Chiantore, Mariachiara | University of Genova (original) (raw)
Papers by Chiantore, Mariachiara
Chemistry and Ecology, 2010
The Ligurian Sea is a deep basin in the northernmost sector of the western Mediterranean which sh... more The Ligurian Sea is a deep basin in the northernmost sector of the western Mediterranean which shows peculiar hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic features. The coasts of the Ligurian Sea are among the most urbanised and industrialised along the Italian coastline: the main causes of disturbance being littoral urban development and harbour activities, the building of littoral rail-and highways, and the presence of several polluted discharges. This review, by evaluating the huge scientific output published in the last three decades, describes and discusses the most important geological, hydrological and biological characteristics of the Ligurian Sea. We show that this regional sea has largely been investigated in terms of its geological and structural evolution, as well as in terms of the sedimentation dynamics of the littoral and deep bottoms, with particular attention to the sedimentation balance of the beaches and their erosive processes. We report that the prevalent hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic conditions favour a continuous exchange of coastal water masses, and that the seasonal and interannual dynamics of water masses can effects the local climate, with direct and indirect consequences on fish and benthic communities documented in the last decade. We stress that although recent studies offer good knowledge of the distribution of coastal benthic communities, only scant information is available for the whole continental shelf, the submarine canyons and the rocky bathyal bottoms. Our meta-analysis reveals that significant fishing activities are monitored, but also that certain sectors of the biological resource are suffering, and suggests the set up of appropriate management measures. The Ligurian Sea hosts a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of high relevance, while the institution of the Whale Sanctuary completes the protection policy of the Regione Liguria. Our meta-analysis points out the need for long-term studies, based primarily on the analysis of those areas of the Ligurian Sea that have been little investigated to date. Finally, only properly addressed studies, using experimental approaches and along appropriate spatial and temporal scales, might allow us to understand the functioning of the Ligurian marine ecosystems, evaluate their health conditions and the dynamics of the main variables that affect the distribution of the single species (including species of high economic value) and benthic communities.
Marine Environmental Research, 2019
Atmospheric pCO2 has increased since the industrial revolution leading to a lowering of the ocean... more Atmospheric pCO2 has increased since the industrial revolution leading to a lowering of the ocean surface water pH, a phenomenon called ocean acidification (OA). OA is claimed to be a major threat for marine organisms and ecosystems and, particularly, for Polar regions. We 2 explored the impact of OA on the shell mechanical properties of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki exposed for one month to acidified (pH 7.6) and natural conditions (unmanipulated littoral water), by performing Scanning Electron Microscopy, nanoindentation and Vickers indentation on the scallop shell. No effect of pH could be detected either in crystal deposition or in the mechanical properties. A. colbecki shell was found to be resistant to OA, which suggests this species to be able to face a climate change scenario that may threat the persistence of the endemic Antarctic species. Further investigation should be carried out in order to elucidate the destiny of this key species in light of global change.
Scientia Marina, 2005
This paper describes the conceptual framework of the Latitudinal Gradient Project that is being i... more This paper describes the conceptual framework of the Latitudinal Gradient Project that is being implemented by the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic programs along Victoria Land, Antarctica, from 72 o S to 86 o S to assess the dynamics and coupling of marine and terrestrial ecosystem in relation to global climate variability. Preliminary information about the research cruises from the R/V "Italica" and R/V "Tangaroa" along the Victoria Land Coast in 2004 is presented. As a global climate barometer, this research along Victoria Land provides a unique framework to assess latitudinal shifts in 'sentinel' environmental transition zones, where climate changes have an amplified impact on the phases of water.
Land Use Policy, 2011
The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a cat... more The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a catchment area such as the Segura River Basin. An intense use of hydrological resources has taken place in this semi-arid region of southern Spain, with the huge territorial transformation, demonstrated in the expansion of the irrigated areas and the growth of urbanization, principally in the last few decades. The provision of water to the population in particular has improved since the middle of the 20th century owing to the Mancomunidad de los Canales del Taibilla (MCT) and to their extraordinary development of hydrological infrastructure. The MCT also has to manage various resources, principally the transfer from the Tagus River to the Segura. Recently the guarantee in the water provision has given rise to water not been a limiting factor in urban development, with expansive urban schemes supported by the proliferation of golf courses. This is demonstrated in the current local urban planning and its projected scenarios, as much as in the territorial planning of the regional governments, which ignore the hydrological reality of the basin. This paper shows the territorial transformation and the existing planning of the area with the object of analyzing its integration with the new hydrological planning required by the WFD. For this work an analysis has been made of the evolution of the water demands for agricultural as well as urban, industrial and environmental requirements. Also the increase and diversification of the consumed hydrologic resources are studied and the hydrological planning actions to maintain them. Finally this paper advises on the difficulties in the implementation of the environmental requirements of the WFD in an area with such intensive consumption which has given rise to a substantial degradation of the hydrologic environment. However, due to the WFD addressing these issues there can be an anticipated process of recovery. The new environmental water needs entail the continuation of the water shortage with respect to agricultural use.
