The elephant in the room: Introduced species also profit from refuge creation by artificial fish habitats.

Increasingly, ecological rehabilitation is envisioned to mitigate and revert impacts of ocean sprawl on coastal marine biodiversity. While in the past studies have demonstrated the positive effects of artificial fish habitats in port areas on fish abundance and diversity, benthic colonization of these structures has not yet been taken into consideration. This could be problematic as they may provide suitable habitat for Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) and hence facilitate their spreading.

Renewable energy homes for marine life: Habitat potential of a tidal energy project for benthic megafauna.

An increasing number of offshore structures are being deployed worldwide to meet the growing demand for renewable energy. Besides energy production, these structures can also provide new artificial habitats to a diversity of fish and crustacean species. This study characterises how concrete mattresses that stabilise the submarine power cable of a tidal energy test site can increase habitat capacity for benthic megafauna.

Impact of magnetic fields generated by AC/DC submarine power cables on the behavior of juvenile European lobster (Homarus gammarus).

The number of submarine power cables using either direct or alternating current is expected to increase drastically in coming decades. Data concerning the impact of magnetic fields generated by these cables on marine invertebrates are scarce. In this context, the aim of this study was to explore the potential impact of anthropogenic static and time-varying magnetic fields on the behavior of recently settled juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus) using two different behavioral assays.

The dark side of soft tissues: Unexpected inorganic carbonate in the invasive slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata and its implications for stable isotope interpretations.

Rationale: Stable isotopic analysis is extensively used in trophic ecology. Inorganic carbonates, usually originating from shell fragments, are routinely removed from samples using an acid treatment because they affect δ C values. However, acid treatment can also change δ N values.

Rapid detection of qnr and qepA plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes using real-time PCR.

Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes in clinical strains cannot be detected by phenotypic traits but require gene detection. We developed a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using high-resolution melting master mix with ResoLight dye to detect qnr genes and a simplex real-time PCR assay using SYBR Green I to detect qepA genes. Using qnr-positive and qepA1-positive control strains, the ResoLight method was able to rapidly identify qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, qnrC, and qnrD genes; the SYBR Green I method identified qepA genes.