Rapid invasion and expansion of the invasive macroalgae Rugulopteryx okamurae in the Mediterranean and Atlantic: A 10-year review.

This review seeks to establish a baseline on the current knowledge and gaps in the scientific literature on the invasive macroalgae Rugulopteryx okamurae. Through a systematic literature analysis we summarize the insights regarding distribution and potential impacts as non-indigenous species associated with its expansion from the Strait of Gibraltar since first detected by 2015. After 10 years, this invasive alien macroalgae has broadly expanded across the Mediterranean Sea (France, Spain, Morocco and Italy) and the Atlantic coasts (Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands).

Drivers of litter ingestion by sea turtles: Three decades of empirical data collected in Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean.

Sea turtles are considered as bio-indicators for monitoring the efficiency of restoration measures to reduce marine litter impacts on health. However, the lack of extended and standardised empirical data has prevented the accurate analysis of the factors influencing litter ingestion and the relationships with individual health. Historic data collected from 1988 and standard data collected from 2016 were harmonised to enable such analyses on necropsied loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in eight Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic countries.

Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status.

The following protocol is intended to respond to the requirements set by the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directives (MSFD) for the D10C3 Criteria reported in the Commission Decision (EU), related to the amount of litter ingested by marine animals. Standardized methodologies for extracting litter items ingested from dead sea turtles along with guidelines on data analysis are provided. The protocol starts with the collection of dead sea turtles and classification of samples according to the decomposition status.

Partial characterization and antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of the aqueous extracellular polysaccharides from the thermophilic microalgae Graesiella sp.

Background: For thousands of years, Tunisian geothermal water has been used in bathing. Indeed, thermal baths "Hammam" were recommended in the treatment of different type of illnesses as, for instance, for relaxing joints and soothing. The ability of microalgae to sustain at the high temperature makes them potential producers of high value thermostable bio-products.