scholarly journals Introduced marine species in Croatian waters (Eastern Adriatic Sea)

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. PECAREVIC ◽  
J. MIKUS ◽  
A. BRATOS CETINIC ◽  
J. DULCIC ◽  
M. CALIC

The Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea covers more than 35% of the total Croatian territory, which means that monitoring changes in marine ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity are of great importance. Following global changes, Croatia is experiencing increasing problems due to the introduction of new species that include aliens (due to aquaculture activities and shipping) and species from other Mediterranean subregions that are extending their geographic range. This work provides a checklist of introduced species in Croatian waters. A total of 113 species (15 phytoplankton, 16 zooplankton, 16 macroalgae, 44 zoobenthic and 22 fish species) have been recorded in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea, of which 61 species are alien and 52 introduced, due to climate change.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (27) ◽  
pp. 13434-13439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carvajal-Quintero ◽  
Fabricio Villalobos ◽  
Thierry Oberdorff ◽  
Gaël Grenouillet ◽  
Sébastien Brosse ◽  
...  

Identifying the drivers and processes that determine globally the geographic range size of species is crucial to understanding the geographic distribution of biodiversity and further predicting the response of species to current global changes. However, these drivers and processes are still poorly understood, and no ecological explanation has emerged yet as preponderant in explaining the extent of species’ geographical range. Here, we identify the main drivers of the geographic range size variation in freshwater fishes at global and biogeographic scales and determine how these drivers affect range size both directly and indirectly. We tested the main hypotheses already proposed to explain range size variation, using geographic ranges of 8,147 strictly freshwater fish species (i.e., 63% of all known species). We found that, contrary to terrestrial organisms, for which climate and topography seem preponderant in determining species’ range size, the geographic range sizes of freshwater fishes are mostly explained by the species’ position within the river network, and by the historical connection among river basins during Quaternary low-sea-level periods. Large-ranged fish species inhabit preferentially lowland areas of river basins, where hydrological connectivity is the highest, and also are found in river basins that were historically connected. The disproportionately high explanatory power of these two drivers suggests that connectivity is the key component of riverine fish geographic range sizes, independent of any other potential driver, and indicates that the accelerated rates in river fragmentation might strongly affect fish species distribution and freshwater biodiversity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. S24-S35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan A. Kleypas A. Kleypas

Climate change is usually associated with warming and weather extremes that impact the human environment and terrestrial systems, but it also has profound effects on the ocean, which is probably the most unique, life-supporting feature of planet Earth. The most direct consequence of rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is “ocean acidification,” a term that refers to the lowering of seawater pH, but encompasses a suite of chemical changes that affect marine organisms from shell formation, to reproduction, physiology, and behavior. The oceans are also warming in pace with the atmosphere, and in fact store the vast majority of the additional heat generated by rising CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This warming is causing the more mobile marine species to redistribute poleward and deeper, and is causing high mortality in more sessile species such as those that build and habituate coral reefs. But warming is also leading to a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the oceans. For tropical marine ecosystems, the combination of ocean acidification, warming, and deoxygenation will continue to impact marine ecosystems in the future. The extent of these impacts depends on which energy pathway society follows, and our abilities to reduce other stressors and assist the rate at which species can adapt and migrate to more suitable environments.


PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. e3001046
Author(s):  
Rebecca R. Helm

Life on the ocean’s surface connects worlds. From shallow waters to the deep sea, the open ocean to rivers and lakes, numerous terrestrial and marine species depend on the surface ecosystem and the organisms found therein. Organisms that live freely at the surface, termed “neuston,” include keystone organisms like the golden seaweed Sargassum that makes up the Sargasso Sea, floating barnacles, snails, nudibranchs, and cnidarians. Many ecologically and economically important fish species live as or rely upon neuston. Species at the surface are not distributed uniformly; the ocean’s surface harbors unique neustonic communities and ecoregions found at only certain latitudes and only in specific ocean basins. But the surface is also on the front line of climate change and pollution. Despite the diversity and importance of the ocean’s surface in connecting disparate habitats, and the risks it faces, we know very little about neustonic life. This Essay will introduce you to the neuston, their connections to diverse habitats, the threats they face, and new opportunities for research and discovery at the air-sea interface.


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manzoor Hussain Memon ◽  
Naveed Aamir ◽  
Nadeem Ahmed

Climate change has now become a reality that has intensified the sufferings of people living in arid ecosystems. Decrease in rainfall, rise in temperature and increase in the frequency of extreme events are some of the changes observed in the semi-arid desert of district Tharparkar. For thousands of years, people of Tharparkar are coping with drought and aridity of the land by using indigenous knowledge. However, global changes in the climatic pattern and deterioration of social and economic conditions have pushed the inhabitants of this arid region into extreme vulnerable situation. This paper investigates the link between climate-induced natural disasters, particularly drought, from the perspective of changing climate patterns which have resulted in food insecurity and water scarcity. The paper analyses the rainfall pattern in the last 38 years—dividing it into two periods i.e. from 1975-1994 and 1995-2014. The findings of the paper have challenged the prevailing notions about aridity and rainfall patterns in Tharparkar district. The research found that there is an increase in average annual precipitation in the district with erratic patterns. Thus, the nature of drought in the district has changed from its historic pattern of less or no rainfall to more but erratic rainfall that is more threatening to livelihoods of the people that in turn have multiplier effect on water and food insecurity. In particularly, women are more vulnerable in the absence of social security and lack of basic necessities for their survival amidst drought. For instance, traditionally the burden of managing water resources falls on women, which leads to an increased work load during the time of drought and also water scarcity. JEL Classification: Q54, Q56, Q25, I30 Keywords: Climate, Environment and Development, Drought, Water, Poverty


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 1870
Author(s):  
Matteo Gentilucci ◽  
Abdelraouf A. Moustafa ◽  
Fagr Kh. Abdel-Gawad ◽  
Samira R. Mansour ◽  
Maria Rosaria Coppola ◽  
...  

