Search

Cystoseira sensu lato (Class Phaeophyceae, Order Fucales, Family Sargassaceae) forests play a central role in marine Mediterranean ecosystems. Over the last decades, Cystoseira s.l. suffered from a severe loss as a result of multiple anthropogenic stressors. In particular, Gongolaria barbata has faced multiple human-induced threats, and, despite its ecological importance in structuring rocky communities and hosting a large number of species, the natural recovery of G. barbata depleted populations is uncertain. Here, we used nine microsatellite loci specifically developed for G. barbata to assess the genetic diversity of this species and its genetic connectivity among fifteen sites located in the Ionian, the Adriatic and the Black Seas. In line with strong and significant heterozygosity deficiencies across loci, likely explained by Wahlund effect, high genetic structure was observed among the three seas (ENA corrected FST = 0.355, IC = [0.283, 0.440]), with an estimated dispersal distance per generation smaller than 600 m, both in the Adriatic and Black Sea. This strong genetic structure likely results from restricted gene flow driven by geographic distances and limited dispersal abilities, along with genetic drift within isolated populations. The presence of genetically disconnected populations at small spatial scales (< 10 km) has important implications for the identification of relevant conservation and management measures for G. barbata: each population should be considered as separated evolutionary units with dedicated conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better predict population evolution of invasive species in introduced areas it is critical to identify and understand the mechanisms driving genetic diversity and structure in their native range. Here, we combined analyses of the mitochondrial COI gene and 11 microsatellite markers to investigate both past demographic history and contemporaneous genetic structure in the native area of the gastropod Tritia neritea, using Bayesian skyline plots (BSP), multivariate analyses and Bayesian clustering. The BSP framework revealed population expansions, dated after the last glacial maximum. The haplotype network revealed a strong geographic clustering. Multivariate analyses and Bayesian clustering highlighted the strong genetic structure at all scales, between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, but also within basins. Within basins, a random pattern of genetic patchiness was observed, suggesting a superimposition of processes involving natural biological effects (no larval phase and thus limited larval dispersal) and putative anthropogenic transport of specimens. Contrary to the introduced area, no isolation-by-distance patterns were recovered in the Mediterranean or the Black Seas, highlighting different mechanisms at play on both native and introduced areas, triggering unknown consequences for species' evolutionary trajectories. These results of Tritia neritea populations on its native range highlight a mixture of ancient and recent processes, with the effects of paleoclimates and life history traits likely tangled with the effects of human-mediated dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

the purpose of this article is the developed complex of musical levers on a person's functional state substantiation, presented in the "Simulator for active musical therapy" (SAMT) method. This is a brand new psychocorrective tool used to develop conditioning, cause-and-effect relationships, higher mental functions and the formation of functional comfort. There are theoretical and methodological fundamentals of the correctional method from the point of the system-structural approach view, as also, modern conceptual approaches to the study of musical psychophysiology. The simulator contains the projected and approved stimulus sound material, developed on the basis of the author's system musical means of the functional state's optimization research, presented as a correct diagnostic tool of the person's functional state. Reliability of results in several laboratories and real life conditions. The reliability of the results is proved in several laboratory researches and real life conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecological Chemistry & Engineering S / Chemia i Inzynieria Ekologiczna S is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As the most widespread seagrass in temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere, Zostera marina provides a unique opportunity to investigate the extent to which the historical legacy of the last glacial maximum (LGM18 000–10 000 years bp) is detectable in modern population genetic structure. We used sequences from the nuclear rDNA–internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast matK-intron, and nine microsatellite loci to survey 49 populations (> 2000 individuals) from throughout the species’ range. Minimal sequence variation between Pacific and Atlantic populations combined with biogeographical groupings derived from the microsatellite data, suggest that the trans-Arctic connection is currently open. The east Pacific and west Atlantic are more connected than either is to the east Atlantic. Allelic richness was almost two-fold higher in the Pacific. Populations from putative Atlantic refugia now represent the southern edges of the distribution and are not genetically diverse. Unexpectedly, the highest allelic diversity was observed in the North Sea–Wadden Sea–southwest Baltic region. Except for the Mediterranean and Black Seas, significant isolation-by-distance was found from ~150 to 5000 km. A transition from weak to strong isolation-by-distance occurred at ~150 km among northern European populations suggesting this scale as the natural limit for dispersal within the metapopulation. Links between historical and contemporary processes are discussed in terms of the projected effects of climate change on coastal marine plants. The identification of a high genetic diversity hotspot in Northern Europe provides a basis for restoration decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]