scholarly journals Double Trouble: Synergy between Habitat Loss and the Spread of the Alien Species Caulerpa cylindracea (Sonder) in Three Mediterranean Habitats

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1342
Author(s):  
Edoardo Casoli ◽  
Gianluca Mancini ◽  
Daniele Ventura ◽  
Andrea Belluscio ◽  
Giandomenico Ardizzone
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Green Algae ◽  
Green Alga ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
High Susceptibility ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats

The role of habitat degradation on the spread of the alien green alga Caulerpa cylindracea is reported here by comparing observations achieved through a multi-year assessment on three Mediterraneans habitats, namely Posidonia oceanica meadows, Phyllophora crispa turf, and coralligenous reefs. Due to the peculiarity of the study site, both natural-reference and impacted conditions were investigated. C. cylindracea occurred in all the studied habitats under impacted conditions. High susceptibility to the invasion characterized impacted P. oceanica, where Caulerpa cover reached 70.0% in summer months. C. cylindracea cover did not differ significantly among conditions in P. crispa turf, where values never exceeded 5.0%. Conversely, the invasive green algae was low in abundance and patchily distributed in coralligenous reefs. Our results confirmed that habitat loss enhances the spread of C. cylindracea, although with different magnitudes among habitats. Dead matte areas of P. oceanica represented the most vulnerable habitat among those analyzed, whereas coralligenous reefs were less susceptible to the invasion under both the studied conditions.

Resistance of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows to the spread of the introduced green alga Caulerpa cylindracea: assessment of the role of light

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1989-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lázaro Marín-Guirao ◽  
Jaime Bernardeau-Esteller ◽  
Juan Manuel Ruiz ◽  
José Miguel Sandoval-Gil
Keyword(s):  
Green Alga ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Role Of Light

scholarly journals Defining the niche for niche construction: evolutionary and ecological niches

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Trappes
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Niche Construction ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Niche Concept ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Compare And Contrast ◽  
Extreme Habitat

AbstractNiche construction theory (NCT) aims to transform and unite evolutionary biology and ecology. Much of the debate about NCT has focused on construction. Less attention has been accorded to the niche: what is it, exactly, that organisms are constructing? In this paper I compare and contrast the definition of the niche used in NCT with ecological niche definitions. NCT’s concept of the evolutionary niche is defined as the sum of selection pressures affecting a population. So defined, the evolutionary niche is narrower than the ecological niche. Moreover, when contrasted with a more restricted ecological niche concept, it has a slightly different extension. I point out three kinds of cases in which the evolutionary niche does not coincide with realized ecological niches: extreme habitat degradation, commensalism, and non-limiting or super-abundant resources. These conceptual differences affect the role of NCT in unifying ecology and evolutionary biology.

Arsenic availability, toxicity and direct role of GSH and phytochelatins in As detoxification in the green alga Stichococcus bacillaris

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Pawlik-Skowrońska ◽  
J. Pirszel ◽  
R. Kalinowska ◽  
T. Skowroński
Keyword(s):  
Green Alga ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Stichococcus Bacillaris

scholarly journals Pre-dispersal seed removal of fleshy fruits and Quercus coccifera (Fagaceae) acorns in a recently burned Mediterranean habitat

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Gabriela Jones ◽  
Josep M. Bas ◽  
Pere Pons
Keyword(s):  
Burned Area ◽  
Seed Removal ◽  
Seed Fate ◽  
Plant Composition ◽  
Quercus Coccifera ◽  
Fleshy Fruits ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Mediterranean Habitat ◽  
Acorn Removal

