scholarly journals High photosynthetic plasticity may reinforce invasiveness of upside-down zooxanthellate jellyfish in Mediterranean coastal waters

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248814
Author(s):  
Marta Mammone ◽  
Christine Ferrier-Pagés ◽  
Silvia Lavorano ◽  
Lucia Rizzo ◽  
Stefano Piraino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
High Irradiance ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Autotrophic Metabolism ◽  
Photosynthetic Plasticity ◽  
Photosynthetic Responses ◽  
Photosynthetic Performances ◽  
Successful Invader

Ecological profiling of non-native species is essential to predict their dispersal and invasiveness potential across different areas of the world. Cassiopea is a monophyletic taxonomic group of scyphozoan mixotrophic jellyfish including C. andromeda, a recent colonizer of sheltered, shallow-water habitats of the Mediterranean Sea, such as harbors and other light-limited, eutrophic coastal habitats. To assess the ecophysiological plasticity of Cassiopea jellyfish and their potential to spread across the Mare Nostrum by secondary introductions, we investigated rapid photosynthetic responses of jellyfish to irradiance transitions—from reduced to increased irradiance conditions (as paradigm of transition from harbors to coastal, meso/oligotrophic habitats). Laboratory incubation experiments were carried out to compare oxygen fluxes and photobiological variables in Cassiopea sp. immature specimens pre-acclimated to low irradiance (PAR = 200 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and specimens rapidly exposed to higher irradiance levels (PAR = 500 μmol photons m−2 s−1). Comparable photosynthetic potential and high photosynthetic rates were measured at both irradiance values, as also shown by the rapid light curves. No significant differences were observed in terms of symbiont abundance between control and treated specimens. However, jellyfish kept at the low irradiance showed a higher content in chlorophyll a and c (0.76±0.51SD vs 0.46±0.13SD mg g-1 AFDW) and a higher Ci (amount of chlorophyll per cell) compared to jellyfish exposed to higher irradiance levels. The ratio between gross photosynthesis and respiration (P:R) was >1, indicating a significant input from the autotrophic metabolism. Cassiopea sp. specimens showed high photosynthetic performances, at both low and high irradiance, demonstrating high potential to adapt to sudden changes in light exposure. Such photosynthetic plasticity, combined with Cassiopea eurythermal tolerance and mixotrophic behavior, jointly suggest the upside-down jellyfish as a potentially successful invader in the scenario of a warming Mediterranean Sea.

Photosynthetic responses of Coffea arabica leaves to a short-term high light exposure in relation to N availability

1997 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose C. Ramalho ◽  
Thos L. Pons ◽  
Henri W. Groeneveld ◽  
M. Antonieta Nunes
Keyword(s):  
Coffea Arabica ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
High Light ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Photosynthetic Responses

Radiocarbon dating of individual foram tests show that alleged Lessepsian species are of Holocene age

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo G. Albano ◽  
Anna Sabbatini ◽  
Jonathan Lattanzio ◽  
Jan Steger ◽  
Sönke Szidat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Suez Canal ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Sediment Depth ◽  
The Mediterranean

<p>The Lessepsian invasion – the largest marine biological invasion – followed the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 (81 years BP). Shortly afterwards, tropical species also distributed in the Red Sea appeared on Mediterranean shores: it was the dawn of what would become the invasion of several hundred tropical species. The time of the Suez Canal opening coincided with an acceleration in natural history exploration and description, but the eastern sectors of the Mediterranean Sea lagged behind and were thoroughly explored only in the second half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. Many parts are still insufficiently studied today. Baseline information on pre-Lessepsian ecosystem states is thus scarce. This knowledge gap has rarely been considered by invasion scientists: every new finding of species belonging to tropical clades has been assumed to be a Lessepsian invader.</p><p>We here question this assumption by radiocarbon dating seven individual tests of miliolids – imperforated calcareous foraminifera – belonging to five alleged non-indigenous species. Tests were found in two sediment cores collected at 30 and 40 m depth off Ashqelon, on the Mediterranean Israeli shelf. We dated one <em>Cribromiliolinella milletti </em>(core at 40 m, 20 cm sediment depth), three <em>Nodophthalmidium antillarum </em>(core at 40 m, 35 cm sediment depth), one <em>Miliolinella </em>cf. <em>fichteliana </em>(core at 30 m, 110 cm sediment depth), one <em>Articulina alticostata </em>(core at 40 m, 35 cm sediment depth) and one <em>Spiroloculina antillarum </em>(core at 30 m, 110 cm sediment depth). All foraminiferal tests proved to be of Holocene age, with a median calibrated age spanning between 749 and 8285 years BP. Only one test of <em>N. antillarum</em> showed a 2-sigma error overlapping the time of the opening of the Suez Canal, but with a median age of 1123 years BP. Additionally, a thorough literature search resulted in a further record of <em>S. antillarum</em> in a core interval dated 1820–2064 years BP in Turkey.</p><p>Therefore, these foraminiferal species are not introduced, but native species. They are all circumtropical or Indo-Pacific and in the Mediterranean distributed mostly in the eastern sectors (only <em>S. antillarum</em> occurs also in the Adriatic Sea). Two hypotheses can explain our results: these species are Tethyan relicts that survived the Messinian salinity crisis (5.97–5.33 Ma) and the glacial periods of the Pleistocene in the Eastern Mediterranean, which may have never desiccated completely during the Messinian crisis and which may have worked as a warm-water refugium in the Pleistocene; or they entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea more recently but before the opening of the Suez Canal, for example during the Last Interglacial (MIS5e) high-stand (125,000 years BP) when the flooded Isthmus of Suez enabled exchanges between the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific fauna. The recognition that some alleged Lessepsian invaders are in fact native species influences our understanding of the invasion process, its rates and environmental correlates.</p>

scholarly journals Response of Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera) and Coexisting Natives to Competition, Shade, and Flooding

