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Data available on the Italian species of Copepoda Canuelloida Khodami, Vaun MacArthur, Blanco-Bercial and Martínez Arbizu, 2017 and Harpacticoida Sars, 1903 report overall 210 species, but their diversity and biogeography are still poorly investigated. We carried out a faunistic survey along the eastern coast of Sardinia (Ogliastra region) in order to document these taxa in the area. A total of 41 species in 36 genera and 18 families were found. Although many species were identified as putative, the current Italian checklist was updated with 12 new records of genera and 4 of species. Longipedia coronata Claus, 1862 (Canuelloida), Diosaccus tenuicornis (Claus, 1863), Asellopsis hispida Brady and Robertson, 1873, Wellsopsyllus (intermediopsyllus) intermedius (Scott and Scott, 1895) (all Harpacticoida) are reported for the first time from Sardinia coasts. The copepod community was particularly rich at Ogliastra Island, a small rocky island with natural reefs, rocky shoals and Posidonia oceanica meadows. Species found there were mainly related to coarse sands and macrophytal detritus. Data published in GBIF: doi:10.15470/dxru6l

Red coral is one of the most important species belonging to the coralligenous habitats, being a structuring organism and highly sensitive to human pressure. The presence of red coral populations is historically well documented along the Campania coast (Tyrrhenian Sea), and, due to its high economic value, it has been commercially overharvested since ancient times. Red coral populations along several cliffs on the "Regno di Nettuno" MPA of the Gulf of Naples were investigated using ROV-imaging techniques. Coralligenous habitats were characterized in terms of percent cover and number of morphological groups. Pizzaco site showed the richest and most diverse community. Density of red coral colonies was calculated and compared with morphometric parameters. Results show an inversely correlated trend between colonies density and their size. Finally, fishing pressure was estimated through frequency of lost fishing gears, and S. Angelo site resulted the most stressed one. Anthropic stress plays a key role in the degradation of coralligenous habitats and the dramatic reduction of red coral populations recorded in recent years allows to suspect a more extensive degradation of the entire community. An assessment of the distribution and state of the populations can provide useful information to take measures for a better MPAs management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several individuals belonging to a new species of the genus Chromadorita (Nematoda: Adenophorea) were collected in a cold-seep area in the Gulf of Guinea during two French cruises: BIOZÄIRE 2 (2001) and BIOZAÏRE 3 (2003-2004) on board the R/V L'Atalante. In this area, rich chemosynthetic benthic communities have been discovered at 3150 m depth in the large pockmark field named Regab. Chromadorita regabi sp. nov. was found among the eggs in ovigerous specimens of the shrimp Alvinocaris muricola. The combination of long size (1500-2200 µm), nine strong preanal papillae and relatively small dorsal tooth with weak musculature distinguishes this species from all known congeneric ones. An identification key to all known species of Chromadorita is provided. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:68B32253-D4B4-45EB-B4F8-4F7B015E6FCC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to supply an overview of all historical and recent knowledge on landings, fishing and geographic distribution of the red coral banks along the Italian coasts in order to make a contribution to the conservation and future management of this resource. Along the Italian coasts, the banks have been exploited for millennia, using non-selective trawling gear that was banned in Europe in 1994. Today, harvesting is allowed only by scuba divers and regulated by specific laws. We examined 153 years of history of coral fishing in Italy, from Unification (1861) to 2014. Data about the coralline fleets and the amount of coral landings were recorded for the considered span of time. From a quantitative point of view, the coral fishing in Italy in the last 150 years has been dominated by the sub-fossil coral reservoirs from the Sciacca Banks (Sicily Channel), where an extraordinary amount of 18,000 tons was collected in 34 years (1875–1888 and 1893–1914). This amount represents about 90% of all red coral harvested along the Italian coast in the last 150 years. Excluding this period, the average annual yield was initially around 100 tons, decreasing to 28 tons 100 years later, therefore demonstrating a severe overexploitation of the resource. The great part of the deep red coral banks was abandoned because harvesting was no longer profitable. Nevertheless, quantitative data suggest that red coral banks, even though overexploited, are still widespread along Italian coasts, mainly in shallow waters. These banks show a remarkable persistence although with a generalised shift towards smaller colony sizes and higher density. The time span necessary in recovering the pristine structure, following the end of the fishing activities, appears very long and the populations of several areas might be unable to re-colonise the old and overexploited banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New records of the rare Messina rockfishScorpaenodes arenai(Osteichthyes: Scorpaenidae) stranded on the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea) are reported. Morphometric and meristic characters are given together with information on age data. The first underwater observations by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in different Mediterranean areas contribute to improve current knowledge on distribution, behavior and habitat preference of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have explored for the first time