Chemistry and Ecology, 2004
... Doyotte, A., Cossu, C., Jacquin, MC, Babut, M., and Vasseur (1997). Antioxidant enzymes, glut... more ... Doyotte, A., Cossu, C., Jacquin, MC, Babut, M., and Vasseur (1997). Antioxidant enzymes, glutathione and lipid peroxidation as relevant biomarkers of experimental or field exposure in the gills and the digestive gland of the freshwater bivalve Unio tumidus. ... Forshaw, PJ (1977). ...
Aquaculture, 2012
Effects of dietary microalgae on growth, survival and fatty acid composition of sea urchin Parace... more Effects of dietary microalgae on growth, survival and fatty acid composition of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus throughout larval development.
Polar Biology, 2000
Hydractinia angusta Hartlaub, 1904 has been recorded at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) as ... more Hydractinia angusta Hartlaub, 1904 has been recorded at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) as epizoic on shells of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki. The species can exploit dierent trophic resources: ®rst, polyps are able to detach and ingest tube feet and pedicellariae from the sea urchins Sterechinus neumayeri, grazing on the scallop shell, and second, they also eat masses of benthic diatoms settled among the hydrorhiza of the colony. The particular relationship observed between the hydroid and one of the most common Antarctic sea urchins may prevent or reduce the damage to A. colbecki shells, otherwise caused by the grazing of sea urchins on the algal ®lm of the upper valve of the scallops. H. angusta is the ®rst known species of hydroid that exploits prey several times its own size and the second that does not ingest entire prey but portions of them. The use of benthic diatoms as a food resource has previously been documented for the sub-Antarctic marine hydroid Silicularia rosea.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is a microtidal system, where barometric pressure and local wa... more The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is a microtidal system, where barometric pressure and local wave exposure play the paramount role in sea water level variation. Herein, Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta and Cystoseira compressa are common species, generally co-occurring on exposed shores where they form a fucoid belt that characterise a narrow area called the infralittoral fringe. To better understand the eventual zonation patterns and the interspecific relationships of Cystoseira species, a multi-response manipulative experiment based on cross-transplantation, was set up. The fitness of the two species was assessed in terms of survival, growth and reproductive conditions; the role of a given Cystoseira and of the presence of a hard to measure environmental gradient was assessed on the recruitment of the two species and on the composition of assemblages re-colonising the bare substrate. Our results highlight a different response to the manipulation of the two species: while C. com...
Marine Drugs
Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to... more Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to harmful stimuli. In recent years, due to the increased understanding that oxidative stress is implicated in several diseases, pharmaceutical industries have invested in the research and development of new antioxidant compounds, especially from marine environment sources. Marine seaweeds have shown the presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites, with great potentialities from both the nutraceutical and the biomedical point of view. In this study, 50%-ethanolic and DMSO extracts from the species C. amentacea var. stricta were obtained for the first time from seaweeds collected in the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean). The bioactive properties of these extracts were then investigated, in terms of quantification of specific antioxidant activities by relevant ROS scavenging spectrophotometric tests, and of anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by evaluatio...
The pan-Mediterranean project M3-HABs regarding monitoring of harmful algal blooms, with particul... more The pan-Mediterranean project M3-HABs regarding monitoring of harmful algal blooms, with particular reference to the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis, started in 2014 in the framework of the ENPI-CBCMED Programme. The specific objective of the project was to provide a common strategy for monitoring benthic toxic microalgae, through the development of new, more efficient and common procedures and protocols, making the process mostly cost and time effective, allowing for most efficient monitoring designs, increasing the knowledge on environmental drivers affecting Ostreopsis blooms and translate this into a forecasting tool, and improving the general awareness of the risks related to Ostreopsis. The following results were obtained: a larger awareness of the risks associated with the Ostreopsis blooms, an appropriate diffusion of cautionary measures set up, the production of common monitoring protocols, the development of new technologies for species-specific identification and counti...