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaniyi O Ajala ◽  
Kathryn R Kidd ◽  
Brian P Oswald ◽  
Yuhui Weng ◽  
Jeremy P Stovall
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
High Irradiance ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Green Ash ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Triadica Sebifera ◽  
Chinese Tallow ◽  
Growth Metrics ◽  
Water Tupelo

Abstract A greenhouse experiment was designed to determine the interactive effect of light, flooding, and competition on the growth and performance of Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera [L.] Roxb.) and three tree species native to the southeastern United States: water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.), sugarberry (Celtis occidentalis L.), and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall). The experiment used a factorial design that received two treatments: light (low irradiance or high irradiance) and flood (nonflooded and flooded) regimes. In the nonflooded and high irradiance treatment, changes in the growth (ground diameter, number of leaves, and total biomass) indicated that growth metrics of tallow were highest when growing with sugarberry and water tupelo but decreased when tallow was in competition with green ash. In contrast, competition with tallow reduced the height, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of water tupelo. The results showed that tallow had lower growth metrics when in competition with green ash at no apparent decrease in the growth of green ash except for growth rate. Our results suggest that tallow may be less competitive with certain native species and underplanting may be a possible opportunity for improving the success rates of native trees species establishment in areas prone to tallow invasion. Study Implications: Chinese tallow is a highly invasive tree species in the southeastern coastal states and in this study, we examined the growth and survival of tallow in competition with tree species native to the southeastern coastal states, USA. The growth of tallow differed greatly among native species in well-drained environments lacking forest overstory with lower growth metrics when grown with green ash but higher growth metrics when grown with water tupelo and sugarberry. Following density reduction treatments, we recommend management actions that promote the regeneration of native tree species to occupy the open vegetation canopy and suppress reestablishment of tallow.

scholarly journals Phytoplankton Distribution in Mar Menor Coastal Lagoon (SE Spain) during 2017

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Soria ◽  
Gema Caniego ◽  
Nuria Hernandez-Saez ◽  
Jose Antonio Dominguez ◽  
Manuel Erena
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Coastal Lagoon ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Economic Interest ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Phytoplankton Distribution ◽  
Mar Menor ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Notable Increase

The Mar Menor is a Spanish coastal lagoon of great ecological and economic interest. The agricultural and tourist activities developed in the surroundings of the lagoon, together with the modifications in its channels of connection with the Mediterranean Sea, have notably affected the quality of its waters, which is altering the natural balance of the ecosystem. In this work, an analysis of the density of phytoplankton present in the lagoon between the months of May to December 2017 has been carried out. There, it has been a notable increase in the density of organisms in post-summer samplings, following the recording of higher temperatures, and the presence of Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Chrysophyceae and nanoplanktonic Cryptophyceae stands out. The data collected indicate a significant increase in the eutrophication process of the lagoon that requires the development of management plans to reduce agricultural discharges and promote the recovery of the lagoon and its native species.

Competitive naïveté between a highly successful invader and a functionally similar native species

Oecologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Heavener ◽  
Alexandra J. R. Carthey ◽  
Peter B. Banks
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Successful Invader

scholarly journals Genetic Data Suggest Multiple Introductions of the Lionfish (Pterois miles) into the Mediterranean Sea

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas C. Dimitriou ◽  
Niki Chartosia ◽  
Jason M. Hall-Spencer ◽  
Periklis Kleitou ◽  
Carlos Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Multiple Introductions ◽  
Pterois Miles ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Successful Invader ◽  
Northern Red Sea

Widespread reports over the last six years confirm the establishment of lionfish (Pterois miles) populations in the eastern Mediterranean. Accumulated knowledge on lionfish invasions in the western Atlantic Ocean has shown that it is a successful invader and can have negative impacts on native species, indirect ecological repercussions and economic effects on local human societies. Here we analysed genetic sequences of lionfish from Cyprus as well as data from the whole distribution of the species, targeting the mtDNA markers cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and the control region (CR). Our results reflect a pattern of repeated introductions into the Mediterranean from the northern Red Sea and a secondary spread of this species west to Rhodes and Sicily. Presented results agree with previously published studies highlighting the genetic similarity with individuals from the northern Red Sea. Nevertheless, some individuals from Cyprus, in addition to those coming via the Suez Canal, were genetically similar to fish from the Indian Ocean, indicating genetic homogeneity among populations of P. miles across its current distribution, possibly facilitated by the ornamental fish trade and/or transport through ballast water.

