Claudia Cosentino | Università degli Studi di Palermo (original) (raw)

Papers by Claudia Cosentino

Environmental Geology, 2008

Vertical electrical sounding (VES') surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been execut... more Vertical electrical sounding (VES') surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been executed in the coastal plain of Acquedolci (Northern Sicily), with the aim to circumscribe seawater intrusion phenomena. This urbanized area is representative of a more general problem interesting most of Mediterranean littoral areas, where intensive overdraft favors a heavy seawater intrusion through the coastline. Aquifer resistivity seems decisively to be conditioned by the chlorine and magnesium content in the main aquifer of the region. Schlumberger VES', together with piezometric and chemical-physical information of groundwater, allowed us to perform hydrogeological and geophysical elaborations, to propose the occurrence of a relatively narrow belt marked by fresh-salt water mixing. In the considered plain, pollution risk studies have been already realized by authors with the proposal to identify-by parametric and synthetic zoning of significant hydrogeological elements-the most vulnerable sectors. In detail, an intrinsic vulnerability mapping has been already performed, applying the well-known SINTACS system. This paper intends to give-in this sector of Sicily-an example of integration of different methodologies, showing the role of geophysics to describe the degradation of aquifers on the whole as well as to assess their pollution risk better.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2013

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2013

The present study deals with the reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Trapani saltm... more The present study deals with the reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) by combining different analytical approaches such as metal content evaluation, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, and benthic foraminifera identification. A 41 cm core was collected in the sediments of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) at a water depth of about 50 cm. Different time intervals were recognized, each characterized by peculiar features that testify different environmental conditions. In particular, the bottom layers of the sediment core (41-28 cm) comprised the lowest amount of mud fraction, only some selected metals, and the lowest foraminiferal density. Here, co-occurrence of abundant microcrystals of gypsum and Ammonia tepida is indicative of hyper-saline conditions. In the sediments from 28 to 6 cm, mud fraction and number of metal elements resulted higher due to the increase of the anthropogenic pressure. The sediments in the last time interval, corresponding to the environmental recovery of the saltmarsh, showed an increase of foraminiferal density, a decrease of the mud fraction, and a trend in the metal concentration attributable to the protection policy applied since 1990. NMR relaxometry parameters highlighted the changes of sediment chemical-physical heterogeneity going from the bottom to the top of the core. These heterogeneities have been related to the different intervals recognized as aforementioned. The present study highlights how the anthropogenic pressure modifies the environmental conditions of a transitional ecosystem like saltmarshes.

Nell'ottobre 2012, nell'ambito del progetto MARISK, sono state estratte sei carote a gravità nell... more Nell'ottobre 2012, nell'ambito del progetto MARISK, sono state estratte sei carote a gravità nell'offshore di Capo Vaticano (Tirreno Meridionale). Tra queste, la carota MSK12-C4 è stata prelevata ad una profondità di 82 m con il recupero di 4.2 m di sedimenti e rappresenta la più vicina alla costa. In via preliminare lo studio è stato effettuato analizzando un campione ogni 8 cm. Su questi campioni si è proceduto alla determinazione degli elementi maggiori e minori, tramite XRF, e degli isotopi stabili di carbonio e ossigeno (bulk). Dal punto di vista litologico la carota mostra una variazione cromatica verso sfumature più chiare da circa 200 cmbsf (centimetri sotto il fondo marino) fino a 418 cmbsf. L'elaborazione degli elementi maggiori e minori tramite Cluster Analysis (CA) rispetto ai campioni, conferma la separazione tra la parte superiore (0-200 cmbsf) e quella inferiore (200-418 cmbsf). Eseguendo invece la CA rispetto agli elementi risulta evidente che tale separazione è da imputare soprattutto ad un aumento della frazione grossolana nella parte inferiore, rappresentata dalla porzione carbonatica o da minerali come barite o zircone. In un cluster distinto si raggruppano, elementi legati all'abbondante muscovite presente lungo l'intera carota (in un sub-cluster), ed elementi che aumentano nella parte superiore probabilmente in concomitanza con un aumento della porzione argillosa (in un altro sub-cluster). Tra questi, elementi come Zn, V, Fe, Ni e Cu hanno una forte tendenza ad arricchirsi in condizioni di scarsa presenza di ossigeno e sono quindi indicativi di una variazione delle condizioni redox al fondo. Le analisi sugli isotopi stabili mostrano che la porzione tra 0 e 200 cm è caratterizzata da una diminuzione dei valori medi del d 13 C da -0.35 a -1.89‰, valori indicativi di un forte riciclo di materia organica che implica un maggiore consumo di ossigeno. I valori del d 18 O sono sempre negativi in tutta la carota (con un valore minimo di -1.62‰) ad eccezione dell'intervallo 264-306 cmbsf in cui i valori si positivizzano, probabilmente a causa di una fase di raffreddamento climatico, dopo la quale inizia un trend di progressivo riscaldamento. Un evento simile è stato registrato nella composizione isotopica dell'ossigeno della carota Vib10, anch'essa prelevata nel Tirreno meridionale [Caruso et al., 2011], nell'intervallo tra 2500 e 3300 mila anni prima dell'attuale. Questo evento potrebbe essere correlato con il raffreddamento climatico C2 (2700 anni fa) proposto da Sbaffi et al. [2001] e riconosciuto nel Tirreno meridionale. La correlazione con la carota Vib 10 permette inoltre di stimare in ~ 4.000 anni l'intervallo temporale coperto dalla carota MSK12-C4.

Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2009

Within a more general study on marine sediments in the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), the 210Pb... more Within a more general study on marine sediments in the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), the 210Pbex dating method (using a model with constant sedimentation rate) has been applied to one sediment core. The main goal of the research was to study the Pb pollution chronology. Dating of the core has allowed evaluating the time evolution of the gulf lead concentrations. Specific activities of 137Cs have also been measured in the sediment core sections as an independent confirmation of the chronology derived by the 210Pbex method. The time scale has then been used to correlate lead concentrations in core sections to estimated lead emissions in air due to gasoline combustion. A good correlation between the two data series has been obtained.

Ecological …, 2008

We analyze the spatial distributions of two groups of benthic foraminifera (Adelosina spp. + Quin... more We analyze the spatial distributions of two groups of benthic foraminifera (Adelosina spp. + Quinqueloculina spp. and Elphidium spp.), along Sicilian coast, and their correlation with six different heavy metals, responsible for the pollution. Samples were collected inside the Gulf of Palermo, which has a high level of pollution due to heavy metals, and along the coast of Lampedusa island (Sicily Channel, Southern Mediterranean), which is characterized by unpolluted sea waters. Because of the environmental pollution we find: (i) an anticorrelated spatial behaviour between the two groups of benthic foraminifera analyzed; (ii) an anticorrelated (correlated) spatial behaviour between the first (second) group of benthic foraminifera with metal concentrations; (iii) an almost uncorrelated spatial behaviour between low concentrations of metals and the first group of foraminifera in clean sea water sites. We introduce a two-species model based on the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations in the presence of a multiplicative noise, which models the interaction between species and environmental pollution due to the presence in top-soft sediments of heavy metals. The interaction coefficients between the two species are kept constant with values in the coexistence regime. Using proper values for the initial conditions and the model parameters, we find for the two species a theoretical spatial distribution behaviour in a good agreement with the data obtained from the 63 sites analyzed in our study.

Chemistry and Ecology, 2011

Environmental Earth Sciences, 2008

Vertical electrical sounding (VES’) surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been execut... more Vertical electrical sounding (VES’) surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been executed in the coastal plain of Acquedolci (Northern Sicily), with the aim to circumscribe seawater intrusion phenomena. This urbanized area is representative of a more general problem interesting most of Mediterranean littoral areas, where intensive overdraft favors a heavy seawater intrusion through the coastline. Aquifer resistivity seems decisively

The EMBO Journal, 2011

Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a human disease caused by ATM deficiency characterized among other... more Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a human disease caused by ATM deficiency characterized among other symptoms by radiosensitivity, cancer, sterility, immunodeficiency and neurological defects. ATM controls several aspects of cell cycle and promotes repair of double strand breaks (DSBs). This probably accounts for most of A-T clinical manifestations. However, an impaired response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) might also contribute to A-T pathogenesis.