Polar Biology
Reproduction and condition of the scallop Adamussium colbecki (Smith 1902), the sea-urchin Sterec... more Reproduction and condition of the scallop Adamussium colbecki (Smith 1902), the sea-urchin Sterechinus neumayeri (Meissner 1900) and the sea-star Odontaster validus (Koehler 1911) at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea): different strategies related to inter-annual variations in food availability
Polar Biology
Adamussium colbecki is one of the most wellstudied Antarctic molluscs. However, information on it... more Adamussium colbecki is one of the most wellstudied Antarctic molluscs. However, information on its growth rate is currently based on estimates from mark and recapture experiments and from growth-ring analyses. This paper provides the first estimates of the growth pattern of this scallop throughout a year, for individuals maintained under both natural field and laboratory conditions. Results show size-related differences in growth rate, both in the field and in aquaria, with scallops in Terra Nova Bay growing faster than those kept in aquaria. Growth performances were lower than those reported in the literature.
![Research paper thumbnail of Erratum to “A new record of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder in the South Adriatic Sea” [Heliyon 5 (9), (September 2019), e02449]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/77562835/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Heliyon
In the original published version of this article, Table 1 was displayed incorrectly. A previous ... more In the original published version of this article, Table 1 was displayed incorrectly. A previous revision of the table was published in addition to the correct version of the table. The correct table is shown below. This error was introduced during the typesetting of the article, the publisher apologises for this error. Both the HTML and PDF versions of the article have been updated to correct the error.
Heliyon
The green alga Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most infamous and threatening invasive s... more The green alga Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most infamous and threatening invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 1985, it started rapidly spreading to all Mediterranean regions causing many ecological changes on natural communities. In the present study, we present an example of this proliferation with the first record in the Marine Protected Area of Tremiti Island (MPATI) in the South Adriatic Sea. Fifteen sites along the coast and 5 different depths have been investigated. Our results provide eveidence of a wide invasion of this pest in three islands, San Domino, San Nicola and Capraia. This study fills a particular data gap in the ongoing biomonitoring of invasive seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea representing a base line of this invasive species for the MPATI.
PeerJ
In the Mediterranean Sea, brown algae belonging to the Cystoseira genus play a valuable role as f... more In the Mediterranean Sea, brown algae belonging to the Cystoseira genus play a valuable role as foundation species. Due to evidences of regression/loss of the habitats of these species caused by the interplay of human and climatic disturbances, active restoration measures have been encouraged by EU regulations. In particular, nondestructive restoration techniques, which avoid the depletion of threatened species in donor populations, are strongly recommended. In the framework of the EU project ROCPOP-Life, the first ex situ outplanting experience of Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta has been implemented in the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area (northwestern Mediterranean). A total of 400 clay tiles, hosting approximately three mm-long germlings of C. amentacea, were fixed to the rocky shore with screws: the tiles were monitored for the next 2 months by photographic sampling, and survival (presence/absence of juveniles on the tiles), cover and growth were assessed. Additional samplin...
Aquaculture
Abstract This study evaluated the growth of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, fed with... more Abstract This study evaluated the growth of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, fed with two diets, in sea- and land-based systems compared to wild populations. The experiments investigated the effects of the feeding regimes on gonad yield, nutritional traits and overall quality. Sea-based trials were performed by the CNR of Taranto (Trial S), whereas land-based trials were performed in the facilities of the University of Cagliari (Trial L). Urchins fed with a laboratory prepared pelletized diet (P), and a mix diet PU (50% of P-Diet and 50% of fresh Ulva sp.) were compared to wild urchins (W). In both trials the experimental diets supported a gonad growth when compared to wild population (p
Ecological Indicators
This paper describes the adoption and validation of two innovative methods for the automated coun... more This paper describes the adoption and validation of two innovative methods for the automated count of Ostreopsis spp. concentration in sea water: a molecular assay based on RT-qPCR and an opto-electronic device implementing automatic recognition algorithms. The proposed approaches were tested on samples coming from different locations along the Mediterranean Sea and compared with the standard counting method based on microscopy observation by a taxonomy expert. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of both automatic approaches which provide a valuable tool, mostly cost and time effective, for the establishment of wide pan-Mediterranean monitoring strategies of Ostreopsis spp. blooms. Moreover, the two automatic methods demonstrated the ability to discriminate for the presence of a different but similar species, O. fattorussoi, for which new species-specific qPCR primers were developed.
