The Lush Fucales Underwater Forests off the Cilento Coast: An Overlooked Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot.

Fucales (Phaeophyceae) are ecosystem engineers and forest-forming macroalgae whose populations are declining dramatically. In the Mediterranean Sea, -encompassing the genera , , and -is the most diverse group, and many species have been shown to be locally extinct in many areas, resulting in a shift toward structurally less complex habitats with the consequent loss of ecosystem functions and services. In this study, we report on the extensive occurrence of healthy and dense marine forests formed by Fucales in the Santa Maria di Castellabate Marine Protected Area in Cilento, Italy (Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean).

Responses of the Macroalga Müller to Ocean Acidification Revealed by Complementary NMR- and MS-Based Omics Approaches.

Ocean acidification (OA) is a dramatic perturbation of seawater environments due to increasing anthropogenic emissions of CO. Several studies indicated that OA frequently induces marine biota stress and a reduction of biodiversity. Here, we adopted the macroalga as a model and applied a complementary multi-omics approach to investigate the metabolic profiles under normal and acidified conditions.

Molecular response of Sargassum vulgare to acidification at volcanic CO vents: Insights from proteomic and metabolite analyses.

Ocean acidification is impacting marine life all over the world. Understanding how species can cope with the changes in seawater carbonate chemistry represents a challenging issue. We addressed this topic using underwater CO vents that naturally acidify some marine areas off the island of Ischia.

Seasonal variation in UVA light drives hormonal and behavioural changes in a marine annelid via a ciliary opsin.

The right timing of animal physiology and behaviour ensures the stability of populations and ecosystems. To predict anthropogenic impacts on these timings, more insight is needed into the interplay between environment and molecular timing mechanisms. This is particularly true in marine environments.

Long-term changes (1800-2019) in marine vegetational habitats: Insights from a historic industrialised coastal area.

Macrophytes play an important structural and functional role in marine ecosystems but are experiencing a considerable decline in many areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the long tradition of studies on vegetated marine habitats in the Gulf of Naples (Italy), a gap of knowledge on their long-term dynamics has recently been highlighted, mainly in the most anthropised areas. This work aimed to provide insights from the historic industrialised coastal area of the Site of National Interest (SIN) Bagnoli-Coroglio (Gulf of Pozzuoli, Italy), after decades of chemical contaminations and coastal transformation, to build a baseline for the next remediation and restoration programs.

Adult exposure to acidified seawater influences sperm physiology in Mytilus galloprovincialis: Laboratory and in situ transplant experiments.

The ongoing increase of CO in the atmosphere is inducing a progressive lowering of marine water pH that is predicted to decrease to 7.8 by the end of this century. In marine environment, physical perturbation may affect reproduction, which is crucial for species' survival and strictly depends on gamete quality.

Long-term response of Dictyota dichotoma var. intricata (C. Agardh) Greville (Phaeophyceae) to ocean acidification: Insights from high pCO vents.

The ocean acidification may severely affect macroalgal communities of the shallowest coastal habitats where they play relevant structural and functional roles. In this paper were investigated the physiological traits of two populations of Dictyota dichotoma var. intricata, living at two different pH for several generations to assess the reasons of the algae reduced abundance at current (8.

Ocean acidification affects biological activities of seaweeds: A case study of Sargassum vulgare from Ischia volcanic CO vents.

We utilized volcanic CO vents at Castello Aragonese off Ischia Island as a natural laboratory to investigate the effect of lowered pH/elevated CO on the bioactivities of extracts from fleshy brown algae Sargassum vulgare C. Agardh. We analysed the carbohydrate levels, antioxidant capacity, antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, anticancer properties and antimutagenic potential of the algae growing at the acidified site (pH ∼ 6.

Ocean acidification impact on ascidian Ciona robusta spermatozoa: New evidence for stress resilience.

Rising atmospheric CO is causing a progressive decrease of seawater pH, termed ocean acidification. Predicting its impact on marine invertebrate reproduction is essential to anticipate the consequences of future climate change on species fitness and survival. Ocean acidification may affect reproductive success either in terms of gamete or progeny quality threating species survival.

Effects of ocean acidification on the levels of primary and secondary metabolites in the brown macroalga Sargassum vulgare at different time scales.

Most of the studies regarding the impact of ocean acidification on macroalgae have been carried out for short-term periods, in controlled laboratory conditions, thus hampering the possibility to scale up the effects on long-term. In the present study, the volcanic CO vents off Ischia Island were used as a natural laboratory to investigate the metabolic response of the brown alga Sargassum vulgare to acidification at different time scales. For long-term effects, algal populations naturally growing at acidified and control sites were compared.

Photosynthesis and mineralogy of Jania rubens at low pH/high pCO: A future perspective.

Corallinales (Rhodophyta) are high Mg-calcite macroalgae and are considered among the most vulnerable organisms to ocean acidification (OA). These sensitive species play fundamental roles in coastal systems as food source and settlement promoters as well as being involved in reef stabilization, and water carbonate balance. At present only a few studies are focused on erect calcifying macroalgae under low pH/high pCO and the contrasting results make difficult to predict the ecological consequences of the OA on the coralline algae.

