scholarly journals Mass mortality of pen shell Atrina maura (Bivalvia: Pinnidae) due to abrupt population increase of tunicate (Distaplia sp.) in a subtropical bay, Mexico

Author(s):  
Betzabé Moreno-Dávila ◽  
Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Teresa Alcoverro ◽  
Silvia Ramírez-Luna ◽  
Carlos Sánchez ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Cabanellas-Reboredo ◽  
Maite Vázquez-Luis ◽  
Baptiste Mourre ◽  
Elvira Álvarez ◽  
Salud Deudero ◽  
...  

Abstract A mass mortality event is devastating the populations of the endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis in the Mediterranean Sea from early autumn 2016. A newly described Haplosporidian endoparasite (Haplosporidium pinnae) is the most probable cause of this ecological catastrophe placing one of the largest bivalves of the world on the brink of extinction. As a pivotal step towards Pinna nobilis conservation, this contribution combines scientists and citizens’ data to address the fast- and vast-dispersion and prevalence outbreaks of the pathogen. Therefore, the potential role of currents on parasite expansion was addressed by means of drift simulations of virtual particles in a high-resolution regional currents model. A generalized additive model was implemented to test if environmental factors could modulate the infection of Pinna nobilis populations. The results strongly suggest that the parasite has probably dispersed regionally by surface currents, and that the disease expression seems to be closely related to temperatures above 13.5 °C and to a salinity range between 36.5–39.7 psu. The most likely spread of the disease along the Mediterranean basin associated with scattered survival spots and very few survivors (potentially resistant individuals), point to a challenging scenario for conservation of the emblematic Pinna nobilis, which will require fast and strategic management measures and should make use of the essential role citizen science projects can play.


2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. I_1186-I_1190
Author(s):  
Shinsuke TOSHA ◽  
Tsukasa YOSHIDA ◽  
Yoshiharu NAKAMURA ◽  
Yusuke NAKATANI ◽  
Shigeru TABETA ◽  
...  

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Šarić ◽  
Ivan Župan ◽  
Serena Aceto ◽  
Grazia Villari ◽  
Dušan Palić ◽  
...  

From May to October 2019, multiple mass mortality events (MMEs) of Pinna nobilis were observed along Croatian coastline starting from the south-east and rapidly progressing in north-western direction. Time dynamics of the MMEs closely followed general speed and direction patterns of surface sea-currents, advancing approximately 350 km in less than 3 months. Surveillance, clinical evaluation, and sample collection were performed on multiple sites with various degrees of mortality rates. Moribund P. nobilis individuals were collected and subjected to pathological, molecular, and microscopical investigation. Affected animals were positive for Mycobacterium in 70% of the individuals, and Haplosporidium pinnae was present in 58% of the cases. Observed pathological lesions were most severe where concurrent presence of both pathogens was confirmed (in 45.8% of moribund individuals). Moderate to strong lesions were observed in animals positive for Mycobacterium only (25% of cases), and lesions were absent or minor to moderate when only H. pinnae was confirmed (16% of cases). Considering the rapid and severe spread of the MMEs, the areas less exposed to major sea currents appeared to be at lower risk of pathogen transmission. Surveillance activities along the Croatian coastline identified several P. nobilis populations in such “lower risk” areas without apparent mortality or clinical symptoms. Such areas are of particular interest as source of potentially healthy individuals to support active recovery actions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-156
Author(s):  
Safia Khanam ◽  
Alia Bano Munshi ◽  
Hina Ahsan ◽  
Razia Begum