Chemistry and Ecology, 2010
The Ligurian Sea is a deep basin in the northernmost sector of the western Mediterranean which sh... more The Ligurian Sea is a deep basin in the northernmost sector of the western Mediterranean which shows peculiar hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic features. The coasts of the Ligurian Sea are among the most urbanised and industrialised along the Italian coastline: the main causes of disturbance being littoral urban development and harbour activities, the building of littoral rail-and highways, and the presence of several polluted discharges. This review, by evaluating the huge scientific output published in the last three decades, describes and discusses the most important geological, hydrological and biological characteristics of the Ligurian Sea. We show that this regional sea has largely been investigated in terms of its geological and structural evolution, as well as in terms of the sedimentation dynamics of the littoral and deep bottoms, with particular attention to the sedimentation balance of the beaches and their erosive processes. We report that the prevalent hydrodynamic and meteo-oceanographic conditions favour a continuous exchange of coastal water masses, and that the seasonal and interannual dynamics of water masses can effects the local climate, with direct and indirect consequences on fish and benthic communities documented in the last decade. We stress that although recent studies offer good knowledge of the distribution of coastal benthic communities, only scant information is available for the whole continental shelf, the submarine canyons and the rocky bathyal bottoms. Our meta-analysis reveals that significant fishing activities are monitored, but also that certain sectors of the biological resource are suffering, and suggests the set up of appropriate management measures. The Ligurian Sea hosts a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of high relevance, while the institution of the Whale Sanctuary completes the protection policy of the Regione Liguria. Our meta-analysis points out the need for long-term studies, based primarily on the analysis of those areas of the Ligurian Sea that have been little investigated to date. Finally, only properly addressed studies, using experimental approaches and along appropriate spatial and temporal scales, might allow us to understand the functioning of the Ligurian marine ecosystems, evaluate their health conditions and the dynamics of the main variables that affect the distribution of the single species (including species of high economic value) and benthic communities.
Marine Environmental Research, 2019
Atmospheric pCO2 has increased since the industrial revolution leading to a lowering of the ocean... more Atmospheric pCO2 has increased since the industrial revolution leading to a lowering of the ocean surface water pH, a phenomenon called ocean acidification (OA). OA is claimed to be a major threat for marine organisms and ecosystems and, particularly, for Polar regions. We 2 explored the impact of OA on the shell mechanical properties of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki exposed for one month to acidified (pH 7.6) and natural conditions (unmanipulated littoral water), by performing Scanning Electron Microscopy, nanoindentation and Vickers indentation on the scallop shell. No effect of pH could be detected either in crystal deposition or in the mechanical properties. A. colbecki shell was found to be resistant to OA, which suggests this species to be able to face a climate change scenario that may threat the persistence of the endemic Antarctic species. Further investigation should be carried out in order to elucidate the destiny of this key species in light of global change.
Scientia Marina, 2005
This paper describes the conceptual framework of the Latitudinal Gradient Project that is being i... more This paper describes the conceptual framework of the Latitudinal Gradient Project that is being implemented by the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic programs along Victoria Land, Antarctica, from 72 o S to 86 o S to assess the dynamics and coupling of marine and terrestrial ecosystem in relation to global climate variability. Preliminary information about the research cruises from the R/V "Italica" and R/V "Tangaroa" along the Victoria Land Coast in 2004 is presented. As a global climate barometer, this research along Victoria Land provides a unique framework to assess latitudinal shifts in 'sentinel' environmental transition zones, where climate changes have an amplified impact on the phases of water.
Land Use Policy, 2011
The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a cat... more The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a great challenge for a catchment area such as the Segura River Basin. An intense use of hydrological resources has taken place in this semi-arid region of southern Spain, with the huge territorial transformation, demonstrated in the expansion of the irrigated areas and the growth of urbanization, principally in the last few decades. The provision of water to the population in particular has improved since the middle of the 20th century owing to the Mancomunidad de los Canales del Taibilla (MCT) and to their extraordinary development of hydrological infrastructure. The MCT also has to manage various resources, principally the transfer from the Tagus River to the Segura. Recently the guarantee in the water provision has given rise to water not been a limiting factor in urban development, with expansive urban schemes supported by the proliferation of golf courses. This is demonstrated in the current local urban planning and its projected scenarios, as much as in the territorial planning of the regional governments, which ignore the hydrological reality of the basin. This paper shows the territorial transformation and the existing planning of the area with the object of analyzing its integration with the new hydrological planning required by the WFD. For this work an analysis has been made of the evolution of the water demands for agricultural as well as urban, industrial and environmental requirements. Also the increase and diversification of the consumed hydrologic resources are studied and the hydrological planning actions to maintain them. Finally this paper advises on the difficulties in the implementation of the environmental requirements of the WFD in an area with such intensive consumption which has given rise to a substantial degradation of the hydrologic environment. However, due to the WFD addressing these issues there can be an anticipated process of recovery. The new environmental water needs entail the continuation of the water shortage with respect to agricultural use.
