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Pinna M, Zangaro F, Specchia V. Assessing benthic macroinvertebrate communities' spatial heterogeneity in Mediterranean transitional waters through eDNA metabarcoding. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17890. [PMID: 39095544 PMCID: PMC11297313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-69043-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Transitional waters are important habitats both for biodiversity and ecological functions, providing valuable natural resources and relevant ecosystem services. However, they are highly susceptible to climate changes and anthropogenic pressures responsible for biodiversity losses and require specific biomonitoring programs. Benthic macroinvertebrates are suitable as ecological indicators of transitional waters, being affected by biological, chemical, and physical conditions of the ecosystems about their life cycles and space-use behaviour. The advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies has allowed biodiversity investigations, at the molecular level, in multiple ecosystems and for different ecological guilds. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities' composition has been investigated, at the molecular level, mainly through DNA extracted from sediments in marine and riverine ecosystems. In this work, benthic macroinvertebrate communities are explored through eDNA metabarcoding from water samples in a Mediterranean transitional water ecosystem. This research highlighted the validity of eDNA metabarcoding as an efficient tool for the assessment of benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in transitional waters, unveiling the spatial heterogeneity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities correlated to the measured environmental gradients. The results suggest that peculiar features of transitional water ecosystems, such as shallow waters and limited currents, facilitate the assessment of benthic macroinvertebrate communities through environmental DNA analysis from surface water samples, opening for more rapid and accurate monitoring programs for these valuable ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Pinna
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Via Monteroni 165, 73100, Lecce, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133, Palermo, Italy
- Research Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Acquatina di Frigole, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Francesco Zangaro
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Via Monteroni 165, 73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Valeria Specchia
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, Via Monteroni 165, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133, Palermo, Italy.
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Martínez-Megías C, Rico A. Biodiversity impacts by multiple anthropogenic stressors in Mediterranean coastal wetlands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 818:151712. [PMID: 34800444 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean coastal wetlands are considered biodiversity hot-spots and contain a high number of endemic species. The biodiversity of these ecosystems is endangered by several pressures resulting from agricultural and urban expansion, climate change, and the alteration of their hydrological cycle. In this study we assess the state-of-the-art regarding the impact of several stressor groups on the biodiversity of Mediterranean coastal wetlands (i.e., lagoons, marshes, estuaries). Particularly, we describe the impacts of eutrophication, chemical pollution, invasive species, salinization, and temperature rise, and analyze the existing literature regarding the impact of multiple stressors on these ecosystems. Our study denotes a clear asymmetry both in terms of study areas and stressors evaluated. The majority of studies focus on lagoons and estuaries of the north-west parts of the Mediterranean basin, while the African and the Asian coast have been less represented. Eutrophication and chemical pollution were the most studied stressors compared to others like temperature rise or species invasions. Most studies evaluating these stressors individually show direct or indirect effects on the biodiversity of primary producers and invertebrate communities, and changes in species dominance patterns that contribute to a decline of endemic populations. The few available studies addressing stressor interactions have shown non-additive responses, which are important to define appropriate ecosystem management and restoration measures. Finally, we propose research needs to advance our understanding on the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on Mediterranean coastal wetlands and to guide future interventions to protect biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Martínez-Megías
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; University of Alcalá, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona KM 33.600, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andreu Rico
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, c/ Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
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Carstensen J, Conley DJ, Almroth-Rosell E, Asmala E, Bonsdorff E, Fleming-Lehtinen V, Gustafsson BG, Gustafsson C, Heiskanen AS, Janas U, Norkko A, Slomp C, Villnäs A, Voss M, Zilius M. Factors regulating the coastal nutrient filter in the Baltic Sea. AMBIO 2020; 49:1194-1210. [PMID: 31707582 PMCID: PMC7128010 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01282-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The coastal zone of the Baltic Sea is diverse with strong regional differences in the physico-chemical setting. This diversity is also reflected in the importance of different biogeochemical processes altering nutrient and organic matter fluxes on the passage from land to sea. This review investigates the most important processes for removal of nutrients and organic matter, and the factors that regulate the efficiency of the coastal filter. Nitrogen removal through denitrification is high in lagoons receiving large inputs of nitrate and organic matter. Phosphorus burial is high in archipelagos with substantial sedimentation, but the stability of different burial forms varies across the Baltic Sea. Organic matter processes are tightly linked to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. Moreover, these processes are strongly modulated depending on composition of vegetation and fauna. Managing coastal ecosystems to improve the effectiveness of the coastal filter can reduce eutrophication in the open Baltic Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Carstensen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Daniel J. Conley
