The Genome of the "Sea Vomit" .

Tunicates are the sister group of vertebrates and thus occupy a key position for investigations into vertebrate innovations as well as into the consequences of the vertebrate-specific genome duplications. Nevertheless, tunicate genomes have not been studied extensively in the past, and comparative studies of tunicate genomes have remained scarce. The carpet sea squirt , commonly known as "sea vomit", is a colonial tunicate considered an invasive species with substantial ecological and economical risk.

Dropping the microbead: Source and sink related microplastic distribution in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins.

Microplastic pollution is a growing, yet poorly understood problem. Here, we assessed the relationship between microplastic concentration and distance to rivers, shorelines, cities, sediment grain size or water depth in sediments of the world's largest (semi-)enclosed aquatic basins. Microplastic was extracted from sediment using density separation, elutriation and hydrophobic adhesion.

Environmental DNA sampling protocols for the surveillance of marine non-indigenous species in Irish coastal waters.

Understanding the spread and distribution of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) is key when implementing legislation to maintain good ecosystem health. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has shown great potential to detect aquatic organisms in a rapid and cost-effective way, however their applicability to new environments must be validated prior to their implementation. Here, we tested different field sampling methods in combination with eDNA metabarcoding to develop a tool to detect NIS.

Non-indigenous species refined national baseline inventories: A synthesis in the context of the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Refined baseline inventories of non-indigenous species (NIS) are set per European Union Member State (MS), in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The inventories are based on the initial assessment of the MSFD (2012) and the updated data of the European Alien Species Information Network, in collaboration with NIS experts appointed by the MSs. The analysis revealed that a large number of NIS was not reported from the initial assessments.

Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region - an expert opinion list.

Defining and recording the loss of species diversity is a daunting task, especially if identities of species under threat are not fully resolved. An example is the Pontocaspian biota. The mostly endemic invertebrate faunas that evolved in the Black Sea - Caspian Sea - Aral Sea region and live under variable salinity conditions are undergoing strong change, yet within several groups species boundaries are not well established.