Chemistry and Ecology, 2004
... Doyotte, A., Cossu, C., Jacquin, MC, Babut, M., and Vasseur (1997). Antioxidant enzymes, glut... more ... Doyotte, A., Cossu, C., Jacquin, MC, Babut, M., and Vasseur (1997). Antioxidant enzymes, glutathione and lipid peroxidation as relevant biomarkers of experimental or field exposure in the gills and the digestive gland of the freshwater bivalve Unio tumidus. ... Forshaw, PJ (1977). ...
Aquaculture, 2012
Effects of dietary microalgae on growth, survival and fatty acid composition of sea urchin Parace... more Effects of dietary microalgae on growth, survival and fatty acid composition of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus throughout larval development.
Polar Biology, 2000
Hydractinia angusta Hartlaub, 1904 has been recorded at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) as ... more Hydractinia angusta Hartlaub, 1904 has been recorded at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) as epizoic on shells of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki. The species can exploit dierent trophic resources: ®rst, polyps are able to detach and ingest tube feet and pedicellariae from the sea urchins Sterechinus neumayeri, grazing on the scallop shell, and second, they also eat masses of benthic diatoms settled among the hydrorhiza of the colony. The particular relationship observed between the hydroid and one of the most common Antarctic sea urchins may prevent or reduce the damage to A. colbecki shells, otherwise caused by the grazing of sea urchins on the algal ®lm of the upper valve of the scallops. H. angusta is the ®rst known species of hydroid that exploits prey several times its own size and the second that does not ingest entire prey but portions of them. The use of benthic diatoms as a food resource has previously been documented for the sub-Antarctic marine hydroid Silicularia rosea.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is a microtidal system, where barometric pressure and local wa... more The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea is a microtidal system, where barometric pressure and local wave exposure play the paramount role in sea water level variation. Herein, Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta and Cystoseira compressa are common species, generally co-occurring on exposed shores where they form a fucoid belt that characterise a narrow area called the infralittoral fringe. To better understand the eventual zonation patterns and the interspecific relationships of Cystoseira species, a multi-response manipulative experiment based on cross-transplantation, was set up. The fitness of the two species was assessed in terms of survival, growth and reproductive conditions; the role of a given Cystoseira and of the presence of a hard to measure environmental gradient was assessed on the recruitment of the two species and on the composition of assemblages re-colonising the bare substrate. Our results highlight a different response to the manipulation of the two species: while C. com...
Marine Drugs
Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to... more Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to harmful stimuli. In recent years, due to the increased understanding that oxidative stress is implicated in several diseases, pharmaceutical industries have invested in the research and development of new antioxidant compounds, especially from marine environment sources. Marine seaweeds have shown the presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites, with great potentialities from both the nutraceutical and the biomedical point of view. In this study, 50%-ethanolic and DMSO extracts from the species C. amentacea var. stricta were obtained for the first time from seaweeds collected in the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean). The bioactive properties of these extracts were then investigated, in terms of quantification of specific antioxidant activities by relevant ROS scavenging spectrophotometric tests, and of anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by evaluatio...
The pan-Mediterranean project M3-HABs regarding monitoring of harmful algal blooms, with particul... more The pan-Mediterranean project M3-HABs regarding monitoring of harmful algal blooms, with particular reference to the benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis, started in 2014 in the framework of the ENPI-CBCMED Programme. The specific objective of the project was to provide a common strategy for monitoring benthic toxic microalgae, through the development of new, more efficient and common procedures and protocols, making the process mostly cost and time effective, allowing for most efficient monitoring designs, increasing the knowledge on environmental drivers affecting Ostreopsis blooms and translate this into a forecasting tool, and improving the general awareness of the risks related to Ostreopsis. The following results were obtained: a larger awareness of the risks associated with the Ostreopsis blooms, an appropriate diffusion of cautionary measures set up, the production of common monitoring protocols, the development of new technologies for species-specific identification and counti...
