Larvae ecology and adult activity of Aedes mariae (Diptera: Culicidae) in a touristic rock-pool area of the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)

Abstract Mosquitoes are vectors of several diseases of medical concern such as malaria or dengue and can also negatively affect tourism and the life-quality of the neighbourhood. The species Aedes mariae (Sergent and Sergent, 1903) is a poorly studied mosquito that breeds in rock-pools of the Mediterranean coast. General Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) were used to determine drivers affecting the presence and abundance of this species. Abiotic and biotic factors were recorded in rock-pools with the presence of Ae. mariae sub-adults across a supralittoral area of Majorca Island (Balearic Islands, Spain) from July 2018 to June 2019. We tested how abiotic factors affected the presence of larvae, while the biotic factors were used to check their effect on larvae abundance. human landing collection was also conducted to assess the adult activity of this species. Valuable data were recorded to improve our knowledge about the bioecology of Ae. mariae in a touristic area of the island of Majorca. Salinity and pH were the most explanatory variables for the presence of Ae. mariae larvae. The presence of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile 1813 leaves negatively affected the abundance of Ae. mariae larvae while the presence of other fauna enhanced it. Adult females of Ae. mariae were active for 26 min after sunset in June and its host-seeking activity decreased during autumn months. Control methods against this species should be focussed on rock-pools and planning treatments according to tides, waves and precipitation.

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Posidonia oceanica as a Source of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter for the Oligotrophic NW Mediterranean Coast

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse8110911 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 911

Author(s):

Francesca Iuculano ◽

Carlos M. Duarte ◽

Jaime Otero ◽

Xosé Antón Álvarez-Salgado ◽

Susana Agustí

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Dissolved Organic Matter ◽

Rocky Shore ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Mediterranean Coast ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter ◽

Absorption Increase ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

Nw Mediterranean

Posidonia oceanica is a well-recognized source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from exudation and leaching of seagrass leaves, but little is known about its impact on the chromophoric fraction of DOM (CDOM). In this study, we monitored for two years the optical properties of CDOM in two contrasting sites in the Mallorca Coast (Balearic Islands). One site was a rocky shore free of seagrass meadows, and the second site was characterized by the accumulation of non-living seagrass material in the form of banquettes. On average, the integrated color over the 250–600 nm range was almost 6-fold higher in the beach compared with the rocky shore. Furthermore, the shapes of the CDOM spectra in the two sites were also different. A short incubation experiment suggested that the spectral differences were due to leaching from P. oceanica leaf decomposition. Furthermore, occasionally the spectra of P. oceanica was distorted by a marked absorption increase at wavelength < 265 nm, presumably related to the release of hydrogen sulfide (HS−) associated with the anaerobic decomposition of seagrass leaves within the banquettes. Our results provide the first evidence that P. oceanica is a source of CDOM to the surrounding waters.

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Colonization on Pinna nobilis at a marine protected area: extent of the spread of two invasive seaweeds

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531541400037x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 94 (5) ◽

pp. 857-864 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Maite Vázquez-Luis ◽

Gàlia Banach-Esteve ◽

Elvira Álvarez ◽

Salud Deudero

Keyword(s):

Protected Area ◽

National Park ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Caulerpa Racemosa ◽

Seagrass Meadows ◽

Pinna Nobilis ◽

North Western

Introduction of species is a major driver of global change and loss of biodiversity in ecosystems. The Mediterranean Sea is the most heavily invaded region in the world by introduced seaweeds. The fan mussel Pinna nobilis is the largest Mediterranean bivalve, and a protected species, present at depths from 0.5 m to 60 m. In Cabrera National Park marine protected area (MPA) (Balearic Islands, north-western Mediterranean) the population of P. nobilis is affected by the invasive seaweeds Lophocladia lallemandii and Caulerpa racemosa; however the extent of this colonization on the bivalve is unknown. Therefore, the main aims of the present study were to: (1) determine the extent of invasion of L. lallemandii and C. racemosa on the P. nobilis population; and (2) test if this invasion showed differences with depth. This is the first study assessing invasion by seaweeds on a large bivalve in a high density P. nobilis population. Pinna nobilis was distributed in all seagrass meadows surveyed within the MPA; we found a total of 872 live P. nobilis individuals, 449 and 423 of which were found at 10 and 20 m depth, respectively. High cover of L. lallemandii and low presence of C. racemosa were detected in the P. nobilis population, being quantified in 49.37% and 1.38% of the population of P. nobilis, respectively. Bathymetric differences on Lophocladia epizoism over P. nobilis has been recorded in this study; with increasing values of L. lallemandii cover index, biomass and volume at deeper depths. Pinna nobilis could be a preferential substratum for L. lallemandii in Posidonia oceanica meadows in deeper waters, acting as a stepping-stone for invasive seaweeds and facilitating the invasion throughout seagrass meadows.

