship among populations across the global range of the species' distribution, and the presence of oceanographic barriers that might influence gene flow among populations are underestimated. 2. In this study, evolutionary and ecological drivers of connectivity patterns have been inferred among populations of the cold‐water coral Desmophyllum dianthus, a common and widespread solitary scleractinian species, whose reproduction strategy and larval dispersal are still poorly unknown. 3. The genetic structure of D. dianthus was explored using 30 microsatellites in 347 specimens from 13 localities distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 4. Results clearly reveal genetically differentiated populations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (FST = 0.16, FSC = 0.01, FCT = 0.15, P‐values highly significant), and Chilean and New Zealand populations with independent genetic profiles. 5. Marine connectivity patterns at different spatial scales are discussed to characterize larval dispersal and gene flow through the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2011‐23306), and EU CoCoNET—“Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea‐based wind energy potential”—from FP7‐KKBE of the European Commission (project ID: 287844). This scientific contribution commits to EESF Cocarde, Italian Flag Ritmare, and Region Apulia Biomap programmes. This is scientific publication no. 1888 Ismar‐CNR Bologna. Funding to VH was partially provided through Fondecyt project nos. 1131039 and 1161699. This is publication no. 179 of Huinay Scientific Field Station

Recent Ostracod Fauna of the Western Ross Sea (Antarctica): A Poorly Known Ingredient of Polar Carbonate Factories

Ostracoda are a minor but recurrent component of Southern Ocean marine carbonate factories, and their low-Mg calcitic skeletal mineralogy helps in ensuring a noteworthy post-mortem resilience. Our study, based upon surface sediment occurrences, contributes to the better definition of their distribution vs. potential controlling factors in Antarctic waters. The ostracod fauna from the Western Ross Sea Shelf appears dominated by Australicythere polylyca, Australicythere devexa, Xestoleberis rigusa, Loxoreticulatum fallax, Cativella bensoni, Austrotrachyleberis antarctica and Patagonacythere longiducta, colonizing a variety of shelf environments along a wide bathymetric range. The abundance and richness values correlate well to nutrient distribution and sediment supply, primarily related to the circulation of different oceanographic regimes affecting the floor of the Ross Sea Shelf. Circumpolar Deep Water could represent the main factor controlling the distribution of ostracods. Similar results (high abundance and richness in ostracod values) were also recorded in the Terra Nova Bay and in a nearby area characterized by warm water rich in nutrients and composed of water of circumpolar origin flowing from the open ocean southwards onto the continental shelf. Particulate Fe (pFe), in suspended particulate matter (SPM), and other particulate trace metals in TNB could support the hypothesis that biogenic iron may significantly contribute to the bioavailable iron pool, sustaining both primary production and ostracod fauna richness in this area

Marine Climate Archives and Geochemical Proxies: a Review and Future Investigations on the Mediterranean Sea.

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Marine Dynamics and Biological Records: the Adamussium colbecki Multi-Proxy.

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