Polar Biology
Reproduction and condition of the scallop Adamussium colbecki (Smith 1902), the sea-urchin Sterec... more Reproduction and condition of the scallop Adamussium colbecki (Smith 1902), the sea-urchin Sterechinus neumayeri (Meissner 1900) and the sea-star Odontaster validus (Koehler 1911) at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea): different strategies related to inter-annual variations in food availability
Polar Biology
Adamussium colbecki is one of the most wellstudied Antarctic molluscs. However, information on it... more Adamussium colbecki is one of the most wellstudied Antarctic molluscs. However, information on its growth rate is currently based on estimates from mark and recapture experiments and from growth-ring analyses. This paper provides the first estimates of the growth pattern of this scallop throughout a year, for individuals maintained under both natural field and laboratory conditions. Results show size-related differences in growth rate, both in the field and in aquaria, with scallops in Terra Nova Bay growing faster than those kept in aquaria. Growth performances were lower than those reported in the literature.
Heliyon
In the original published version of this article, Table 1 was displayed incorrectly. A previous ... more In the original published version of this article, Table 1 was displayed incorrectly. A previous revision of the table was published in addition to the correct version of the table. The correct table is shown below. This error was introduced during the typesetting of the article, the publisher apologises for this error. Both the HTML and PDF versions of the article have been updated to correct the error.
Heliyon
The green alga Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most infamous and threatening invasive s... more The green alga Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most infamous and threatening invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 1985, it started rapidly spreading to all Mediterranean regions causing many ecological changes on natural communities. In the present study, we present an example of this proliferation with the first record in the Marine Protected Area of Tremiti Island (MPATI) in the South Adriatic Sea. Fifteen sites along the coast and 5 different depths have been investigated. Our results provide eveidence of a wide invasion of this pest in three islands, San Domino, San Nicola and Capraia. This study fills a particular data gap in the ongoing biomonitoring of invasive seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea representing a base line of this invasive species for the MPATI.
PeerJ
In the Mediterranean Sea, brown algae belonging to the Cystoseira genus play a valuable role as f... more In the Mediterranean Sea, brown algae belonging to the Cystoseira genus play a valuable role as foundation species. Due to evidences of regression/loss of the habitats of these species caused by the interplay of human and climatic disturbances, active restoration measures have been encouraged by EU regulations. In particular, nondestructive restoration techniques, which avoid the depletion of threatened species in donor populations, are strongly recommended. In the framework of the EU project ROCPOP-Life, the first ex situ outplanting experience of Cystoseira amentacea var. stricta has been implemented in the Cinque Terre Marine Protected Area (northwestern Mediterranean). A total of 400 clay tiles, hosting approximately three mm-long germlings of C. amentacea, were fixed to the rocky shore with screws: the tiles were monitored for the next 2 months by photographic sampling, and survival (presence/absence of juveniles on the tiles), cover and growth were assessed. Additional samplin...
Aquaculture
Abstract This study evaluated the growth of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, fed with... more Abstract This study evaluated the growth of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, fed with two diets, in sea- and land-based systems compared to wild populations. The experiments investigated the effects of the feeding regimes on gonad yield, nutritional traits and overall quality. Sea-based trials were performed by the CNR of Taranto (Trial S), whereas land-based trials were performed in the facilities of the University of Cagliari (Trial L). Urchins fed with a laboratory prepared pelletized diet (P), and a mix diet PU (50% of P-Diet and 50% of fresh Ulva sp.) were compared to wild urchins (W). In both trials the experimental diets supported a gonad growth when compared to wild population (p
Ecological Indicators
This paper describes the adoption and validation of two innovative methods for the automated coun... more This paper describes the adoption and validation of two innovative methods for the automated count of Ostreopsis spp. concentration in sea water: a molecular assay based on RT-qPCR and an opto-electronic device implementing automatic recognition algorithms. The proposed approaches were tested on samples coming from different locations along the Mediterranean Sea and compared with the standard counting method based on microscopy observation by a taxonomy expert. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of both automatic approaches which provide a valuable tool, mostly cost and time effective, for the establishment of wide pan-Mediterranean monitoring strategies of Ostreopsis spp. blooms. Moreover, the two automatic methods demonstrated the ability to discriminate for the presence of a different but similar species, O. fattorussoi, for which new species-specific qPCR primers were developed.