Comparative analysis of /kwa/ fish sounds recorded during an early ecoacoustics experiment in a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow (Ustica Island, 1999)

This study investigated whether associated meiobenthic communities, especially harpacticoid copepods, differed amongst habitats. Five pre-defined habitats within and next to the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow were sampled: living seagrass canopy leaves (LL), small (SMF) and large (LMF) macrophytodetritus fragment accumulations and sand, bare (BS) and covered (CS). The highest meiofauna abundances were recorded in the BS for the core sampled habitats (BS, CS, SMF and LMF) and in the LMF for seagrass material habitats (SMF, LMF and LL). Harpacticoid copepods were the most abundant taxon in all habitats. The assemblage composition at copepod family level showed two distinct habitats clusters: a leaf (LMF and LL) and a sediment cluster (BS, CS and SMF). Subsequently, stable isotope analyses were conducted to analyse the relationship between copepods and their potential food sources in seagrass material habitats. Based on δ13C isotopic analyses and SIAR mixing model, harpacticoid copepods relied for 70% on epiphytes and for 30% on P. oceanica leaf material in the LMF and LL habitats.

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Spatial, temporal and structural variations of a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow facing human activities

Aquatic Botany ◽

10.1016/j.aquabot.2005.10.001 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 84 (4) ◽

pp. 287-293 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Agathe Leriche ◽

Vanina Pasqualini ◽

Charles-François Boudouresque ◽

Guillaume Bernard ◽

Patrick Bonhomme ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Activities ◽

Seagrass Meadow ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Structural Variations

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Comparative analysis of bed density, total phenol content and protein expression pattern in <i>Posidonia oceanica</i> (L.) Delile

Open Journal of Ecology ◽

10.4236/oje.2013.36050 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 03 (06) ◽

pp. 438-444 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alice Rotini ◽

Letizia Anello ◽

Maria Di Bernardo ◽

Agata Giallongo ◽

Luigi Valiante ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Protein Expression ◽

Expression Pattern ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Total Phenol ◽

Total Phenol Content ◽

Phenol Content ◽

Protein Expression Pattern

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Influence of hydrodynamic setting on Posidonia oceanica meadow landscape and architecture

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1035 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew Pace ◽

Joseph A Borg ◽

Charles Galdies

Keyword(s):

Seagrass Meadow ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

High Energy ◽

Wave Exposure ◽

Exposure Model ◽

Eastern Coast ◽

Seagrass Habitat ◽

Physical Factors ◽

The North ◽

Architectural Features

Seagrass meadow characteristics, including distribution, shape, size, and within-meadow architectural features may be influenced by various physical factors, including hydrodynamic forces. However, such influence has hardly been assessed for meadows of the ecologically important and endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Estimates of wind- generated wave energy and the energy attenuated by depth were computed by a hydrodynamic model, WEMo (Wave Exposure Model), for five sites on the north-eastern coast of the Maltese Islands which each supported patchy, reticulate and continuous bed types of Posidonia oceanica. The distribution of P. oceanica meadows at these sites were mapped to a depth of circa 15m using a combination of aerial photography and SCUBA diving surveys. Data on meadow architectural attributes were collected for each of the three P. oceanica bed types at each of the five study sites. Metrics for P. oceanica landscape features were calculated via FRAGSTATS v4 for replicate 2500m2 subsamples that were extracted from the seagrass habitat maps. The results indicate that landscape and architectural features of relatively deep P. oceanica meadows are significantly influenced by the hydrodynamic setting. P. oceanica meadows tend to be patchier with lower overall cover, more complex patch shapes and reduced architectural complexity along a wave exposure gradient from low to high energy. The findings from the present study highlight the importance of understanding the influence of hydrodynamic factors on the natural dynamism of seagrass meadow landscape and architecture for the conservation and management of P. oceanica habitat.

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