Nutrient Loading Fosters Seagrass Productivity Under Ocean Acidification.

The effects of climate change are likely to be dependent on local settings. Nonetheless, the compounded effects of global and regional stressors remain poorly understood. Here, we used CO vents to assess how the effects of ocean acidification on the seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, and the associated epiphytic community can be modified by enhanced nutrient loading.

Carbon and nitrogen allocation strategy in Posidonia oceanica is altered by seawater acidification.

Rising atmospheric CO causes ocean acidification that represents one of the major ecological threats for marine biota. We tested the hypothesis that long-term exposure to increased CO level and acidification in a natural CO vent system alters carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) metabolism in Posidonia oceanica L. (Delile), affecting its resilience, or capability to restore the physiological homeostasis, and the nutritional quality of organic matter available for grazers.

Physiological and Biochemical Analyses Shed Light on the Response of to Ocean Acidification at Different Time Scales.

Studies regarding macroalgal responses to ocean acidification (OA) are mostly limited to short-term experiments in controlled conditions, which hamper the possibility to scale up the observations to long-term effects in the natural environment. To gain a broader perspective, we utilized volcanic CO vents as a "natural laboratory" to study OA effects on at different time scales. We measured photosynthetic rates, oxidative stress levels, antioxidant contents, antioxidant enzyme activities, and activities of oxidative metabolic enzymes in growing at a natural acidified site (pH 6.

Molecular response of Sargassum vulgare to acidification at volcanic CO vents: insights from de novo transcriptomic analysis.

Ocean acidification is an emerging problem that is expected to impact ocean species to varying degrees. Currently, little is known about its effect on molecular mechanisms induced in fleshy macroalgae. To elucidate genome wide responses to acidification, a transcriptome analysis was carried out on Sargassum vulgare populations growing under acidified conditions at volcanic CO vents and compared with populations in a control site.

Physiological responses of a population of Sargassum vulgare (Phaeophyceae) to high pCO/low pH: implications for its long-term distribution.

Ocean Acidification (OA) is likely to affect macroalgal diversity in the future with species-specific responses shaping macroalgal communities. In this framework, it is important to focus research on the photosynthetic response of habitat-forming species which have an important structural and functional role in coastal ecosystems. Most of the studies on the impacts of OA involve short-term laboratory or micro/mesocosm experiments.

Chemoreception of the Seagrass Posidonia Oceanica by Benthic Invertebrates is Altered by Seawater Acidification.

Several plants and invertebrates interact and communicate by means of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds may play the role of infochemicals, being able to carry complex information to selected species, thus mediating inter- or intra-specific communications. Volatile organic compounds derived from the wounding of marine diatoms, for example, carry information for several benthic and planktonic invertebrates.

Nitric oxide in marine photosynthetic organisms.

Nitric oxide is a versatile and powerful signaling molecule in plants. However, most of our understanding stems from studies on terrestrial plants and very little is known about marine autotrophs. This review summarizes current knowledge about the source of nitric oxide synthesis in marine photosynthetic organisms and its role in various physiological processes under normal and stress conditions.

The occurrence of the psbS gene product in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and in other photosynthetic organisms and its correlation with energy quenching.

To avoid photodamage, photosynthetic organisms have developed mechanisms to evade or dissipate excess energy. Lumen overacidification caused by light-induced electron transport triggers quenching of excited chlorophylls and dissipation of excess energy into heat. In higher plants participation of the PsbS protein as the sensor of low lumenal pH was clearly demonstrated.

Macroalgal survival in ballast water tanks.

Despite a large amount of research into invasive species and their introductions, there have been no studies focused on macroalgal transport in ballast water. To address this, we collected replicate samples of ballast water from 12 ships in two Mediterranean harbours (Naples and Salerno). Filtered samples were kept in culture for a month at Mediterranean mean conditions (18 degrees C, 12:12h LD, 60micromol photons m(-2)s(-1)).

Occurrence of mucous aggregates and their impact on Posidonia oceanica beds.

Mucous macro-aggregates of both pelagic and benthic origin are recurrently observed in the meadows formed by the seagrass Posidonia oceanica around the island of Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy). In the past two decades, major events occurred in 1991, 1993 and 2000, when a thick layer of mucilage covered vast areas of the meadows. To investigate the environmental triggers for mucilage formation and the effects of macro-aggregates on the functional and structural status of P.

Posidonia oceanica as a biomonitor of trace elements in the Gulf of Naples: temporal trends by lepidochronology.

Levels of Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn were assessed by using Posidonia oceanica as a bioindicator in the Gulf of Naples (southern Italy). Lepidochronology, which enables retroactive dating of scales and rhizomes of this seagrass, was combined with atomic spectrometry to assess temporal trends of trace elements in dated scales and rhizomes over a 10-year period. Lepidochronology occasionally has been used to monitor Hg in dated scales, but never has been used to determine concentrations of other trace elements in dated rhizomes.