Publications by authors named "J Gobbato"

The Mediterranean is known for its marine biodiversity, especially gorgonian forests. Unfortunately, these are experiencing rapid declines due to climate change, manifested by repeated marine heat waves resulting in mass mortality events since the early 1990 s. To better understand why gorgonians are declining, more systematic approaches to investigate the exact causes are needed, and pathology may aid in this goal.

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  • Coral reefs are experiencing a rapid decline in biodiversity due to climate change and increased disease outbreaks, making it difficult to assess the dynamics of coral diseases in the Maldives.
  • A study around Thudufushi Island evaluated four coral diseases over a 12-year period, finding an overall increase in disease prevalence, particularly skeletal eroding band (SEB), which showed the largest rise since the last assessment in 2010.
  • The research highlights a significant rise in coral diseases, with a recommendation for a national monitoring protocol to understand and predict future disease trends in the region.
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Sharks are particularly susceptible to bioaccumulation due to their life history characteristics and trophic position within marine ecosystems. Despite this, studies of bioaccumulation cover only a small proportion of extant species. In this study we report concentrations of trace elements and heavy metals in blood samples of Sphyrna lewini for the first time.

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  • Microplastic pollution threatens coral reefs, which are already struggling with climate change, particularly heat stress, but the impact of microplastics on coral health is not well understood.
  • In a study on Pocillopora damicornis, corals were exposed to varying concentrations of polyethylene microplastic beads and temperatures, revealing ingestion and egestion but no immediate visual stress responses.
  • The findings showed that while heat stress is the main concern for coral health, microplastics could compound the negative effects of thermal stress, suggesting the need for better management of ocean temperature to protect coral ecosystems.
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  • The Mediterranean Sea's biodiversity is suffering from climate change and human activities, especially due to pollution from plastics and emerging contaminants like phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
  • A study analyzed four anthozoan species for these contaminants using advanced techniques, finding that all specimens had some level of contamination.
  • P. axinellae showed the highest contamination levels, suggesting it is more prone to bioaccumulation, while the study emphasizes the need to understand the harmful effects of these pollutants on important marine species.
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