scholarly journals Diet of the Deep-Sea Shark Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810, in the Mediterranean Sea: What We Know and What We Should Know

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3962
Author(s):  
Claudio D’Iglio ◽  
Serena Savoca ◽  
Paola Rinelli ◽  
Nunziacarla Spanò ◽  
Gioele Capillo
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Ontogenetic Development ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Environment Adaptation ◽  
The Mediterranean

We reviewed literature on the diet of the Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810, from the Mediterranean Sea. Specific keywords (“Galeus melastomus diet”, “feeding habits”, “trophic position”, “biology”, “deep environment adaptation”) in the principal data sources, such as Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar were used. Seventeen studies conducted on the diet and trophic position of G. melastomus have been considered for Mediterranean Sea regions. The feeding habits have been analyzed in many areas of the western basin; instead, for the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, and central Mediterranean Seas, information is outdated and fragmentary. In all investigated sub areas, the data showed that G. melastomus is an opportunistic demersal supra benthic predator, benthic feeder, and scavenger, that adapts its diet to the seasonal and geographical fluctuations of the prey availability. It occupies a generalist niche showing individual specialization. In all reviewed Mediterranean sub areas, the most important prey groups were crustaceans, cephalopods, and teleost fishes. Taxa percentage in its diet composition can vary depending on different habitats with ontogenetic development of individuals, depth (that is correlated with the ontogenetic development), seasonal availability, and distribution of different prey groups. Widening knowledge of G. melastomus feeding habits is a fundamental tool for better understand meso and bathy-pelagic ecosystems.

Feeding ecology of little tunny Euthynnus alletteratus in the central Mediterranean Sea

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 999-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Falautano ◽  
Luca Castriota ◽  
Maria Grazia Finoia ◽  
Franco Andaloro
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Predator Size ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea

The feeding habits of Euthynnus alletteratus and its variations compared to predator size in the central Mediterranean Sea were investigated. The stomach contents of 187 specimens were analysed, ranging from 26.8 to 50.3 cm total length, caught by authorized experimental drift-nets. The difference in food items found in the stomachs was evaluated by occurrence of prey frequency, prey weight, and prey abundance; these criteria were used to calculate an index of relative importance. Fish were the dominant food detected according to all numerical indicators examined and were mainly represented by Maurolicus muelleri and larval stages of teleosts. Hyperiid amphipods, dominated by Anchylomera blossevillei and Phrosina semilunata, were well represented in terms of frequency of occurrence. Variations in the diet composition compared to fish size were observed. Comparative analysis performed on prey abundance highlighted a trend of increasing predator size-classes among prey items. The specimens of the smallest sizes ate mainly adult clupeiforms and larvae or other juvenile teleosts. As fish grew, there were increased amounts of adult teleosts, crustaceans (hyperiids and isopods) and cephalopods. Maurolicus muelleri was the most important prey for the largest specimens analysed. Significant differences among size-classes, both in prey abundance and in prey weight, were confirmed by non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance (NP-MANOVA).

scholarly journals Particulate biogenic barium tracer of mesopelagic carbon remineralization in the Mediterranean Sea (PEACETIME project)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphanie H. M. Jacquet ◽  
Christian Tamburini ◽  
Marc Garel ◽  
Aurélie Dufour ◽  
France Van-Vambeke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Particle Injection ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Winter Convection ◽  
Carbon Remineralization ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Heterotrophic Production

Abstract. We report on the sub-basins variability of particulate organic carbon (POC) remineralization in the central and western Mediterranean Sea during a late spring period (PEACETIME cruise). POC remineralization rates (MR) were estimated using the excess non-lithogenic particulate barium (Baxs) inventories in mesopelagic waters (100–1000 m) and compared with prokaryotic heterotrophic production (PHP). MR range from 25 ± 2 to 306 ± 70 mg C m−2 d−1. Results reveal larger MR processes in the Algerian (ALG) basin compared to the Tyrrhenian (TYR) and Ionian (ION) basins. Baxs inventories and PHP also indicates that significant remineralization occurs over the whole mesopelagic layers in the ALG basin in contrast to the ION and TYR basins where remineralization is mainly located in the upper 500 m horizon. We propose that this may be due to particle injection pumps likely driven by strong winter convection in the Western basin of the Mediterranean Sea. This implies significant differences in the remineralization length scale of POC in the central Mediterranean Sea relative to the western region.

eastern and western med Messinian salinity crisis : comparison scenarii and propositions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Gorini ◽  
Romain Pellen ◽  
jean-loup Rubino ◽  
Benoit Didier ◽  
Lucien Montader ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Nile Delta ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Threshold Effect ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Messinian Salinity Crisis ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean

<p>The partial sequestration of the Mediterranean Sea from adjacent oceans at the end of the Miocene caused an evaporation surfeit that increased the water salinity above the seafloor of the deep basins and peripheral basins. As a result, an up to 2-3 km-thick sequence of evaporites was deposited in the center of the deep basins. This coincided with the concomitantly intense subaerial erosion of the adjacent margins and important Mass transport deposit events all around the peri- Mediterranean slopes. The volume of evaporites deposited in the deep basins implies a periodic connection with the world oceans concomitant with a huge evaporation during all the MSC. “Deep basins” refers to their position in the deep central parts of the extant Messinian basins in the western basin, the central basins (Ionian) and the eastern basins. The configuration of these basins and the distribution and thickness of the evaporites were very different 6 Myr ago due to the Africa Europe convergence. Evaporites deposition at the edge of the evaporites basins was affected by the geodynamic nature of the margins: Tertiary or Mesozoic passive or transform margins (North Africa), strike slip margins (northern and eastern Levant), convergent margins in the North of the East Mediterranean with evaporites subducted or stacked in a fore arc position. We propose a kinematic reconstruction of the central Mediterranean sea to discuss the connections between the Atlantic waters and the eastern Mediterranean Sea. In this presentation, we show that: (1) There is no opposition between the deposition of the first deep water evaporites and a sea level fall of more than 1000 m. (2) by a threshold effect the eastern Mediterranean could have been more restricted than the western Mediterranean during the phase 1 of the MSC, which could explain the two major incisions observed in the Nile delta (3). At the end of the MSC, this threshold effect could have been maximal with an accommodation space almost filled up and a bathymetry probably not exceeding 50 m in the western Mediterranean and in the Central Mediterranean with deposition of K and Mg evaporates, and almost zero in the Eastern Mediterranean as shown by the fluvial network developed on a wide-spread erosional surface on top of the Levant basin salt. (4) The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) ended with the rapid re-flooding of the Mediterranean sea. A two-step flooding in the western Mediterranean could find its origin in this threshold effect.</p>

scholarly journals Ecology of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria along an oligotrophic gradient in the Mediterranean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 973-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lamy ◽  
C. Jeanthon ◽  
M. T. Cottrell ◽  
D. L. Kirchman ◽  
F. Van Wambeke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Bacterial Growth ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Anoxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria ◽  
Carbon Limitation ◽  
Organic Substrates ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Nutrient Additions ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria are photoheterotrophic prokaryotes able to use both light and organic substrates for energy production. They are widely distributed in coastal and oceanic environments and may contribute significantly to the carbon cycle in the upper ocean. To better understand questions regarding links between the ecology of these photoheterotrophic bacteria and the trophic status of water masses, we examined their horizontal and vertical distribution and the effects of nutrient additions on their growth along an oligotrophic gradient in the Mediterranean Sea. Concentrations of bacteriochlorophyll-a (BChl-a) and AAP bacterial abundance decreased from the western to the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea and were linked with concentrations of chlorophyll-a, nutrient and dissolved organic carbon. Inorganic nutrient and glucose additions to surface seawater samples along the oligotrophic gradient revealed that AAP bacteria were nitrogen- and carbon-limited in the ultraoligotrophic eastern basin. The intensity of the AAP bacterial growth response generally differed from that of the total bacterial growth response. BChl-a quota of AAP bacterial communities was significantly higher in the eastern basin than in the western basin, suggesting that reliance on phototrophy varied along the oligotrophic gradient and that nutrient and/or carbon limitation favors BChl-a synthesis.

scholarly journals Diet of Ameerega braccata (Steindachner, 1864) (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from Chapada dos Guimarães and Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
LR. Forti ◽  
ASO. Tissiani ◽  
T. Mott ◽  
C Strüssmann
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Phylogenetic Perspective ◽  
Toxic Alkaloids ◽  
Two Populations

The understanding of feeding habits is important for anurans in general, both from an ecological and a phylogenetic perspective. For diurnal poison frogs belonging to the Dendrobatidae family, diet aspects play a crucial role in their defense and survival. Herein, we investigated feeding habits, foraging behaviour, and overall effects of habitat, sex, and body size on the diet of individuals of Ameerega braccata, a poorly known dendrobatid species. Specimens were observed and collected in the type-locality, Chapada dos Guimarães, and in the neighbouring municipality of Cuiabá, both in the State of Mato Grosso, Midwestern Brazil. The most important prey categories for A. braccata were Formicidae, Isoptera, and Acari, whose representatives were caught during active foraging. Individuals from Chapada dos Guimarães population consumed more Acari but fewer Isoptera than individuals from Cuiabá. Despite this, niche breadth values were narrow and similar for the two populations. Individuals from two distinct habitats (campo sujo and cerrado stricto sensu) showed differences in their diet, probably as an effect of differential prey availability. Females consumed more Isoptera than males. The number of prey categories used as food was not influenced by the variation of body size of the target species. However, the abundance and the volume of consumed Acari were statistically correlated with body size. The main results suggest that Ameerega braccata has a narrow niche breadth, as well as a specialised diet in ants, termites, and mites, which reinforces the hypotheses of close association between Acari consumption and the presence of skin toxic alkaloids, already found in other species of Dendrobatidae. Although differences in prey consumption between sexes are uncommon among poisonous frogs, differences in the diet composition between age classes, which probably reduce intraspecific competition, are frequently reported.