The seed fate in early successional habitats can determine plant composition and regeneration capacity after disturbance. Predispersalseed removal has been poorly studied in Mediterranean habitats, especially in burned and logged habitats. We assessed it for two years in pine forests with experiments excluding vertebrates from fleshy fruits (infructescences of Smilax aspera and Rubia peregrina) and acorns (branches of Quercus coccifera). We compared one unburned and one burned area (control). Acorn removal was nil in the burned area while in the unburned habitat seed removal occurred from the beginning of the experiments. It is suggested that the greater vegetation cover in the unburned area shelter rodents from predators and increased their activity. In contrast, reduced cover in the burned area and the occurrence of gnawed acorns on the ground suggest acorn removalby rodents mainly in the post-dispersive stage. Smilax aspera seed removal was slower, and total loss of fruits due to senescence higher,in the burned area. Seed removal appears to be conditioned by interannualvariations related to the activity and density of granivores and frugivores, the availability of fleshy fruits, and the maturation of fruits.In post-fire managed areas the role of granivores and frugivores in the regeneration process should be taken into account.

scholarly journals Susceptible supply limits the role of climate in the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Baker ◽  
Wenchang Yang ◽  
Gabriel A. Vecchi ◽  
C. Jessica E. Metcalf ◽  
Bryan T. Grenfell
Keyword(s):  
Epidemic Model ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
High Susceptibility ◽  
Emerging Pathogen ◽  
Geographic Variations ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Endemic Infections

AbstractPreliminary evidence suggests that climate may modulate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Yet it remains unclear whether seasonal and geographic variations in climate can substantially alter the pandemic trajectory, given high susceptibility is a core driver. Here, we use a climate-dependent epidemic model to simulate the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic probing different scenarios of climate-dependence based on known coronavirus biology. We find that while variations in humidity may be important for endemic infections, during the pandemic stage of an emerging pathogen such as SARS-CoV-2 climate may drive only modest changes to pandemic size and duration. Our results suggest that, in the absence of effective control measures, significant cases in the coming months are likely to occur in more humid (warmer) climates, irrespective of the climate-dependence of transmission and that summer temperatures will not substantially limit pandemic growth.

scholarly journals Assessment of the ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean)

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Valentina Gnisci ◽  
Selvaggia Cognetti de Martiis ◽  
Alessandro Belmonte ◽  
Carla Micheli ◽  
Viviana Piermattei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Shoot Density ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Fragmented Habitat ◽  
Ecological Structure ◽  
Wide Range

The ecological structure of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows was evaluated on the northern coast of Lazio, Italy (central Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean sea). This is an infra-littoral zone with a wide range of anthropogenic activities and high geo-morphological variability, which reflects heterogeneity in shoot density, leaf morphology and biomass in fragmented patches. Genetic variability in populations corresponds to the formation of 3 sub-clusters, in the diverse impacted zones (north, centre and south), being correlated to the geographical distance between sites. AMOVA estimated a high genetic variation showing 43.05% individual differences within populations with a marked differentiation among the populations (56.9%) indicated by Fst value (0.57). These results revealed the role of the genetic structure of seagrasses for determining selectivity of fragmented habitat, in response to natural drivers. They showed that site-specific self-recruitment is related to biodiversity capacity and to the geo-morphological characteristic of the coast.

scholarly journals Feeding preferences of amphipod crustaceans Ampithoe ramondi and Gammarella fucicola for Posidonia oceanica seeds and leaves

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Inés Castejón-Silvo ◽  
Damià Jaume ◽  
Jorge Terrados
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Paracentrotus Lividus ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Feeding Preferences ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Idotea Baltica ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Sarpa Salpa

The functional importance of herbivory in seagrass beds is highly variable among systems. In Mediterranean seagrass meadows, macroherbivores, such as the fish Sarpa salpa and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, have received most research attention, so published evidence highlights their importance in seagrass consumption. The role of small crustaceans in seagrass consumption remains less studied in the region. Herbivory on Posidonia oceanica seeds has not previously been reported. In turn, crustacean herbivory on P. oceanica leaves is broadly recognized, although the species feeding on the seagrass are mostly unknown (except for Idotea baltica). This work evaluates P. oceanica consumption by two species of amphipod crustaceans commonly found in seagrass meadows. Ampithoe ramondi and Gammarella fucicola actively feed on P. oceanica leaves and seeds. Both species preferred seeds to leaves only when the seed coat was damaged. This study provides the first direct evidence of consumption of P. oceanica seeds by the two named amphipod crustaceans, and confirms that they also consume leaves of this seagrass species.

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