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Ridall A, Maciute A, Nascimento FJA, Bonaglia S, Ingels J. Microplastic-induced shifts in bioturbation and oxygen penetration depth in subtidal sediments. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 209:117074. [PMID: 39413475 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2024] [Revised: 09/27/2024] [Accepted: 09/27/2024] [Indexed: 10/18/2024]
Abstract
Interstitial meiofauna, organisms smaller than 500 μm that live between sediment grains, are the most abundant animals on Earth. They play crucial roles in biogeochemical cycles, but their responses to microplastics (MPs) remain understudied. Due to their size, meiofauna may be particularly vulnerable to MPs. We quantified how realistic levels of MP contamination affect bioturbation, oxygen penetration depth (OPD), and diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU) in sediment mesocosms over thirteen days. Bioturbation depth and OPD increased, while DOU decreased across all treatments. However, sediments containing MPs had lower bioturbation depth and slightly higher OPD compared to controls. The reduction in bioturbation was likely due to meiofauna stress, while the highest MP contamination caused increased bioturbation depth, likely due to evasion responses. Increased OPD over time was likely due to reduced labile organic matter. This study highlights how bioturbation, OPD, and DOU shift with MP pollution, confirming MPs' impacts on ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Ridall
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, 3618 Coastal Highway 98, St Teresa, FL 32358, USA.
| | - Adele Maciute
- Department of Marine Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden.
| | - Francisco J A Nascimento
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm 10691, Sweden.
| | - Stefano Bonaglia
- Department of Marine Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden.
| | - Jeroen Ingels
- Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, 3618 Coastal Highway 98, St Teresa, FL 32358, USA.
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Agnetta D, Bonaviri C, Badalamenti F, Di Trapani F, Gianguzza P. Coralline barrens and benthic mega-invertebrates: An intimate connection. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 199:106579. [PMID: 38851081 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Despite considerable progress in understanding the transition from algal forests to coralline barrens, knowledge of coralline barren ecosystems in terms of community composition and functioning is still sparse and important gaps remain to be filled. Using a barren/forest patch system, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of coralline barren enhances the abundance and diversity of benthic mega-invertebrates. We also analysed trophic functional diversity through isotopic analyses of δ13C and δ15N. The distribution of benthic mega-invertebrates biomass differed markedly between coralline barren and algal forest, being more abundant and diverse in the barren state. Isotopic diversity metrics of the benthic mega-invertebrates assemblage indicated comparable trophic structure between the two states, although higher isotopic uniqueness in coralline barren was determined by sea urchins, especially A. lixula, and carnivorous starfish. We showed that in a patchy coralline barren/algal forest system, a more diversified benthic mega-invertebrates assemblage in the barren caused limited trophodynamic changes. This was possibly determined by the behaviour of some trophic groups such as filter feeders, deposit feeders and omnivores. Finally, our results evidence the close association between coralline barrens and benthic mega-invertebrates, contradicting the common view of coralline barrens as depauperate habitats with low diversity and productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Agnetta
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Trieste Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonaviri
- Department of Earth and Marine Science DiSTeM, University of Palermo; Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Center, 61032, Fano, Italy
| | - Fabio Badalamenti
- CNR-IAS - Institute of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in Marine Environment, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo complesso Roosevelt 90149, Palermo; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Paola Gianguzza
- Department of Earth and Marine Science DiSTeM, University of Palermo; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133 Palermo, Italy.