scholarly journals Zooxanthellae Harvested by Ciliates Associated with Brown Band Syndrome of Corals Remain Photosynthetically Competent

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1968-1975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin E. Ulstrup ◽  
Michael Kühl ◽  
David G. Bourne
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Light Curve ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Fluorescence Analysis ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Quantum Yields ◽  
Symbiotic Association ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Brown Band ◽  
Oxygen Measurements

ABSTRACT Brown band syndrome is a new coral affliction characterized by a local accumulation of yet-unidentified ciliates migrating as a band along the branches of coral colonies. In the current study, morphologically intact zooxanthellae (= Symbiodinium) were observed in great numbers inside the ciliates (>50 dinoflagellates per ciliate). Microscale oxygen measurements and variable chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis along with microscopic observations demonstrated that zooxanthellae within the ciliates are photosynthetically competent and do not become compromised during the progression of the brown band zone. Zooxanthellae showed similar trends in light acclimation in a comparison of rapid light curve and steady-state light curve measures of variable chlorophyll a fluorescence. Extended light exposure of steady-state light curves resulted in higher quantum yields of photosystem II. The brown band tissue exhibited higher photosynthetically active radiation absorptivity, indicating more efficient light absorption due to a higher density of zooxanthellae in the ciliate-dominated zone. This caused relatively higher gross photosynthesis rates in the zone with zooxanthella-containing ciliates compared to healthy coral tissue. The observation of photosynthetically active intracellular zooxanthellae in the ciliates suggests that the latter can benefit from photosynthates produced by ingested zooxanthellae and from photosynthetic oxygen production that alleviates diffusion limitation of oxic respiration in the densely populated brown band tissue. It remains to be shown whether the zooxanthellae form a stable symbiotic association with the ciliate or are engulfed incidentally during grazing on coral tissue and then maintained as active inside the ciliate for a period before being digested and replaced by new zooxanthellae.

Seawater warming at the northern reach for southern species: Gulf of Genoa, NW Mediterranean

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Nike Bianchi ◽  
Francesco Caroli ◽  
Paolo Guidetti ◽  
Carla Morri
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Non Indigenous Species ◽  
Southern Species ◽  
North Western

Global warming is facilitating the poleward range expansion of plant and animal species. In the Mediterranean Sea, the concurrent temperature increase and abundance of (sub)tropical non-indigenous species (NIS) is leading to the so-called ‘tropicalization’ of the Mediterranean Sea, which is dramatically evident in the south-eastern sectors of the basin. At the same time, the colder north-western sectors of the basin have been said to undergo a process of ‘meridionalization’, that is the establishment of warm-water native species (WWN) previously restricted to the southern sectors. The Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) is the north-western reach for southern species of whatever origin in the Mediterranean. Recent (up to 2015) observations of NIS and WWN by diving have been collated to update previous similar inventories. In addition, the relative occurrences of both groups of southern species have been monitored by snorkelling between 2009 and 2015 in shallow rocky reefs at Genoa, and compared with the trend in air and sea surface temperatures. A total of 20 southern species (11 NIS and 9 WWN) was found. Two WWN (the zebra seabream Diplodus cervinus and the parrotfish Sparisoma cretense) and three NIS (the SW Atlantic sponge Paraleucilla magna, the Red Sea polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum, and the amphi-American and amphi-Atlantic crab Percnon gibbesi) are new records for the Ligurian Sea, whereas juveniles of the Indo-Pacific bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii have been found for the first time. While temperature has kept on increasing for the whole period, with 2014 and 2015 being the warmest years since at least 1950, the number of WWN increased linearly, that of NIS increased exponentially, contradicting the idea of meridionalization and supporting that of tropicalization even in the northern sectors of the Mediterranean basin.

Aggression and sociality: conflicting or complementary traits of a successful invader?

Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline M. Capelle ◽  
Erin S. McCallum ◽  
Sigal Balshine
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Round Goby ◽  
Invasion Biology ◽  
Neogobius Melanostomus ◽  
Conspecific Density ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Successful Invader ◽  
Forming Behaviour

Invasion biology research has identified two juxtaposing behavioural traits, aggressiveness and sociality, that may both increase the success of species invasions. Highly aggressive invaders can out-compete native species for resources, while social gregarious invaders can tolerate high conspecific density. In order to tease apart the effects of aggressive versus social tendencies on the success of invasive species, we studied round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), a highly successful invasive fish species now common in the Laurentian Great Lakes. While round goby are well known for being aggressive, much less is known about their tendency to affiliate with conspecifics, in spite of the fact that they thrive in extremely high densities in many of their invaded habitats. We collected round goby from Hamilton Harbour, ON, Canada and conducted three separate experiments to explore group-forming behaviour by measuring preference for conspecifics. We found that round goby have a strong preference to associate with a single conspecific, and that both males and females showed this preference. No overall preference was detected for large versus small groups of conspecifics. Females chose the safety of a shelter over associating with a conspecific but males were equally attracted to conspecifics as shelter. Our results provide new insight into how interactions between aggressive and social behaviours play a role in the rapid spread of invasive round goby.

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