Alexandrium catenella and Alexandrium minutum blooms in the Mediterranean Sea: Toward the identification of ecological niches

Harmful Algae ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Bravo ◽  
Magda Vila ◽  
Mercedes Masó ◽  
Rosa Isabel Figueroa ◽  
Isabel Ramilo
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Alexandrium Minutum ◽  
Alexandrium Catenella ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Ecological opportunities and specializations shaped genetic divergence in a highly mobile marine top predator

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1795) ◽  
pp. 20141558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Louis ◽  
Michael C. Fontaine ◽  
Jérôme Spitz ◽  
Erika Schlund ◽  
Willy Dabin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Morphological Divergence ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Population Demographic

Environmental conditions can shape genetic and morphological divergence. Release of new habitats during historical environmental changes was a major driver of evolutionary diversification. Here, forces shaping population structure and ecotype differentiation (‘pelagic’ and ‘coastal’) of bottlenose dolphins in the North-east Atlantic were investigated using complementary evolutionary and ecological approaches. Inference of population demographic history using approximate Bayesian computation indicated that coastal populations were likely founded by the Atlantic pelagic population after the Last Glacial Maxima probably as a result of newly available coastal ecological niches. Pelagic dolphins from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea likely diverged during a period of high productivity in the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic differentiation between coastal and pelagic ecotypes may be maintained by niche specializations, as indicated by stable isotope and stomach content analyses, and social behaviour. The two ecotypes were only weakly morphologically segregated in contrast to other parts of the World Ocean. This may be linked to weak contrasts between coastal and pelagic habitats and/or a relatively recent divergence. We suggest that ecological opportunity to specialize is a major driver of genetic and morphological divergence. Combining genetic, ecological and morphological approaches is essential to understanding the population structure of mobile and cryptic species.

scholarly journals Could the intertidal Ellisolandia elongata reef be affected by climate changes expected in the near future in the Mediterranean Sea?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Nannini ◽  
Maurizio Florio ◽  
Maria Chiara Manauzzi ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Giancarlo Raiteri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Near Future

The concentration of Green House Gasses and specifically the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is continuously increasing since the industrial revolution and it is the most relevant anthropic cause driving climate changes. Two of the strongest symptoms of those changes are the Global Warming and the Ocean Acidification which are progressively altering marine ecosystems and the populations of living organisms they support. The Mediterranean Sea is widely considered a 'laboratory basin' by suffering dramatic changes in its oceanographic and biogeochemical conditions derived from natural and anthropogenic forces. Calcifying seaweeds are the most important 'bioconstructors', from mesolittoral to circalittoral fringe, providing habitats and ecological niches for other species (i.e. biodiversity promoters) but also are good 'recorders' of the environmental condition they experience (i.e. biondicators). In this study we focused on the reef-forming Ellisolandia elongata from the Gulf of La Spezia (N-W Mediterranean Sea) by comparing the physical properties, growth rate and abundance of associated fauna in natural and experimental conditions (temperature and pH expected for 2050-2100). Four sampling sites were chosen in the intertidal zone. Reef samples were bring in the laboratory and put in experimental conditions for a month. Four aquaria simulated the actual conditions of temperature and pH, other 4 aquaria simulated temperature (+3°C) and pH (7.7) expected for the year near future. E. elongata grown in the natural and experimental conditions withstand mechanical stress in slightly different ways. The study of the effect of temperature and pH variations on growth rate and associated fauna of E. elongata reef is still in progress.

scholarly journals Could the intertidal Ellisolandia elongata reef be affected by climate changes expected in the near future in the Mediterranean Sea?

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Nannini ◽  
Maurizio Florio ◽  
Maria Chiara Manauzzi ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Giancarlo Raiteri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Near Future

The concentration of Green House Gasses and specifically the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is continuously increasing since the industrial revolution and it is the most relevant anthropic cause driving climate changes. Two of the strongest symptoms of those changes are the Global Warming and the Ocean Acidification which are progressively altering marine ecosystems and the populations of living organisms they support. The Mediterranean Sea is widely considered a 'laboratory basin' by suffering dramatic changes in its oceanographic and biogeochemical conditions derived from natural and anthropogenic forces. Calcifying seaweeds are the most important 'bioconstructors', from mesolittoral to circalittoral fringe, providing habitats and ecological niches for other species (i.e. biodiversity promoters) but also are good 'recorders' of the environmental condition they experience (i.e. biondicators). In this study we focused on the reef-forming Ellisolandia elongata from the Gulf of La Spezia (N-W Mediterranean Sea) by comparing the physical properties, growth rate and abundance of associated fauna in natural and experimental conditions (temperature and pH expected for 2050-2100). Four sampling sites were chosen in the intertidal zone. Reef samples were bring in the laboratory and put in experimental conditions for a month. Four aquaria simulated the actual conditions of temperature and pH, other 4 aquaria simulated temperature (+3°C) and pH (7.7) expected for the year near future. E. elongata grown in the natural and experimental conditions withstand mechanical stress in slightly different ways. The study of the effect of temperature and pH variations on growth rate and associated fauna of E. elongata reef is still in progress.

scholarly journals Population genetic structure and connectivity of the harmful dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum in the Mediterranean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1726) ◽  
pp. 129-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Casabianca ◽  
Antonella Penna ◽  
Elena Pecchioli ◽  
Antoni Jordi ◽  
Gotzon Basterretxea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Population Genetic ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Harmful Algal Bloom ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Alexandrium Minutum ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Microalgal Species

The toxin-producing microbial species Alexandrium minutum has a wide distribution in the Mediterranean Sea and causes high biomass blooms with consequences on the environment, human health and coastal-related economic activities. Comprehension of algal genetic differences and associated connectivity is fundamental to understand the geographical scale of adaptation and dispersal pathways of harmful microalgal species. In the present study, we combine A. minutum population genetic analyses based on microsatellites with indirect connectivity ( C i ) estimations derived from a general circulation model of the Mediterranean sea. Our results show that four major clusters of genetically homogeneous groups can be identified, loosely corresponding to four regional seas: Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian and Catalan. Each of the four clusters included a small fraction of mixed and allochthonous genotypes from other Mediterranean areas, but the assignment to one of the four clusters was sufficiently robust as proved by the high ancestry coefficient values displayed by most of the individuals (>84%). The population structure of A. minutum on this scale can be explained by microalgal dispersion following the main regional circulation patterns over successive generations. We hypothesize that limited connectivity among the A. minutum populations results in low gene flow but not in the erosion of variability within the population, as indicated by the high gene diversity values. This study represents a first and new integrated approach, combining both genetic and numerical methods, to characterize and interpret the population structure of a toxic microalgal species. This approach of characterizing genetic population structure and connectivity at a regional scale holds promise for the control and management of the harmful algal bloom events in the Mediterranean Sea.

Aeromonas dhakensis pneumonia and sepsis in a neonate Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus from the Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Pérez ◽  
ML Abarca ◽  
F Latif-Eugenín ◽  
R Beaz-Hidalgo ◽  
MJ Figueras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Grampus Griseus ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Risso's Dolphin
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