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Ruberti N, Brundu G, Ceccherelli G, Grech D, Guala I, Loi B, Farina S. Intensive sea urchin harvest rescales Paracentrotus lividus population structure and threatens self-sustenance. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16220. [PMID: 38025682 PMCID: PMC10666612 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The harvest of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is intensively practiced in some regions of the Western Mediterranean Sea. The removal of the largest individuals can determine an overall reduction in population size and a size class truncation that can lead to a drastic drop the self-sustenance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the variability of the population reproductive potential across 5 years in one of the main harvest hotspots of Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea). The breeding stock consists of commercial and under-commercial size individuals which were sampled on a monthly basis to estimate their GonadoSomatic Index (GSI) and the Individual Gamete Output (IGO). In addition, the reproductive potential of the population-Total Gamete Output (TGO)-was calculated across the 5-year period in relation with the variation of the density of the breeding stock. During the last year, the reproductive potential was also estimated in a well-conserved population of a nearby Marine Protected Area. No significant variability in GSI and IGO was found over the 5 years nor when compared with the ones of protected population in the last year. However, the intensive harvest drastically rescaled the population body-size: although density of the commercial size class remained low, density of the under-commercial size-class halved from the beginning to the end of the study. Accordingly, the proportional decrease of their gamete output contribution led to a 40% loss of the reproductive potential of the whole population in the 5-year period. Interestingly, despite the loss of reproductive potential due to the decrease of the breeding stock density, the average values of IGO slightly increased across the years leading to the highest Annual Gamete Output (AGO) during the fourth year of sampling. This positive pattern could suggest a mechanism of reproductive investments of the survivors in terms of gonad production rate or increase in spawning intensity. This work provides evidence of the direct effect of size-selective harvesting on the rapid loss of population self-sustenance. Furthermore, it lays new prospective for future research of the indirect effects of the rescaling population body-size in functional traits of the sea urchin P. lividus and that could become important for both, sustainable exploitation and ecosystem conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Ruberti
- Department of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Gianni Brundu
- IMC-International Marine Centre, Torre Grande (OR), Italy
| | - Giulia Ceccherelli
- Department of Chemical Physical Mathematical and Natural Science, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniele Grech
- IMC-International Marine Centre, Torre Grande (OR), Italy
| | - Ivan Guala
- IMC-International Marine Centre, Torre Grande (OR), Italy
| | - Barbara Loi
- IMC-International Marine Centre, Torre Grande (OR), Italy
| | - Simone Farina
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn–National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre, Genoa, Italy
- National Research Council, Institute for the study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), Torre Grande, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
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Bevilacqua S, Airoldi L, Ballesteros E, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Boero F, Bulleri F, Cebrian E, Cerrano C, Claudet J, Colloca F, Coppari M, Di Franco A, Fraschetti S, Garrabou J, Guarnieri G, Guerranti C, Guidetti P, Halpern BS, Katsanevakis S, Mangano MC, Micheli F, Milazzo M, Pusceddu A, Renzi M, Rilov G, Sarà G, Terlizzi A. Mediterranean rocky reefs in the Anthropocene: Present status and future concerns. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2021; 89:1-51. [PMID: 34583814 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Global change is striking harder and faster in the Mediterranean Sea than elsewhere, where high levels of human pressure and proneness to climate change interact in modifying the structure and disrupting regulative mechanisms of marine ecosystems. Rocky reefs are particularly exposed to such environmental changes with ongoing trends of degradation being impressive. Due to the variety of habitat types and associated marine biodiversity, rocky reefs are critical for the functioning of marine ecosystems, and their decline could profoundly affect the provision of essential goods and services which human populations in coastal areas rely upon. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of the status of rocky reefs, trends in human-driven changes undermining their integrity, and current and upcoming management and conservation strategies, attempting a projection on what could be the future of this essential component of Mediterranean marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislao Bevilacqua
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy.
| | - Laura Airoldi
- Stazione Idrobiologica di Chioggia "Umberto D'Ancona", Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
| | | | - Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Boero
- Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy; National Research Council, Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabio Bulleri
- Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emma Cebrian
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, Girona, Spain
| | - Carlo Cerrano
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Joachim Claudet
- National Center for Scientific Research, PSL Université Paris, CRIOBE, USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE-UPVD, Maison des Océans, Paris, France
| | - Francesco Colloca
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Stazione Zoologica A. Dohrn-National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Coppari
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Franco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily, Palermo, Italy
| | - Simonetta Fraschetti
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Joaquim Garrabou
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain; Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Marseille, France
| | - Giuseppe Guarnieri
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Guidetti
- National Research Council, Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), Genoa, Italy; Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica A. Dohrn-National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Naples, Italy
| | - Benjamin S Halpern
- National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States; Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | | | - Maria Cristina Mangano
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fiorenza Micheli
- Hopkins Marine Station and Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States
| | - Marco Milazzo
- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Monia Renzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy
| | - Gil Rilov
- National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gianluca Sarà
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Terlizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare, Rome, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
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6
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Pusceddu A, Mikhno M, Giglioli A, Secci M, Pasquini V, Moccia D, Addis P. Foraging of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) on invasive allochthonous and autochthonous algae. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 170:105428. [PMID: 34325276 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Attempts to control marine invasive alien species (IAS) with native predators gained contrasting results, so far. To explore the feasibility of this approach to control the invasive marine alga Caulerpa cylindracea, we investigated the foraging behaviour of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus on three native macroalgae (Ulva sp., Penicillus capitatus and Cystoseira compressa) and on C. cylindracea. The consumption rate of C. cylindracea fresh biomass resulted larger than that of the other algae, when offered separately or in combination. C. cylindracea, however, was not the most attractive food item. The larger consumption rates of C. cylindracea can be explained by its specific caloric content (as assessed by its biochemical composition) that is lower than that of the other algae. Our results confirm that P. lividus can feed on C. cylindracea, but do not fully support its use to control C. cylindracea, unless in conditions where this alga is largely dominant because of other factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pusceddu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Marta Mikhno
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Angelica Giglioli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marco Secci
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Viviana Pasquini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Davide Moccia
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Pierantonio Addis
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via T. Fiorelli, 1, 09126, Cagliari, Italy
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