Resource Partitioning among "Ancillary" Pelagic Fishes ( spp., spp.) in the Adriatic Sea.

The Mediterranean is one of the most overfished seas of the world where mesopredators are severely threatened. The trophic strategies of four pelagic species that inhabit the Adriatic Sea ( spp. and spp.

Detection of endocrine disrupting chemicals and evidence of their effects on the HPG axis of the European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus.

Natural/synthetic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) may display estrogenic activity and a lower potency than 17β-estradiol. Nonetheless, their concentrations and additive effects can affect the endocrine system and reproductive processes related to the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis. Because of their persistence in both the environment and biological systems, they ultimately target multi-level predators, including humans.

Characterization and transcriptional profiles of Engraulis encrasicolus' GnRH forms.

The European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, a member of the Clupeiformes order, holds a great biological and economical importance. In the past, this species was mostly investigated with the aim of assessing its reproductive biology, trophic ecology, population dynamics and the relations existing with the physical environment. At present days, though, an almost complete lack of information afflicts its neuroendocrinology and reproductive physiology.

Biocomplexity in Populations of European Anchovy in the Adriatic Sea.

The sustained exploitation of marine populations requires an understanding of a species' adaptive seascape so that populations can track environmental changes from short- and long-term climate cycles and from human development. The analysis of the distributions of genetic markers among populations, together with correlates of life-history and environmental variability, can provide insights into the extent of adaptive variation. Here, we examined genetic variability among populations of mature European anchovies (n = 531) in the Adriatic (13 samples) and Tyrrhenian seas (2 samples) with neutral and putative non-neutral microsatellite loci.

Clupeiformes' Egg Envelope Proteins characterization: The case of Engraulis encrasicolus as a proxy for stock assessment through a novel molecular tool.

Zona radiata proteins are essential for ensuring bactericidal resistance, oocyte nutrients uptake and functional buoyancy, sperm binding and guidance to the micropyle, and protection to the growing oocyte or embryo from the physical environment. Such glycoproteins have been characterized in terms of molecular structure, protein composition and phylogenetics in several chordate models. Nevertheless, research on teleost has not been extensive.

Coupling Demographic and Genetic Variability from Archived Collections of European Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus).

It is well known that temporal fluctuations in small populations deeply influence evolutionary potential. Less well known is whether fluctuations can influence the evolutionary potentials of species with large census sizes. Here, we estimated genetic population parameters from as survey of polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci in archived otoliths from Adriatic European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), a fish with large census sizes that supports numerous local fisheries.