scholarly journals The Hologenome of Haliclona fulva (Porifera, Demospongiae) Reveals an Abundant and Diverse Viral Community

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika García-Bonilla ◽  
Diego Chaves-Moreno ◽  
Diego Riaño-Pachón ◽  
Wilson Terán ◽  
Alberto Acosta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Range ◽  
Marine Invertebrate ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Microbial Composition ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Viral Community ◽  
General Proposition ◽  
Limited Host Range ◽  
Biological Entities ◽  
Nutrients Fluxes

Viruses are among the most abundant biological entities in the ocean, largely responsible of modulating nutrients fluxes and influencing microbial composition and functioning. In marine invertebrate holobionts like sponges and their associated microbiomes, little is known about virome composition. Here, we characterized the Haliclona fulva hologenome, an encrusting low-microbial abundance sponge found across the Western Mediterranean Sea (35–40 m of depth) producer of a large metabolic repertoire of bioactive compounds and harboring a distinct and stable associated microbiome. Assembled contigs from shotgun metagenome sequences obtained from H. fulva specimens were comprehensively analyzed regarding taxonomic and functional content revealing its remarkable and abundant viral community dominated by single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus. Viral families consistently detected in contigs are Circoviridae, Phycodnaviridae, Poxviridae, Herelleviridae, Mimiviridae, Microviridae, and notably the first reported encounter of Nanoviridae and Genomoviridae in Porifera, expanding their known host range. The relative abundance of inferred bacteriophages/prophages was low, suggesting that the prokaryotic community in this sponge has a limited host range and susceptibility. H. fulva showed a distinct viral composition supporting the general proposition of specific and coevolving viromes in marine holobionts.

scholarly journals Tracking the global reduction of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David March ◽  
Kristian Metcalfe ◽  
Joaquin Tintoré ◽  
Brendan J. Godley
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Mobility ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Marine Traffic ◽  
Human Movements ◽  
Exclusive Economic Zones ◽  
Global Impacts ◽  
Economic Zones

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unparalleled global impacts on human mobility. In the ocean, ship-based activities are thought to have been impacted due to severe restrictions on human movements and changes in consumption. Here, we quantify and map global change in marine traffic during the first half of 2020. There were decreases in 70.2% of Exclusive Economic Zones but changes varied spatially and temporally in alignment with confinement measures. Global declines peaked in April, with a reduction in traffic occupancy of 1.4% and decreases found across 54.8% of the sampling units. Passenger vessels presented more marked and longer lasting decreases. A regional assessment in the Western Mediterranean Sea gave further insights regarding the pace of recovery and long-term changes. Our approach provides guidance for large-scale monitoring of the progress and potential effects of COVID-19 on vessel traffic that may subsequently influence the blue economy and ocean health.

scholarly journals Parasites of the head of Scomber colias (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Mele ◽  
Maria Pennino ◽  
Maria Piras ◽  
José Bellido ◽  
Giovanni Garippa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Multivariate Techniques ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Scomber Colias ◽  
Non Parametric

AbstractThe metazoan parasite assemblage of the head of 30 specimens of the Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) from the western Mediterranean Sea was analysed. Eight species of parasites were found, four mazocraeid monogeneans: Grubea cochlear (prevalence = 10%), Kuhnia scombercolias (59%), K. scombri (52%), Pseudokuhnia minor (86%); three didymozoid trematodes: Nematobothrium cf. faciale (21%), N. filiforme (41%), N. scombri (7%); and one laerneopodid copepod: Clavelissa scombri (7%). Results were compared with previously published data from 14 localities of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, using non-parametric univariate and multivariate analyses, and the whole parasite fauna of S. colias was compared with that of the congeners (S. australasicus, S. japonicus and S. scombrus). Parasites showed to reflect the biogeographical and phylogenetic history of host. From a methodological point of view, the use of both non-parametric univariate and multivariate techniques proved to be effective tools to detect dissimilarities between parasite assemblages.

scholarly journals Dynamical Downscaling of ERA5 Data on the North-Western Mediterranean Sea: From Atmosphere to High-Resolution Coastal Wave Climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
Valentina Vannucchi ◽  
Stefano Taddei ◽  
Valerio Capecchi ◽  
Michele Bendoni ◽  
Carlo Brandini
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Wind Wave ◽  
Dynamical Downscaling ◽  
Wave Climate ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Computational Domain ◽  
Wave Hindcast ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea

A 29-year wind/wave hindcast is produced over the Mediterranean Sea for the period 1990–2018. The dataset is obtained by downscaling the ERA5 global atmospheric reanalyses, which provide the initial and boundary conditions for a numerical chain based on limited-area weather and wave models: the BOLAM, MOLOCH and WaveWatch III (WW3) models. In the WW3 computational domain, an unstructured mesh is used. The variable resolutions reach up to 500 m along the coasts of the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas (Italy), the main objects of the study. The wind/wave hindcast is validated using observations from coastal weather stations and buoys. The wind validation provides velocity correlations between 0.45 and 0.76, while significant wave height correlations are much higher—between 0.89 and 0.96. The results are also compared to the original low-resolution ERA5 dataset, based on assimilated models. The comparison shows that the downscaling improves the hindcast reliability, particularly in the coastal regions, and especially with regard to wind and wave directions.

Source, transport and fate of terrestrial organic carbon on the western Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Lions, France

2007 ◽  
Vol 105 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 101-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso Tesi ◽  
Stefano Miserocchi ◽  
Miguel A. Goñi ◽  
Leonardo Langone
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Gulf Of Lions ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea

Feeding Habits of Alepocephalus Rostratus (Pisces: Alepocephalidae) in the Western Mediterranean Sea

1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 1295-1306 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Carrassón ◽  
J. Matallanas
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Prey Item ◽  
Narrow Range ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources ◽  
Important Fish

The present study examines the feeding habits of Alepocephalus rostratus, the only species of the family Alepocephalidae in the Mediterranean Sea and the second most important fish species, in terms of biomass, inhabiting the deep slope of the Catalan Sea. Samples were obtained at depths between 1000–2250 m. Diet was analysed for two different size-classes (immature and mature specimens) at three different bathymetric strata during two different seasons. The feeding habits of A. rostratus included a narrow range of mobile macroplanktonic organisms (e.g. Pyrosoma atlanticum and Chelophyes appendiculata) and some material of benthic origin. Pyrosoma atlanticum was the preferred prey item in spring at 1000–1425 m, being very scarce in summer at the same depth as a consequence of its scarcity in the environment during this season. There were some ontogenic differences in the diet of A. rostratus at 1425–2250 m. Adults ingested more and larger prey than juvenile specimens. The scarcity of resources below 1200–1400 m fostered a more diversified diet, as well as passive predation of sedimented material.

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