Quaternary International, 2011

An integrated high resolution study based both on a seismostratigraphic approach and on a sedimen... more An integrated high resolution study based both on a seismostratigraphic approach and on a sedimentary core (VIB 10), collected in the outer shelf (127 m depth) from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Gulf of Termini, Sicily), provides new data about climatic, eustatic and paleoenvironmental changes during the last w41,000 years. The results based on the interpretation of a seismic profile, on benthic foraminifera assemblages and on d 18 O records, allowed recognition of two drastic sea-level falls during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Younger Dryas (YD). The short deglacial event, between LGM and YD, known as Bølling/Allerød, played an important role in the sea-level rise that produced changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, favoring the proliferation of shallow water species of the inner shelf. After the Younger Dryas, warmer climatic conditions were rapidly established (Climatic Optimum) as indicated by the decrease of d 18 O values. The rapid sea-level rise due to the input of fresh water from ice caps melting following the increase of Earth's mean temperature is also indicated by the aggradational geometries of sedimentary layers observed in the seismic profile and by the increase of benthic foraminiferal species typical of the outer shelf.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2013

The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sedime... more The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sediments of the Gulf of Milazzo (north-eastern Sicily) was investigated. Since the 1960s, this coastal area has been a preferred site for the development of two small marinas and a commercial harbour as well as for heavy industry. Forty samples collected in the uppermost 3-4 cm of an undisturbed layer of sediment in the littoral environment were used for this benthic foraminiferal analysis. The enrichment factors (EFs) of selected trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were also calculated. Changes both in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and in some trace elements concentrations have provided evidence that the gulf's littoral zone can be subdivided into three sectors characterised by environmental changes in the marine ecosystem. In the sector unpolluted, close to the Milazzo Cape, foraminiferal assemblages exhibit high values of species richness and foraminiferal density while trace element concentrations and their EFs are very low. Here, the highest densities of Miliolids and epiphytic species are present. On the contrary, in the sector polluted, from the marinas to the crude oil refinery, foraminiferal density and species diversity are low, and assemblages are dominated, albeit with very low densities, by species that tolerate stressed environmental conditions, such as LOFAs, agglutinants and Ammonia spp. Here, the highest trace elements concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu and related EFs were detected. Eastwards, in the sector moderately polluted, foraminiferal populations are quite poor. They are characterised by low values of species richness and foraminiferal densities, nevertheless trace element concentrations become lower than in the other sectors and their EFs are often below 1. Deformed foraminifera, with percentages up to 7.14 %, were found in all three of the sectors. Differences in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, coupled with results from statistical analysis, indicate that anthropogenic trace element pollution could be considered as one of the most important causes of the modifications of foraminiferal assemblages in the study area.

Chemistry and Ecology, 2011

To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators o... more To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators of pollution in coastal marine environments, we studied foraminifera and metal concentrations in 72 marine sediment samples, collected from the inner shelf along the Sicilian coast ...

Marine Micropaleontology, 2014

ABSTRACT A detailed study of the marine sediments collected on the inner shelf of some of the sel... more ABSTRACT A detailed study of the marine sediments collected on the inner shelf of some of the selected areas of the central Mediterranean Sea has been carried out in order to verify the presence of exotic benthic foraminiferal species. Since 2000, the coastal marine environments of the Pelagian Islands and of Sicily (central Mediterranean) have been increasingly colonized by exotic species (i.e. fishes and algae) originating both from the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. The studied areas (Pelagian Islands and SE Sicily) are located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, they represent an ideal place to understand how exotic species, coming from different Oceans, may have colonized ecological niches in the Mediterranean Sea. The objective of this study is to evaluate the colonization of benthic foraminiferal species which have migrated from the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea into the Mediterranean. The study shows that two species of Amphistegina (lessonii and lobifera) have massively colonized the Pelagian Islands. Furthermore, two ecomorphotypes of Amphistegina (A. cf. lessonii and A. cf. papillosa), never described up to now, have been found attached to exotic green algae, of Indo-Pacific origin. In the study area, Amphisteginids are so abundant that they can account for up to 90% of the total assemblage. In addition to Amphistegina, other exotic benthic foraminifera, such as Amphisorus hemprichii, have colonized the central Mediterranean Sea. The migration might have been through the Suez Canal, as a Lessepsian invasion. Alternatively, other species, such as Sorites orbiculus might have colonized the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, migrating through the Gibraltar gateway and/or from the Red Sea, via the Suez Canal.

