Physiological responses of the invasive blue crabs Callinectes sapidus to salinity variations: Implications for adaptability and invasive success.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the eco-physiological responses of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) to variations in salinity, shedding light on its adaptability and invasive success in aquatic environments. Gender-specific differences in osmoregulation and Electron Transport System (ETS) activity highlight the importance of considering sex-specific aspects when understanding the physiological responses of invasive species. Females exhibited increased ETS activity at lower salinities, potentially indicative of metabolic stress, while males displayed constant ETS activity across a range of salinities.

A non-native fish species reaches the south-western European waters: the Atlantic croaker, (Acanthuriformes, Sciaenidae) and its invasion history in Europe.

The Atlantic croaker , a sciaenid fish native to the North Atlantic American coast, holds importance in recreational and commercial fisheries. Moreover, its potential as an invasive species should be noted, given its expansion and establishment in Atlantic European waters. This study reports its southernmost occurrence in Europe, in the Gulf of Cadiz.

Trends in the decapod crustacean community at the southernmost estuary of the Atlantic coast of Europe.

Climate change may enhance the establishment of introduced species, as well as the poleward shift in distribution of numerous species over decades. Long-term research and monitoring of an ecosystem at the southernmost point of the Atlantic coast of Europe should be an important priority in order to detect and understand trends in species composition and the related environmental changes. The Guadalquivir estuary (South West Spain) is more likely to suffer the exacerbated effects of climate change due to its location in the Mediterranean-climate zone.

Marine litter disrupts ecological processes in reef systems.

Marine litter (ML) contaminates essentially all global coastal and marine environments and drives multiple ecosystem-level effects. Although deleterious effects of ML on several organisms have been investigated in the last years, this information tends to be dispersed or underreported, even in marine biodiversity hotspots such as reef ecosystems. Two are the main goals of this paper: (i) to integrate and synthesize current knowledge on the interactions of ML and reef organisms, and (ii) to evaluate the multiple disruptions on the ecological processes in reef systems.

Hazards in hanging gardens: A report on failures of recognition by green turtles and their conservation implications.

Marine species are experiencing unprecedented global impacts due to anthropogenic debris. Many recent studies have pointed out the hazards associated with marine litter ingestion, especially plastic debris - the most abundant and ubiquitous items in coastal and oceanic environments worldwide. In this study we provide the first in situ evidence of consumption of non-discarded synthetic rope fragments by green turtles.

Are we eating plastic-ingesting fish?

Yes, we are eating plastic-ingesting fish. A baseline assessment of plastic pellet ingestion by two species of important edible fish caught along the eastern coast of Brazil is described. The rate of plastic ingestion by king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) was quite high (62.