This paper characterizes non-indigenous fish species (NIS) and analyses both atmospheric and sea surface temperatures for the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1991 to 2020, in relation to previous reports in the same areas. Taxonomical characterization depicts 47 NIS from the Suez Canal (Lessepsian/alien) and 5 from the Atlantic provenance. GenBank accession number of the NIS mitochondrial gene, cytochrome oxidase 1, reproductive and commercial biodata, and a schematic Inkscape drawing for the most harmful Lessepsian species were reported. For sea surface temperatures (SST), an increase of 1.2 °C to 1.6 °C was observed using GIS software. The lack of linear correlation between annual air temperature and annual SST at the same detection points (Pearson r) could suggest a difference in submarine currents, whereas the Pettitt homogeneity test highlights a temperature breakpoint in 2005–2006 that may have favoured the settlement of non-indigenous fauna in the coastal sites of Damiette, El Arish, El Hammam, Alexandria, El Alamain, and Mersa Matruh, while there seems to be a breakpoint present in 2001 for El Sallum. This assessment of climate trends is in good agreement with the previous sightings of non-native fish species. New insights into the assessment of Egyptian coastal climate change are discussed.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 251
Author(s):  
Adi Zweifler (Zvifler) ◽  
Michael O’Leary ◽  
Kyle Morgan ◽  
Nicola K. Browne

Increasing evidence suggests that coral reefs exposed to elevated turbidity may be more resilient to climate change impacts and serve as an important conservation hotspot. However, logistical difficulties in studying turbid environments have led to poor representation of these reef types within the scientific literature, with studies using different methods and definitions to characterize turbid reefs. Here we review the geological origins and growth histories of turbid reefs from the Holocene (past), their current ecological and environmental states (present), and their potential responses and resilience to increasing local and global pressures (future). We classify turbid reefs using new descriptors based on their turbidity regime (persistent, fluctuating, transitional) and sources of sediment input (natural versus anthropogenic). Further, by comparing the composition, function and resilience of two of the most studied turbid reefs, Paluma Shoals Reef Complex, Australia (natural turbidity) and Singapore reefs (anthropogenic turbidity), we found them to be two distinct types of turbid reefs with different conservation status. As the geographic range of turbid reefs is expected to increase due to local and global stressors, improving our understanding of their responses to environmental change will be central to global coral reef conservation efforts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Laspiur ◽  
J. C. Santos ◽  
S. M. Medina ◽  
J. E. Pizarro ◽  
E. A. Sanabria ◽  
...  

AbstractGiven the rapid loss of biodiversity as consequence of climate change, greater knowledge of ecophysiological and natural history traits are crucial to determine which environmental factors induce stress and drive the decline of threatened species. Liolaemus montanezi (Liolaemidae), a xeric-adapted lizard occurring only in a small geographic range in west-central Argentina, constitutes an excellent model for studies on the threats of climate change on such microendemic species. We describe field data on activity patterns, use of microhabitat, behavioral thermoregulation, and physiology to produce species distribution models (SDMs) based on climate and ecophysiological data. Liolaemus montanezi inhabits a thermally harsh environment which remarkably impacts their activity and thermoregulation. The species shows a daily bimodal pattern of activity and mostly occupies shaded microenvironments. Although the individuals thermoregulate at body temperatures below their thermal preference they avoid high-temperature microenvironments probably to avoid overheating. The population currently persists because of the important role of the habitat physiognomy and not because of niche tracking, seemingly prevented by major rivers that form boundaries of their geographic range. We found evidence of habitat opportunities in the current range and adjacent areas that will likely remain suitable to the year 2070, reinforcing the relevance of the river floodplain for the species’ avoidance of extinction.


Author(s):  
M. Mandić ◽  
I. Leonori ◽  
A. De Felice ◽  
S. Gvozdenović ◽  
A. Pešić

Abstract Anguillid leptocephali of three Congridae species (Conger conger, Ariosoma balearicum and Gnathophis mistax) were caught as bycatch of pelagic trawls during acoustic surveys targeting small pelagic fish species in the southern Adriatic Sea, carried out under the framework of the Italian MEDIAS project (western side) and its extension in the ambit of the FAO AdriaMed project (eastern side). Results refer to the findings of Congridae leptocephali during surveys conducted in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. A total of 25 specimens were caught and analysed (morphological features and pigmentation patterns). Leptocephali of Conger conger were found in the range of 8.4–13.1 cm total length (TL) (between 50 and 132 m depth), Ariosoma balearicum from 9.7–12.2 cm TL (between 50 and 128 m depth) and for Gnathophis mystax in the range from 6.4–11.7 cm TL (between 40 and 79 m depth). The results indicate that the southern Adriatic Pit could be the spawning area of these species in the Adriatic Sea. Present data represent a contribution to existing knowledge about the ecology of leptocephali from the Congridae family in the southern Adriatic Sea, and also indicate the existence of differences in morphometric parameters between different areas, that is, the possibility of the existence of new geographic lines within the genus Ariosoma in the Adriatic Sea.


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