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Tsunami hazard at the Western Mediterranean Spanish coast from seismic sources

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-11-227-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 227-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

J. A. Álvarez-Gómez ◽

ĺ. Aniel-Quiroga ◽

M. González ◽

L. Otero

Keyword(s):

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Mediterranean Coast ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

The North ◽

Spanish Coast ◽

Tsunami Risk ◽

The Mediterranean

Abstract. Spain represents an important part of the tourism sector in the Western Mediterranean, which has been affected in the past by tsunamis. Although the tsunami risk at the Spanish coasts is not the highest of the Mediterranean, the necessity of tsunami risk mitigation measures should not be neglected. In the Mediterranean area, Spain is exposed to two different tectonic environments with contrasting characteristics. On one hand, the Alboran Basin characterised by transcurrent and transpressive tectonics and, on the other hand, the North Algerian fold and thrust belt, characterised by compressive tectonics. A set of 22 seismic tsunamigenic sources has been used to estimate the tsunami threat over the Spanish Mediterranean coast of the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Maximum wave elevation maps and tsunami travel times have been computed by means of numerical modelling and we have obtained estimations of threat levels for each source over the Spanish coast. The sources on the Western edge of North Algeria are the most dangerous, due to their threat to the South-Eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and to the Western Balearic Islands. In general, the Northern Algerian sources pose a greater risk to the Spanish coast than the Alboran Sea sources, which only threaten the peninsular coast. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish provinces of Almeria and Murcia are the most exposed, while all the Balearic Islands can be affected by the North Algerian sources with probable severe damage, specially the islands of Ibiza and Minorca. The results obtained in this work are useful to plan future regional and local warning systems, as well as to set the priority areas to conduct research on detailed tsunami risk.

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Determination of factors involved in the rejection of bananas (Musa acuminata) intended for international commercialization

10.37281/preprints/2 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Quality Standards ◽

Musa Acuminata ◽

P Value ◽

Biotic Factors ◽

Significance Level ◽

Export Sector ◽

Export System

The banana agro-export sector in Ecuador provides millions of dollars in income for this concept, but with this development, a series of quality standards have been established that must be met to enter the export system. This has contributed to establishing good post-harvest production and management practices that guarantee the optimal production of bananas and plantains. The objective of this study was to determine the factors involved in the rejection of bananas (Musa acuminata) destined for international commercialization. The methodology considered the design modality of non-experimental transactional research, with a quantitative approach. The methodological design was developed in three phases at Finca 6 Hermanas located in the Barraganete sector of the San Juan parish in the Puebloviejo canton of the Los Ríos Province, Ecuador. The results highlight that the main causes for which banana rejection is generated are due to abiotic factors (damage, dry latex, scar, insect damage, broken neck, overgrowth) in a higher percentage of 79.55 % and biotic factors ( twins, diseases, short finger) by 20.45 %. The average rejection was 6 361 fingers and1 269 Kilograms (K) over the 6-week study duration. The analysis of variance turned out to be significant for variable 1 (biotic and abiotic). Ho is rejected; with the criterion of p-value < 0.0001 and F (9; 45) = 2.10., F = 13.17> F critic. In the case of variable (2) “work weeks”, Ho is accepted with the criteria obtained of p-value of 0.7694 and F (5; 45) = 2.4., As F = 0.51 < F critic, it is concludes, that with a significance level of 5% the null hypothesis is accepted. It is concluded that these figures lead to the elaboration of strategies that systemically mitigate the damages, by correcting each one of the causes that cause the deterioration of the banana and increasing the economic gains of the commercialization process.

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A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh ◽

10.1017/s1755691021000268 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Rafel MATAMALES-ANDREU ◽

Francesc X. ROIG-MUNAR ◽

Oriol OMS ◽

Àngel GALOBART ◽

Josep FORTUNY

Keyword(s):

Western Mediterranean ◽

Balearic Islands ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Lower Permian ◽

Incertae Sedis ◽

The North ◽

Low Latitudes ◽

High Fibre ◽

Successful Group ◽

Neighbouring Island

ABSTRACT Moradisaurine captorhinid eureptiles were a successful group of high-fibre herbivores that lived in the arid low latitudes of Pangaea during the Permian. Here we describe a palaeoassemblage from the Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean), consisting of ichnites of small captorhinomorph eureptiles, probably moradisaurines (Hyloidichnus), and parareptiles (cf. Erpetopus), and bones of two different taxa of moradisaurines. The smallest of the two is not diagnostic beyond Moradisaurinae incertae sedis. The largest one, on the other hand, shows characters that are not present in any other known species of moradisaurine (densely ornamented maxillar teeth), and it is therefore described as Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov. Other remains found in the same outcrop are identified as cf. Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov., as they could also belong to the newly described taxon. This species is sister to the moradisaurine from the lower Permian of the neighbouring island of Mallorca, and is also closely related to the North American genus Rothianiscus. This makes it possible to suggest the hypothesis that the Variscan mountains, which separated North America from southern Europe during the Permian, were not a very important palaeobiogeographical barrier to the dispersion of moradisaurines. In fact, mapping all moradisaurine occurrences known so far, it is shown that their distribution area encompassed both sides of the Variscan mountains, essentially being restricted to the arid belt of palaeoequatorial Pangaea, where they probably outcompeted other herbivorous clades until they died out in the late Permian.