scholarly journals The effect of cyclones crossing the Mediterranean region on sea level anomalies at the Mediterranean Sea coast

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Lionello ◽  
Dario Conte ◽  
Marco Reale
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Residual Water ◽  
Positive Anomaly ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Sea Level Anomalies ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Large positive and negative sea level anomalies at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea are linked to intensity and position of cyclones moving along the Mediterranean storm track, with dynamics involving different factors. This analysis is based on a model hindcast and considers nine coastal stations, which are representative of sea level anomalies with different magnitude and characteristics. When a shallow water fetch is present, the wind around the cyclone center is the main cause of sea level positive and negative anomalies, depending on its onshore or offshore direction. The inverse barometer effect produces a positive anomaly at the coast near the cyclone pressure minimum and a negative anomaly at the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea, because a cross-basin mean sea level pressure gradient is associated to the presence of a cyclone. Further, at some stations, negative sea level anomalies are reinforced by a residual water mass redistribution within the basin, which is associated with a transient response to the atmospheric pressure forcing. Though the link between presence of a cyclone in the Mediterranean has comparable importance for positive and negative anomalies, the relation between cyclone position and intensity is stronger for the magnitude of positive events. Area of cyclogenesis, track of the central minimum and position at the time of the event differ depending on the location where the sea level anomaly occurs and on its sign. The western Mediterranean is the main cyclogenesis area for both positive and negative anomalies, overall. Atlantic cyclones mainly produce positive sea level anomalies in the western basin. At the easternmost stations, positive anomalies are caused by Cyclogenesis in the Eastern Mediterranean. North Africa cyclogeneses are a major source of positive anomalies at the central African coast and negative anomalies at the eastern Mediterranean and North Aegean coast.

Erosional landforms and biological structures in tectonically stable areas in the Mediterranean basin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Vaccher ◽  
Stefano Furlani ◽  
Sara Biolchi ◽  
Chiara Boccali ◽  
Alice Busetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Biological Structures ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

<p>The Mediterranean basin displays a variety of neotectonics scenarios leading to positive or negative vertical displacement, which change the vertical position of former coastlines. As a result, the best locations to evaluate former sea levels and validate sea-level models are tectonically stable areas. There are a number of coastal areas considered to be stable based on the elevation of paleo sea-level markers, the absence of historical seismicity, and by their position far from major Mediterranean faults. We report here the results of swim surveys carried out at such locations following the Geoswim approach described by Furlani (2020) in nine coastal sectors of the central Mediterranean Sea (Egadi Island - Marettimo, Favignana, Levanzo, Gaeta Promontory, Circeo Promontory, North Sardinia - Razzoli, Budelli, Santa Maria, NW Sardinia – Capocaccia, Maddalena Archipelago, Tavolara Island, East of Malta - Ahrax Point, Bugibba-Qawra, Delimara, Addura, Palermo, Ansedonia Promontory). All the sites are considered to be tectonically stable, as validated by the elevation of sea-level indicators. In fact, modern and MIS5.5 (last interglacial) m.s.l. altitudes fit well with accepted figures based upon field data and model projections. Starting from precise morphometric parameters such as the size of tidal notches and indicative landforms and biological structures, we have developed a procedure that integrates multiple geomorphological and biological descriptors applicable to the vast spectrum of locally diverse coastal situations occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. We took detailed measurements of features such as modern and MIS5.5 tidal notches at 146 sites in all the areas, the absence of modern tidal notch at Circeo promontory, shore platforms, and MIS5.5 marine terraces at Egadi islands, Malta, and Palermo. Biological structures were also measured. In particular, vermetid platforms at Egadi, Palermo and Malta. The morphometric characteristics of these indicators depend on 1) local geological and structural constraints, 2) local geomorphotypes, 3) climate, sea, and weather conditions that affect geomorphic and biological processes, and 4) the sea level change history.</p>

Comparison between the feeding habits of spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) and their potential prey in the southern Gulf of Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Serrano-Flores ◽  
J.C. Pérez-Jiménez ◽  
I. Méndez-Loeza ◽  
K. Bassos-Hull ◽  
M.J. Ajemian
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
Southern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Spotted Eagle Ray