Environmental Geology, 2008

Vertical electrical sounding (VES') surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been execut... more Vertical electrical sounding (VES') surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been executed in the coastal plain of Acquedolci (Northern Sicily), with the aim to circumscribe seawater intrusion phenomena. This urbanized area is representative of a more general problem interesting most of Mediterranean littoral areas, where intensive overdraft favors a heavy seawater intrusion through the coastline. Aquifer resistivity seems decisively to be conditioned by the chlorine and magnesium content in the main aquifer of the region. Schlumberger VES', together with piezometric and chemical-physical information of groundwater, allowed us to perform hydrogeological and geophysical elaborations, to propose the occurrence of a relatively narrow belt marked by fresh-salt water mixing. In the considered plain, pollution risk studies have been already realized by authors with the proposal to identify-by parametric and synthetic zoning of significant hydrogeological elements-the most vulnerable sectors. In detail, an intrinsic vulnerability mapping has been already performed, applying the well-known SINTACS system. This paper intends to give-in this sector of Sicily-an example of integration of different methodologies, showing the role of geophysics to describe the degradation of aquifers on the whole as well as to assess their pollution risk better.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2013

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2013

The present study deals with the reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Trapani saltm... more The present study deals with the reconstruction of the environmental evolution of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) by combining different analytical approaches such as metal content evaluation, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry, and benthic foraminifera identification. A 41 cm core was collected in the sediments of a Trapani saltmarsh (southwestern Sicily, Italy) at a water depth of about 50 cm. Different time intervals were recognized, each characterized by peculiar features that testify different environmental conditions. In particular, the bottom layers of the sediment core (41-28 cm) comprised the lowest amount of mud fraction, only some selected metals, and the lowest foraminiferal density. Here, co-occurrence of abundant microcrystals of gypsum and Ammonia tepida is indicative of hyper-saline conditions. In the sediments from 28 to 6 cm, mud fraction and number of metal elements resulted higher due to the increase of the anthropogenic pressure. The sediments in the last time interval, corresponding to the environmental recovery of the saltmarsh, showed an increase of foraminiferal density, a decrease of the mud fraction, and a trend in the metal concentration attributable to the protection policy applied since 1990. NMR relaxometry parameters highlighted the changes of sediment chemical-physical heterogeneity going from the bottom to the top of the core. These heterogeneities have been related to the different intervals recognized as aforementioned. The present study highlights how the anthropogenic pressure modifies the environmental conditions of a transitional ecosystem like saltmarshes.

Nell'ottobre 2012, nell'ambito del progetto MARISK, sono state estratte sei carote a gravità nell... more Nell'ottobre 2012, nell'ambito del progetto MARISK, sono state estratte sei carote a gravità nell'offshore di Capo Vaticano (Tirreno Meridionale). Tra queste, la carota MSK12-C4 è stata prelevata ad una profondità di 82 m con il recupero di 4.2 m di sedimenti e rappresenta la più vicina alla costa. In via preliminare lo studio è stato effettuato analizzando un campione ogni 8 cm. Su questi campioni si è proceduto alla determinazione degli elementi maggiori e minori, tramite XRF, e degli isotopi stabili di carbonio e ossigeno (bulk). Dal punto di vista litologico la carota mostra una variazione cromatica verso sfumature più chiare da circa 200 cmbsf (centimetri sotto il fondo marino) fino a 418 cmbsf. L'elaborazione degli elementi maggiori e minori tramite Cluster Analysis (CA) rispetto ai campioni, conferma la separazione tra la parte superiore (0-200 cmbsf) e quella inferiore (200-418 cmbsf). Eseguendo invece la CA rispetto agli elementi risulta evidente che tale separazione è da imputare soprattutto ad un aumento della frazione grossolana nella parte inferiore, rappresentata dalla porzione carbonatica o da minerali come barite o zircone. In un cluster distinto si raggruppano, elementi legati all'abbondante muscovite presente lungo l'intera carota (in un sub-cluster), ed elementi che aumentano nella parte superiore probabilmente in concomitanza con un aumento della porzione argillosa (in un altro sub-cluster). Tra questi, elementi come Zn, V, Fe, Ni e Cu hanno una forte tendenza ad arricchirsi in condizioni di scarsa presenza di ossigeno e sono quindi indicativi di una variazione delle condizioni redox al fondo. Le analisi sugli isotopi stabili mostrano che la porzione tra 0 e 200 cm è caratterizzata da una diminuzione dei valori medi del d 13 C da -0.35 a -1.89‰, valori indicativi di un forte riciclo di materia organica che implica un maggiore consumo di ossigeno. I valori del d 18 O sono sempre negativi in tutta la carota (con un valore minimo di -1.62‰) ad eccezione dell'intervallo 264-306 cmbsf in cui i valori si positivizzano, probabilmente a causa di una fase di raffreddamento climatico, dopo la quale inizia un trend di progressivo riscaldamento. Un evento simile è stato registrato nella composizione isotopica dell'ossigeno della carota Vib10, anch'essa prelevata nel Tirreno meridionale [Caruso et al., 2011], nell'intervallo tra 2500 e 3300 mila anni prima dell'attuale. Questo evento potrebbe essere correlato con il raffreddamento climatico C2 (2700 anni fa) proposto da Sbaffi et al. [2001] e riconosciuto nel Tirreno meridionale. La correlazione con la carota Vib 10 permette inoltre di stimare in ~ 4.000 anni l'intervallo temporale coperto dalla carota MSK12-C4.

Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2009

Within a more general study on marine sediments in the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), the 210Pb... more Within a more general study on marine sediments in the Gulf of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), the 210Pbex dating method (using a model with constant sedimentation rate) has been applied to one sediment core. The main goal of the research was to study the Pb pollution chronology. Dating of the core has allowed evaluating the time evolution of the gulf lead concentrations. Specific activities of 137Cs have also been measured in the sediment core sections as an independent confirmation of the chronology derived by the 210Pbex method. The time scale has then been used to correlate lead concentrations in core sections to estimated lead emissions in air due to gasoline combustion. A good correlation between the two data series has been obtained.

Ecological …, 2008

We analyze the spatial distributions of two groups of benthic foraminifera (Adelosina spp. + Quin... more We analyze the spatial distributions of two groups of benthic foraminifera (Adelosina spp. + Quinqueloculina spp. and Elphidium spp.), along Sicilian coast, and their correlation with six different heavy metals, responsible for the pollution. Samples were collected inside the Gulf of Palermo, which has a high level of pollution due to heavy metals, and along the coast of Lampedusa island (Sicily Channel, Southern Mediterranean), which is characterized by unpolluted sea waters. Because of the environmental pollution we find: (i) an anticorrelated spatial behaviour between the two groups of benthic foraminifera analyzed; (ii) an anticorrelated (correlated) spatial behaviour between the first (second) group of benthic foraminifera with metal concentrations; (iii) an almost uncorrelated spatial behaviour between low concentrations of metals and the first group of foraminifera in clean sea water sites. We introduce a two-species model based on the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations in the presence of a multiplicative noise, which models the interaction between species and environmental pollution due to the presence in top-soft sediments of heavy metals. The interaction coefficients between the two species are kept constant with values in the coexistence regime. Using proper values for the initial conditions and the model parameters, we find for the two species a theoretical spatial distribution behaviour in a good agreement with the data obtained from the 63 sites analyzed in our study.

Chemistry and Ecology, 2011

Environmental Earth Sciences, 2008

Vertical electrical sounding (VES’) surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been execut... more Vertical electrical sounding (VES’) surveys and chemical analyses of groundwater have been executed in the coastal plain of Acquedolci (Northern Sicily), with the aim to circumscribe seawater intrusion phenomena. This urbanized area is representative of a more general problem interesting most of Mediterranean littoral areas, where intensive overdraft favors a heavy seawater intrusion through the coastline. Aquifer resistivity seems decisively

The EMBO Journal, 2011

Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a human disease caused by ATM deficiency characterized among other... more Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a human disease caused by ATM deficiency characterized among other symptoms by radiosensitivity, cancer, sterility, immunodeficiency and neurological defects. ATM controls several aspects of cell cycle and promotes repair of double strand breaks (DSBs). This probably accounts for most of A-T clinical manifestations. However, an impaired response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) might also contribute to A-T pathogenesis.

