Can fluctuating asymmetry in Talitrus saltator (Montagu, 1808) (Crustacea, Amphipoda) populations be used as a bioindicator of stress on sandy beach ecosystems?
This study focused on verifying the fluctuating asymmetry hypothesis in the
crustacean Talitrus saltator, which lives in sandy beaches. We analysed three
populations, one from an unpolluted Tuscan beach relatively free of tourism,
and two from Sicilian beaches, which have been increasingly used for tourism
and have been exposed to hydrocarbon/pesticide pollution. Results confirmed
the sexual dimorphism in the second antennae flagella, which in the Tuscan
population presented directional asymmetry. This population had a significant
level of fluctuating asymmetry in the P6 and P3 meri. The results showed the
importance of the developmental stage during which environmental mechanical
stresses act