In the southern Gulf of Mexico, the spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) is the second most frequently caught batoid in small-scale fisheries off Campeche. Ecological aspects of this ray are unknown in this region, hampering the understanding of the relationship between its distribution and prey availability in the fishing area. In order to study the feeding habits of this batoid and characterize its potential prey in the study area, stomachs and intestines of 154 specimens (68 females and 86 males) were analysed. The results indicated that A. narinari near Campeche is a specialist and selective predator that feeds mainly on gastropods (92.7% IRI), with no significant differences in the diet found between sexes, size groups, or between stomach and intestine contents. In addition, the results indicated that the most important prey species in the diet were among the most common benthic species in three of the four sampling transects positioned in or adjacent to fishing areas for rays. These most important prey species were Strombus pugilis (53.33% IRI) and Americoliva reticularis (25.6% IRI). Other prey species included Lobatus costatus (5.6% IRI) and Petrochirus diogenes (3.6% IRI). This study suggests that this widely distributed ray species feeds in Campeche's coastal waters and that the study of its potential prey increases the understanding of ecological aspects of the species, which emphasizes the added importance of monitoring fishery impacts on prey species (e.g. the conch fishery off Campeche) to help support integrated assessment and management of fisheries.

scholarly journals New records of Calappa tuerkayana Pastore, 1995 (Brachyura, Calappidae) from the central Mediterranean

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-218
Author(s):  
Carlo Pipitone ◽  
Gianni Insacco ◽  
Daniela Massi ◽  
Bruno Zava
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
New Records ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Juvenile Individual ◽  
The Mediterranean

Two specimens of the uncommon calappid crab Calappa tuerkayana Pastore, 1995 are reported from the central Mediterranean. One juvenile individual was caught in a trawl net at about 105 m depth on a detritus bottom, and one adult male was caught in a trammel net at 50 m depth in a similar habitat. Details about carapace ornamentation and fresh color of the adult, which complement previous descriptions are provided. Family Calappidae includes four species in the Mediterranean Sea. C. tuerkayana has been recorded a few times from its known geographic range. These are the southernmost records to date.

scholarly journals Summertime surface PM<sub>1</sub> aerosol composition and size by source region at the Lampedusa island in the central Mediterranean Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
pp. 11123-11142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc D. Mallet ◽  
Barbara D'Anna ◽  
Aurélie Même ◽  
Maria Chiara Bove ◽  
Federico Cassola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Ammonium Sulfate ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Aerosol Composition ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Measurements of aerosol composition and size distributions were taken during the summer of 2013 at the remote island of Lampedusa in the southern central Mediterranean Sea. These measurements were part of the ChArMEx/ADRIMED (Chemistry and Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment/Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing on the Mediterranean Climate) framework and took place during Special Observation Period 1a (SOP-1a) from 11 June to 5 July 2013. From compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (cToF-AMS) measurements in the size range below 1 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM1), particles were predominately comprised of ammonium and sulfate. On average, ammonium sulfate contributed 63 % to the non-refractory PM1 mass, followed by organics (33 %). The organic aerosol was generally very highly oxidized (f44 values were typically between 0.25 and 0.26). The contribution of ammonium sulfate was generally higher than organic aerosol in comparison to measurements taken in the western Mediterranean but is consistent with studies undertaken in the eastern basin. Source apportionment of organics using a statistical (positive matrix factorization) model revealed four factors: a hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), a methanesulfonic-acid-related oxygenated organic aerosol (MSA-OOA), a more oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (MO-OOA) and a less oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (LO-OOA). The MO-OOA was the dominant factor for most of the campaign (53 % of the PM1 OA mass). It was well correlated with SO42-, highly oxidized and generally more dominant during easterly air masses originating from the eastern Mediterranean and central Europe. The LO-OOA factor had a very similar composition to the MO-OOA factor but was more prevalent during westerly winds, with air masses originating from the Atlantic Ocean, the western Mediterranean and at high altitudes over France and Spain from mistral winds. The MSA-OOA factor contributed an average 12 % to the PM1 OA and was more dominant during the mistral winds. The HOA, representing observed primary organic aerosol, only contributed 8 % of the average PM1 OA during the campaign. Even though Lampedusa is one of the most remote sites in the Mediterranean, PM1 concentrations (10 ± 5 µg m−3) were comparable to those observed in coastal cities and sites closer to continental Europe. Cleaner conditions corresponded to higher wind speeds. Nucleation and growth of new aerosol particles was observed during periods of north-westerly winds. From a climatology analysis from 1999 to 2012, these periods were much more prevalent during the measurement campaign than during the preceding 13 years. These results support previous findings that highlight the importance of different large-scale synoptic conditions in determining the regional and local aerosol composition and oxidation and also suggest that a non-polluted surface atmosphere over the Mediterranean is rare.

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