- Department of Geology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Eero Asmala
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Erik Bonsdorff
- Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, BioCity, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | | | - Bo G. Gustafsson
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
- Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Camilla Gustafsson
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | | | - Urzsula Janas
- Department of Experimental Ecology of Marine Organisms, Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdańsk, al. Marsz. J. Pilsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia, Poland
| | - Alf Norkko
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Caroline Slomp
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Villnäs
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palmenin tie 260, 10900 Hanko, Finland
| | - Maren Voss
- Department of Biological Oceanography, Leibniz Institute of Baltic Sea Research, Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
| | - Mindaugas Zilius
- Marine Research Institute, Universiteto al. 17, 92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania
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Al-Janabi B, Kruse I, Graiff A, Winde V, Lenz M, Wahl M. Buffering and Amplifying Interactions among OAW (Ocean Acidification & Warming) and Nutrient Enrichment on Early Life-Stage Fucus vesiculosus L. (Phaeophyceae) and Their Carry Over Effects to Hypoxia Impact. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0152948. [PMID: 27043710 PMCID: PMC4820272 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ocean acidification and warming (OAW) are occurring globally. Additionally, at a more local scale the spreading of hypoxic conditions is promoted by eutrophication and warming. In the semi-enclosed brackish Baltic Sea, occasional upwelling in late summer and autumn may expose even shallow-water communities including the macroalga Fucus vesiculosus to particularly acidified, nutrient-rich and oxygen-poor water bodies. During summer 2014 (July-September) sibling groups of early life-stage F. vesiculosus were exposed to OAW in the presence and absence of enhanced nutrient levels and, subsequently to a single upwelling event in a near-natural scenario which included all environmental fluctuations in the Kiel Fjord, southwestern Baltic Sea, Germany (54°27 ´N, 10°11 ´W). We strove to elucidate the single and combined impacts of these potential stressors, and how stress sensitivity varies among genetically different sibling groups. Enhanced by a circumstantial natural heat wave, warming and acidification increased mortalities and reduced growth in F. vesiculosus germlings. This impact, however, was mitigated by enhanced nutrient conditions. Survival under OAW conditions strongly varied among sibling groups hinting at a substantial adaptive potential of the natural Fucus populations in the Western Baltic. A three-day experimental upwelling caused severe mortality of Fucus germlings, which was substantially more severe in those sibling groups which previously had been exposed to OAW. Our results show that global (OAW), regional (nutrient enrichment) and local pressures (upwelling), both alone and co-occurring may have synergistic and antagonistic effects on survival and/or growth of Fucus germlings. This result emphasizes the need to consider combined stress effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balsam Al-Janabi
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Benthic Ecology Group, Kiel, Germany
| | - Inken Kruse
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Benthic Ecology Group, Kiel, Germany
| | - Angelika Graiff
- University of Rostock, Institute of Biological Sciences, Applied Ecology and Phycology, Rostock, Germany
| | - Vera Winde
- Leibniz Institute of Baltic Sea Research, Geochemistry & Isotope Biogeochemistry Group, Department of Marine Geology, Warnemünde, Germany
| | - Mark Lenz
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Benthic Ecology Group, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Wahl
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Benthic Ecology Group, Kiel, Germany
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Combined Impacts of Medium Term Socio-Economic Changes and Climate Change on Water Resources in a Managed Mediterranean Catchment. WATER 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/w7041538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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León VM, Moreno-González R, González E, Martínez F, García V, Campillo JA. Interspecific comparison of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and persistent organochlorines bioaccumulation in bivalves from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2013; 463-464:975-987. [PMID: 23872249 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.06.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Revised: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was characterized in cockle, oyster and noble pen shell from nine areas in the Mar Menor lagoon with different hydrodynamic and pollutant sources. Biota, sediment and water samples were simultaneously collected in the spring and autumn of 2010. Considering all bivalve samples, PAH concentrations ranged from 8.98 to 370 μg·kg(-1) d.w., those of PCBs from 0.15 to 42.36 μg·kg(-1) d.w. and those of DDXs from below detection limit to 240.6 μg·kg(-1) d.w., where p,p'-DDE was the main fraction. The bioaccumulation of PAHs was similar for cockle, oyster and noble pen shell, being higher close to ports and wastewater effluents. However, DDX and PCB bioaccumulations in oyster and noble pen shell were significantly higher than in cockle in spring (p=0.02). The first organic pollutant bioaccumulation data for noble pen shell were obtained in this study, showing a preferential accumulation of pyrene. The increase of PAH bioaccumulation in autumn, as compared to spring, was low, due to high water temperatures during the summer, which favoured PAH dissipation processes. No significant seasonal variations were detected for OCPs and PCBs, except in some specific areas. The PAH, PCB and OCP levels detected in these bivalves were lower than OSPAR/MED POL environmental assessment criteria, except for p,p'-DDE in bivalves sited close to El Albujón watercourse mouth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor M León
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, Apdo. 22, C/ Varadero 1, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia, Spain.
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