Quaternary International, 2011

An integrated high resolution study based both on a seismostratigraphic approach and on a sedimen... more An integrated high resolution study based both on a seismostratigraphic approach and on a sedimentary core (VIB 10), collected in the outer shelf (127 m depth) from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Gulf of Termini, Sicily), provides new data about climatic, eustatic and paleoenvironmental changes during the last w41,000 years. The results based on the interpretation of a seismic profile, on benthic foraminifera assemblages and on d 18 O records, allowed recognition of two drastic sea-level falls during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Younger Dryas (YD). The short deglacial event, between LGM and YD, known as Bølling/Allerød, played an important role in the sea-level rise that produced changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, favoring the proliferation of shallow water species of the inner shelf. After the Younger Dryas, warmer climatic conditions were rapidly established (Climatic Optimum) as indicated by the decrease of d 18 O values. The rapid sea-level rise due to the input of fresh water from ice caps melting following the increase of Earth's mean temperature is also indicated by the aggradational geometries of sedimentary layers observed in the seismic profile and by the increase of benthic foraminiferal species typical of the outer shelf.

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2013

The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sedime... more The response of benthic foraminiferal assemblages to trace element pollution in the marine sediments of the Gulf of Milazzo (north-eastern Sicily) was investigated. Since the 1960s, this coastal area has been a preferred site for the development of two small marinas and a commercial harbour as well as for heavy industry. Forty samples collected in the uppermost 3-4 cm of an undisturbed layer of sediment in the littoral environment were used for this benthic foraminiferal analysis. The enrichment factors (EFs) of selected trace elements (As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were also calculated. Changes both in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and in some trace elements concentrations have provided evidence that the gulf's littoral zone can be subdivided into three sectors characterised by environmental changes in the marine ecosystem. In the sector unpolluted, close to the Milazzo Cape, foraminiferal assemblages exhibit high values of species richness and foraminiferal density while trace element concentrations and their EFs are very low. Here, the highest densities of Miliolids and epiphytic species are present. On the contrary, in the sector polluted, from the marinas to the crude oil refinery, foraminiferal density and species diversity are low, and assemblages are dominated, albeit with very low densities, by species that tolerate stressed environmental conditions, such as LOFAs, agglutinants and Ammonia spp. Here, the highest trace elements concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cu and related EFs were detected. Eastwards, in the sector moderately polluted, foraminiferal populations are quite poor. They are characterised by low values of species richness and foraminiferal densities, nevertheless trace element concentrations become lower than in the other sectors and their EFs are often below 1. Deformed foraminifera, with percentages up to 7.14 %, were found in all three of the sectors. Differences in benthic foraminiferal assemblages, coupled with results from statistical analysis, indicate that anthropogenic trace element pollution could be considered as one of the most important causes of the modifications of foraminiferal assemblages in the study area.

Chemistry and Ecology, 2011

To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators o... more To examine the suitability of benthic foraminifera and their test deformations as bioindicators of pollution in coastal marine environments, we studied foraminifera and metal concentrations in 72 marine sediment samples, collected from the inner shelf along the Sicilian coast ...

Marine Micropaleontology, 2014

ABSTRACT A detailed study of the marine sediments collected on the inner shelf of some of the sel... more ABSTRACT A detailed study of the marine sediments collected on the inner shelf of some of the selected areas of the central Mediterranean Sea has been carried out in order to verify the presence of exotic benthic foraminiferal species. Since 2000, the coastal marine environments of the Pelagian Islands and of Sicily (central Mediterranean) have been increasingly colonized by exotic species (i.e. fishes and algae) originating both from the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. The studied areas (Pelagian Islands and SE Sicily) are located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, they represent an ideal place to understand how exotic species, coming from different Oceans, may have colonized ecological niches in the Mediterranean Sea. The objective of this study is to evaluate the colonization of benthic foraminiferal species which have migrated from the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea into the Mediterranean. The study shows that two species of Amphistegina (lessonii and lobifera) have massively colonized the Pelagian Islands. Furthermore, two ecomorphotypes of Amphistegina (A. cf. lessonii and A. cf. papillosa), never described up to now, have been found attached to exotic green algae, of Indo-Pacific origin. In the study area, Amphisteginids are so abundant that they can account for up to 90% of the total assemblage. In addition to Amphistegina, other exotic benthic foraminifera, such as Amphisorus hemprichii, have colonized the central Mediterranean Sea. The migration might have been through the Suez Canal, as a Lessepsian invasion. Alternatively, other species, such as Sorites orbiculus might have colonized the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, migrating through the Gibraltar gateway and/or from the Red Sea, via the Suez Canal.