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Delayed Senescence in Soybean: Terminology, Research Update, and Survey Results from Growers

Plant Health Progress ◽

10.1094/php-rv-16-0008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 76-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

C. J. Harbach ◽

T. W. Allen ◽

C. R. Bowen ◽

J. A. Davis ◽

C. B. Hill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Factors ◽

Biotic Factors ◽

Delayed Senescence ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Whole Plant ◽

Research Findings ◽

Survey Results ◽

Soybean Plants ◽

Grower Survey ◽

Specific Symptoms

The terms used to describe symptoms of delayed senescence in soybean often are used inconsistently or interchangeably and do not adequately distinguish the observed symptoms in the field. Various causes have been proposed to explain the development of delayed senescence symptoms. In this article, we review published reports on delayed senescence symptoms in soybean, summarize current research findings, provide examples of terms related to specific symptoms, and present an overview of the results of a multi-state survey directed to soybean growers to understand their concerns about delayed soybean senescence. Some of these terms, such as green bean syndrome and green stem syndrome, describe symptoms induced by biotic factors, while other terms describe symptoms associated with abiotic factors. Some delayed senescence terms involve the whole plant remaining green while other terms include just the stem and other plant parts such as pods. In the grower survey, 77% reported observing soybean plants or plant parts that remained green after most plants in the field were fully mature with ripe seed. Most respondents attributed these symptoms to changes in breeding and choice of cultivars. At the end of this article, we standardized the terms used to describe delayed senescence in soybean. Accepted for publication 23 March 2016. Published 15 April 2016.

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Interpopulation variability of the reproductive cycle of Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in the south-western Mediterranean

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315400002885 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 80 (5) ◽

pp. 899-907 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Mourad Guettaf ◽

Gustavo A. San Martin ◽

Patrice Francour

Keyword(s):

Regional Scale ◽

Gonad Index ◽

Paracentrotus Lividus ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Larval Phase ◽

Spawning Period ◽

Rocky Substrate ◽

Maximum Value ◽

Reproductive Cycles

The spawning of Paracentrotus lividus has been determined on the basis of the annual gonad index cycle at three sites in the Algiers area presenting low, intermediate and strong hydrodynamism. Three biotopes (Posidonia oceanica beds, rocky substrate with photophilous algae and overgrazed rocky substrate) and two depths (1–3 m and 6–10 m) were considered at these sites, the sex-ratio was always strongly in favour of females (2:1 to 3:1). In all sites but one, there were marked differences in the gonad index and the spawning period between sites; the gonad index reached its maximum value at the site with the weakest hydrodynamism, and the minimum value at the site with the strongest hydrodynamism. Spawning took place in April–May and August–September at the site with the weakest hydrodynamism, in April–June and October–December at the site with intermediate hydrodynamism and only in winter at the site with maximum hydrodynamism. The coexistence, on regional scale, of these reproductive cycles might enable Paracentrotus lividus to compensate the mortality during planktonic larval phase by the fact that spawning of this sea urchin occurred in all seasons.

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Deep-water macroalgal-dominated coastal detritic assemblages on the continental shelf off Mallorca and Menorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean)

Botanica Marina ◽

10.1515/bot-2012-0113 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 55 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Sergi Joher ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Emma Cebrian ◽

Noemí Sánchez ◽

Conxi Rodríguez-Prieto

Keyword(s):

Continental Shelf ◽

Deep Water ◽

Western Mediterranean ◽

Balearic Islands

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The Origin of Sand and Its Colour on the South-Eastern Coast of Spain: Implications for Erosion Management

Water ◽

10.3390/w12020377 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 377 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Asensio-Montesinos ◽

Pranzini ◽

Martínez-Martínez ◽

Cinelli ◽

Anfuso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Western Mediterranean ◽

Mediterranean Coast ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

Storm Events ◽

Colour Space ◽

Source Areas ◽

Beach Width ◽

Severe Erosion ◽

Colour Coordinates ◽

Economic Function

Sand colour can give important information about mineral composition and, consequently, sediment source areas and input systems. Beach appearance, which is mostly linked to sand colour, has a relevant economic function in tourist areas. In this paper, the colour of 66 sand samples, collected along both natural and nourished beaches in the western Mediterranean coast of Spain, were assessed in CIEL*a*b* 1976 colour space. The obtained results showed relevant differences between natural and artificially nourished beaches. The colour of many nourished beaches generally differs from the native one because the origin of the injected sand is different. The native sand colour coordinates’ range is: L* (40.16–63.71); a* (−1.47–6.40); b* (7.48–18.06). On the contrary, for nourished beaches’ the colour range is: L* (47.66–70.75); a*(0.72‒5.16); b* (5.82–18.82). Impacts of beach nourishment on the native sand colour were studied at San Juan beach, the most popular one along the study area. Nourishment works were performed after severe erosion, usually linked to anthropic activities/structures and storm events, but also to increase beach width and hence benefit tourism.

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