  Mass mortality of bivalve clams along with some other marine fauna was observed during the month of May 2016, mainly consisting of the clams (Mactra aequisulcata) of family Veneridae surfaced over the Clifton coast. The occurrence of mass mortality of the venerid clams Mactra aequisulcata and other marine life has been studied due to the toxicity of chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDTs, HCHs, hexa chloro benzene (HCB), chlordane, dieldrin (4-chlorophenyl), methanol (TCPMOH) and heptachlor epoxide and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Significant compositional characteristics of PCBs and DDTs were found in all dead clams and other fauna including fish (Johnius carutta), crabs (Portunus pelagicus), gastropods (Babylonia spirata), bivalves (Anadara antiquata), (Mactra aequisulcata) and the pen shell (Atrina pectinata) from Karachi coast, Pakistan. Mean concentrations (ranges) of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in crab (Portunus pelagicus) and fish samples were 1.1 (<0.01-1.5), 0.22 (<0.01-1.1) and 0.14 (<0.01-1.3) /µg/g. Those in, bivalves (Anadara antiquata) and pen shell (Atrina pectinata), clams (Mactra aequisulcata) were 0.09 (<0.02-1.2), 0.22 (<0.02-1.3) /µg and 0.13 (<0.01-0.27), respectively. The heptachlor epoxide was found in highest concentration in clam samples (25.00 ± 30.92) µg/g, (wet weight) however, in bivalves, (2.30 µg/g, (wet weight), which were higher than those in other gastropods. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) concentrations were also measured in the same samples of gastropods (Babylonia spirata), fish (Johnius carutta), crab (Portunus pelagicus), clams (Mactra aequisulcata), bivalves (Anadara antiquata) and the pen shell (Atrina pectinata) to determine the possible cause of mass mortality. The DDT to metabolites (DDD & DDE) concentration ratios exceeded upto 1.0 in the sessile fauna that is clams (Mactra aequisulcata) and the pen shell (Atrina pectinata) from Karachi coast. These organisms also exhibited dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) inputs, whereas dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDD) was found to be in degraded component and PCBs were generally in low concentrations. The concentrations of DDTs were higher than the ERL guidelines in the coastal areas of Karachi, suggesting that there is potential of ecological risk present in the prevailing environment.    


2000 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 479-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Kean ◽  
N.D. Barlow

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. SEITZ

Modernization of agriculture, economic development and population increase after the end of the Thirty Years' War caused authorities in many parts of Germany to decree the eradication of so-called pest animals, including the House Sparrow. Farmers were given targets, and had to deliver the heads of sparrows in proportion to the size of their farms or pay fines. At the end of the eighteenth century German ornithologists argued against the eradication of the sparrows. During the mid-nineteenth century, C. L. Gloger, the pioneer of bird protection in Germany, emphasized the value of the House Sparrow in controlling insect plagues. Many decrees were abolished because either they had not been obeyed, or had resulted in people protecting sparrows so that they always had enough for their “deliveries”. Surprisingly, various ornithologists, including Ernst Hartert and the most famous German bird conservationist Freiherr Berlepsch, joined in the war against sparrows at the beginning of the twentieth century, because sparrows were regarded as competitors of more useful bird species. After the Second World War, sparrows were poisoned in large numbers. Persecution of sparrows ended in Germany in the 1970s. The long period of persecution had a significant but not long-lasting impact on House Sparrow populations, and therefore cannot be regarded as a factor in the recent decline of this species in urban and rural areas of western and central Europe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 3-34
Author(s):  
Ulf Schiefelbein ◽  
Frieda Engel ◽  
Franziska Masberg ◽  
Svea Lübke ◽  
Johann Schiefelbein ◽  
...  

