Ostracod Fauna: Eyewitness to Fifty Years of Anthropic Impact in the Gulf of Trieste. A Potential Key to the Future Evolution of Urban Ecosystems

Abstract

For the first time, the distribution and modifications of living ostracod associations present in the Gulf of Trieste (GoT) in relation to alterations caused by human activity in the last 20 years were investigated. The results were compared with the main physicochemical parameters (especially nitrogen and phosphorus) measured over the same period, which can lead to a general decrease in environmental quality. For a more in-depth analysis of the changes recorded by ostracods in the last 50 years, a period in which eutrophication and anoxia increased, we revisited the study carried out by Masoli in the GoT in 1967. The results obtained made it possible to verify how, over the last 20 years, ostracod assemblages have suffered a decrease both qualitatively and quantitatively. Most of the species recovered show characteristics of opportunism and tolerance to environmentally stressful conditions, high organic matter concentrations, and oxygen deficiency. The ostracods analyzed in 1967 showed similar results with few dominant opportunistic species. We verified how ostracods recorded in GoT, similar to Mollusks and Foraminifera, have been impaired by the possible environmental crisis linked to the recurrence of mucilage and hypoxic events documented for the GoT in the last 50 years. Finally, a comparison with the best environmental conditions found in the Marine Nature Reserve of Miramare (MPA) allowed us to emphasize the important role of protected areas to avoid loss of biodiversity due to urbanization.

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

“…Ostracods from Palombina are quite abundant all year round and have a considerable decrease in Q3. Ostracods are largely used as an indicator of anthropic impact and hypoxia [45,72,73]. However, a shift towards opportunistic and more tolerant assemblages has been documented in the North Adriatic Sea over the last 20 years [73].…”

“…Ostracods are largely used as an indicator of anthropic impact and hypoxia [45,72,73]. However, a shift towards opportunistic and more tolerant assemblages has been documented in the North Adriatic Sea over the last 20 years [73]. Even if further investigations are needed to establish whether natural drivers or anthropic pressures caused the decline of these crustaceans during summertime, it is possible that they are mechanically damaged by trampling [74].…”

A Long-Term Record of Quaternary Facies Patterns and Palaeonvironmental Trends from the Po Plain (NE Italy) as Revealed by Bio-Sedimentary Data

“…All these processes operate over a wide range of time scales [1][2][3][4][5]. Under the threat of Global Change, these low-lying areas are highly exposed to severe flooding, territory loss and damage of ecosystems [6][7][8], making urgent a robust evaluation of the present-day state of health through monitoring techniques [9][10][11][12] and a correct quantification of the environmentalecological quality status [13][14][15][16][17]. However, an improved comprehension of the depositionalenvironmental responses to external factors through time and space is key to produce reliable projections and conservation-restoration strategies [18].…”