Ecological assessment of a heavily human-stressed area in the Gulf of Milazzo, Central Mediterranean Sea: an integrated study of biological, physical and chemical indicators

D’Alessandro, Michela; Esposito, Valentina; Giacobbe, Salvatore; Renzi, Monia; Mangano, Maria Cristina; Vivona, Pietro; Consoli, Pierpaolo; Scotti, Gianfranco; Andaloro, Franco; Romeo, Teresa

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.01.021

Cited by 28 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Pest maps will provide additional information on the ecological and economic impacts of invasion, predicting future risks areas, discussing and addressing related costs relevant to policy and management practices. By combining and overlapping our maps with outputs from a mechanistic trait‐based approach (Sarà et al., ) and human use layers (aquaculture farms, Brigolin, Porporato, Prioli, & Pastres, ; major ports, international maritime transport hubs, D'Alessandro et al., ) or layers of spatial management measures (e.g. Marine Protected Areas, Galil et al., ; Special Protection Areas, Sarà et al., ), locations predicted to be highly suitable for colonization by B. pharaonis may overlap with protected or highly anthropic areas that are highly likely to receive new propagules.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple stressors facilitate the spread of a non‐indigenous bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea

Sarà

Porporato

Mangano

et al. 2018

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) via man-made corridors connecting previously disparate oceanic regions is increasing globally. However, the environmental and anthropogenic factors facilitating invasion dynamics and their interactions are still largely unknown. This study compiles and inputs available data for the NIS bivalve Brachidontes pharaonis across the invaded biogeographic range in the Mediterranean basin into a species distribution model to predict future spread under a range of marine scenarios.Location: Mediterranean Sea.Methods: A systematic review produced the largest presence database ever assembled to inform the selection of biological, chemical and physical factors linked to the spread of B. pharaonis through the Suez Canal. We carried out a sensitivity analysis to simulate current and future trophic and salinity scenarios. A species distribution model was run to determine key drivers of invasion, quantify interactive impacts arising from a range of trophic states, salinity conditions and climatic scenarios and forecast future trajectories for the spread of NIS into new regions under multiple-parameter scenarios (based on the main factors identified from the systematic review).Results: Impacts on invasion trajectory arising from climate change and interactions with increasing salinity from the new opening of the canal were the primary drivers of expansion across the basin, the effects of which were further enhanced by eutrophication. Predictions of the current distribution were most accurate when multiple stressors were used to drive the model. A habitat suitability index developed at a subcontinental scale from model outputs identified novel favourable conditions for future colonization at specific locations under 2030 and 2050 climatic scenarios.Main conclusions: Future expansion of B. pharaonis will be enhanced by climatefacilitated increased sea temperature, interacting with increasing pressures from salinity and eutrophication. The spatially explicit risk output maps of invasions represent a powerful visual product for use in communication of the spread of NIS and decision-support tools for scientists and policymakers. The suggested approach, the observed distribution pattern and driving processes can be applied to other NIS

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple stressors facilitate the spread of a non‐indigenous bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea

Sarà

Porporato

Mangano

et al. 2018

Journal of Biogeography

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“…Close to the promontory, anthropogenic pressure is high, mainly due to the presence of oil refineries and associated marine traffic. Impacts on marine environment have been investigated by Bergamasco et al (2014), D'Alessandro et al (2016, Di Bella et al (2018), but only marginally they have been involved with the promontory coastal waters.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Benthic fauna from marine caves has been recently investigated by Scotti et al (2017), which reported 37 taxa belonging to poriferans, cnidarians, annelids, and briozoans, although without mentioning molluscs. Overall, 55 species of molluscs have been reported in the past by Bombace (1969Bombace ( ,1970 from coralligenous seafloors, while 89 species have been recently reported by D'Alessandro et al (2016) from a wide area of the Milazzo Gulf outside the proposed protected area. Dated sporadic records (Di Natale, 1982) have concerned some introduced taxa, namely the gastropod Cerithium scabridum Philippi, 1848 and the bivalve Pinctada imbricata radiata (Leach, 1814).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine molluscs from Cape Milazzo (Sicily, Italy): a baseline

Giacobbe¹,

Notaristefano²

2018

Biodiversity Journal

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An original data set of 556 benthic mollusc taxa, as a first account of Cape Milazzo local biodiversity, is provided. Qualitative differences between more or less anthropized areas have been put in evidence, and species distribution according to the main habitat typologies has been detailed. The highest biodiversity was found in the northern sites, corresponding to the Zone A of the established marine protected area. Most mollusc species under the European Economic Community (EEC) and National protection, and other ones listed as threatened, have been recorded, and are mainly associated to priority habitats as phanerogams meadows and vermitid reefs. In the meantime, the settlement of not indigenous species, mainly of tropical origin, and disease affecting threatened organisms under EEC protection, testified the vulnerability of the local ecosystem under the global change threat.

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“…Recently Frias and Nash [6] defined microplastics as "any synthetic solid particle or polymeric matrix, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water". To date microplastics have been detected in water [7,8], and sediments [9] coming from different environments worldwide: sea surface and water column [10], lakes and rivers [4,11], coastal areas [12], harbours [13], marine protected areas [14], deep oceans [15], polar ecosystems [16], and coral reefs [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microparticles in Table Salt: Levels and Chemical Composition of the Smallest Dimensional Fraction

Renzi¹,

Grazioli²,

Bertacchini³

et al. 2019

JMSE

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This study evaluates the chemical composition of microplastic materials (MPs) and non-synthetic particles in different table salts of marine origin by the µFT-IR technique. This research focuses on the microparticles fraction within 10–150 µm of size. Eleven commercial trademarks coming from Italy (IT = 6) and Croatia (CRO = 5) were grouped in two different cost ranges, cheap (n = 5) and expensive (n = 6) and were analysed in replicates (n = 3). Levels and chemical composition of microparticles measured in commercial products were correlated on a statistical basis to some factors of variability of potential scientific interest (geographical origin of marine salt, cost of commercial products, etc.). Results of analyses performed on the tested size fraction of microparticles (10–150 µm) evidence that: (i) levels of MPs are within 0.17–0.32 items/g (IT) and 0.07–0.20 items/g (CRO); (ii) non-synthetic particles detected are mostly made by fibres made of cellulose acetate; (iii) Nations show a different chemical composition of MPs recovered in analysed trademarks (PET and PVC from Italy; PA, PP, and nylon from Croatia); (iv) the annual amount ingested by humans from marine salt consumption ranges between 131.4–372.3 items/y (CRO) and 306.6–580.35 items/y (IT) considering a dose of 5 g of salt per day; (v) statistics performed on factors of interest evidenced that the geographical origin of marine salt do not affect neither levels nor chemical composition of MPs in tested trademarks; while slight correlations are recorded with non-synthetic particles. Further studies are needed to better explore on statistical basis if both levels and chemical composition of MPs in table salts of marine origin can be used or not as good indicators of marine pollution.

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Ecological assessment of a heavily human-stressed area in the Gulf of Milazzo, Central Mediterranean Sea: an integrated study of biological, physical and chemical indicators

Cited by 28 publications

References 47 publications

Multiple stressors facilitate the spread of a non‐indigenous bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea

Multiple stressors facilitate the spread of a non‐indigenous bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea

Marine molluscs from Cape Milazzo (Sicily, Italy): a baseline

Microparticles in Table Salt: Levels and Chemical Composition of the Smallest Dimensional Fraction

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