Die Flechtendiversität und -quantität wurde in den Jahren 2017/2018 in Rostock an 53 Bäumen erfasst. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Ergebnissen einer Kartierung von 1994/1995 verglichen. Ferner wurden die Feuchtigkeitsverhältnisse und der Grad der Eutrophierung bzw. die Luftqualität an den Bäumen der Gattungen Tilia und Acer anhand des bekannten Verhaltens der nachgewiesenen Flechten bezüglich Luftfeuchtigkeit/Niederschlägen, Eutrophierung und pH-Verhältnissen bewertet. 2017/2018 wurden 79 Flechtenarten und 14 lichenicole Pilzarten nachgewiesen. Die Gesamtzahl der im Untersuchungsgebiet nachgewiesenen epiphytischen Flechtenarten erhöhte sich damit auf 80. Die meisten Flechtenarten kommen an Tilia spec. (60), Acer pseudoplatanus (43) und A. platanoides (34) vor. Die häufigsten Arten sind Phaeophyscia orbicularis, Physcia adscendens, Ph. tenella und Xanthoria parietina. Candelariella xanthostigmoides, Flavoparmelia soredians, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Intralichen lichenum, Lecanora subcarpinea, Parmelia serrana, Parmelina quercina und Taeniolella delicata sind Neufunde für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Hinsichtlich der Verbreitung und des Charakters der Fundorte können die nachgewiesenen Flechten und lichenicolen Pilze drei Gruppen zugeordnet werden: 1. Arten, die auch an stark befahrenen Straßen oder in eng bebauten Wohngebieten mit wenig Grünflächen und in den Stadtgebieten Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt oder Stadtmitte vorkamen, 2. Arten, die auch noch in locker bebauten, grünreichen Wohngebieten und in kleineren Grünlagen der Neubaugebiete vorkamen, aber nicht mehr in der Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt und Stadtmitte nachgewiesen wurden, 3. Arten, die nur an Bäumen vorkamen, die sich in der Nähe zum Offenland befinden. Der ersten Gruppe wurden 22, der zweiten Gruppe 32 und der dritten Gruppe 25 Flechtenarten zugeordnet. Dem Verhältnis zwischen der Frequenzsumme der stark nitrophytischen Arten und der Frequenzsumme der a-, schwach und mäßig nitrophytischen Arten auf den Bäumen entsprechend, wird die Luftqualität an 15 Bäumen der Gattungen Acer und Tilia für gut, an 14 Bäumen für mäßig und an 13 Bäumen für schlecht befunden. Auf der Grundlage des Verhältnisses zwischen der Anzahl basiphytischer Arten und der Summe an Arten an sauren oder/und subneutralen Borken wurden sechs Standorte als wenig, 21 Standorte als mäßig und 15 Standorte als stark schadstoffbelastet eingestuft. Meso- bis hygrophytische Flechten kamen an zehn Standorten mit nur ein oder zwei Arten, an 21 Standorten mit drei bis fünf Arten und an elf Standorten mit mehr als fünf Arten vor. Die epiphytische Flechtenflora hat sich in Rostock seit 1995 gravierend verändert. Es nahmen 69 Flechten im Bestand zu, von denen sich 52 Arten erst nach 1995 angesiedelt haben. Bei 32 Flechten ist eine schwache, bei 19 Flechten eine mäßige und bei 18 Flechten eine starke Zunahme zu verzeichnen. Lecanora conizaeoides kam 2017/2018 nicht mehr vor, vier Arten haben im Bestand abgenommen. Changes in the epiphytic lichen flora in the urban area of Rostock between 1994/1995 and 2017/2018 In 2017/2018, diversity and quantity of lichens were studied on 53 trees in Rostock city. The results were compared with the results of a mapping project in 1994/1995. Humidity conditions and degree of eutrophication at trees of the genera Tilia and Acer were interpreted with reference to the known indicator characteristcs of the lichen species concerning air humidity/precipitation, eutrophication and pH conditions. In 2017/2018, 79 lichen species and 14 lichenicolous fungus species were found. The total number of lichens increased to 80 species. Most species were found on Tilia spec. (60), Acer pseudoplatanus (43) and A. platanoides (34). The most common species are Phaeophyscia orbicularis, Physcia adscendens, Ph. tenella and Xanthoria parietina. Candelariella xanthostigmoides, Flavoparmelia soredians, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Intralichen lichenum, Lecanora subcarpinea, Parmelia serrana, Parmelina quercina and Taeniolella delicata are new to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The distribution and characteristics of the collection sites allow for deviding the species into three groups: 1. species also present along streets with heavy traffic or in densely populated residential areas with a lack of green areas and in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 2. species still present in sparse residential areas and smaller green areas but not in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 3. species only colonizing trees close to the open landscape. Twenty-two species were assigned to the first, 32 species to the second and 25 species to the latter group. According to the proportion between the sum of frequencies of the strongly nitrophytic lichens and the sum of frequencies of the anitrophytic and moderately nitrophytic lichens on trees, air quality was indicated to be good at 15 trees of the genera Acer and Tilia, moderate at 14 trees and bad at 13 trees. Based on the proportion between the number of basiphytic lichen species and the sum of species colonizing acidophytic and subneutrophytic bark, six locations were categorized as little, 21 locations as moderately and 15 locations as strongly polluted. Mesophytic or hygrophytic lichens were present with only one or two species at ten locations, three to five species at 21 locations and over five species at 11 locations. Within the period under consideration, the epiphytic lichen flora of the Rostock urban area changed considerably. The populations of 69 lichen species increased, with 52 lichens newly establishing after 1995. In 32 lichen species a slight, in 19 species a moderate, and in 18 species a strong population increase was recorded. Lecanora conizaeoides disappeared and the populations of four species decreased.


2009 ◽  
Vol 160 (11) ◽  
pp. 334-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Mollet ◽  
Niklaus Zbinden ◽  
Hans Schmid

Results from the monitoring programs of the Swiss Ornithological Institute show that the breeding populations of several forest species for which deadwood is an important habitat element (black woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, middle spotted woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker as well as crested tit, willow tit and Eurasian tree creeper) have increased in the period 1990 to 2008, although not to the same extent in all species. At the same time the white-backed woodpecker extended its range in eastern Switzerland. The Swiss National Forest Inventory shows an increase in the amount of deadwood in forests for the same period. For all the mentioned species, with the exception of green and middle spotted woodpecker, the growing availability of deadwood is likely to be the most important factor explaining this population increase.


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