the biodiversity pattern of the meiobenthic assemblage in a Blue Hole of the Maldivian Archipelago. The cave is characterised by a marked change of the chemical water parameters below 50 m of depth, with a relevant increase in hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and sulfates (H2S, CO2 and SO42–). Thus, three stations were selected above and two below the chemo-thermocline in order to test the possible effects of the chemical variations on the meiobenthos. The difficulty of adaptation to these environmental conditions is clearly suggested by the presence of only a few dominant meiobenthic taxa in the bottom of the cave. However, meiobenthic organisms seemed more resistant than macrobenthos, which disappeared completely below this depth. The nematode assemblage was mainly represented by Xyalidae, Desmodoridae, Comesomatidae and Linhomoeidae. A high level of confinement of nematode genera at the different depths has been documented. In the upper part, their structure and biodiversity were comparable to those of the Maldivian subtidal habitats characterised by fine coralline sediments, while a notable dominance was detected in the bottom. The Blue Hole features also influenced the functional traits of the nematode assemblage with a documented increasing number of general opportunists and decrease of Maturity Index. The dominance of non-selective deposit feeders supports the hypothesis of a high amount of organic matter accumulated on the sea bottom of the cave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of deep red coral (Corallium rubrum) banks in the gulfs of Naples and Salerno (South Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea) is well known in historical records due to the heavy coral harvesting that occurred during the 19th and 20th centuries, by both trawling gears and scuba diving. In 2010 and 2012, during two Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) surveys on board of the Research Vessel (R/V)Astrea, red coral banks were detected in 16 of the 25 visited localities, between 45 and 150 m depth. Seven of these banks, located in the inner part of the Gulf of Naples, were already explored in 1918 by a scientific survey reporting the occurrence of red coral. Healthy populations (densities > 90 colonies  m−2) were present only around the coasts of the Phlegrean Islands (Ischia and Procida Islands). Very low densities (< 5 colonies  m−2) or the absence of coral were recorded in all other sites of the Gulf of Naples (including all historical re-visited banks), and a variable percentage of dead colonies was observed. This evidence suggests a huge state of stress likely favoured by the hydrodynamic conditions in the Gulf, enhancing water pollution and sedimentation rate. Finally, the documented high fishing pressure plays a major role in the hard-bottom communities’ degradation. A recent mass mortality episode was also recorded along the Amalfi coast, around Li Galli Islands (Gulf of Salerno), at a depth range between 80 and 100 m, where the mortality affected 80% of the largest colonies, estimated to be around 70 years old. Several possible reasons for this mortality have been hypothesised, such as the formation of local down-welling currents inducing an unusual drop of the thermocline, or sudden warm water emissions (sulphur springs) in an area characterised by important volcanic activities, or local landslides generating turbidity currents along the steep slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meiofauna assemblages of three Italian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Miramare (Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Porto Cesareo (Lecce, Apulia) and Capo Caccia (Sassari, Sardinia), were investigated. Sediment samples were collected during summer 2005 in the shallow subtidal (1-4 m depth). The meiofauna was primarily represented by Nematoda and Copepoda. The results showed that significant differences in meiofauna communities abundances were found among the three Italian MPAs, and in particular between Capo Caccia and Porto Cesareo (3840 ± 422 SE individuals·10 cm-2 at Miramare, 5716 ± 857 SE ind.·10 cm-2 in Porto Cesareo, and 1063 ± 289 SE ind.·10 cm-2 in Capo Caccia). These differences were mainly due to a clear change in nematodes and copepods abundances in the two MPAs. Meiofauna diversity was not significantly different among the three MPAs. The analysis on nematode communities showed a dominance of deposit feeders in Porto Cesareo (Anoplostoma, Daptonema and Theristus), while in the marine reserves of Miramare and Capo Caccia epigrowth feeding nematodes, and predators/omnivores were dominant (Mesacanthion, Marylynnia). The results reported here represent a new contribution to the knowledge of the Mediterranean meiofauna and nematode assemblages structure and composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to technical problems and difficult taxonomic identification, meiofauna have been generally less studied than macrofauna. However, the role of meiofauna in marine ecosystem functioning, and their effective and rapid response to anthropogenic alterations and climatic changes have recently been acknowledged, leading to increasing scientific and applied interest. At present, systematic and biogeographic knowledge of the meiofauna of the Adriatic Sea is extremely heterogeneous, because most of the data are limited to a few taxa and the sampled areas are scattered, being located mainly in the coastal areas of the northern basin. Analysis of the composition and distribution of meiobenthic groups in the Adriatic Sea highlights the presence of several endemisms. Meiofauna also include bioindicator taxa, which allow assessment of the quality of marine sediments; this is particularly useful in systems characterised by the synergistic effect of different forms of anthropogenic impact, such as the Adriatic basin. Current knowledge about the ecology of the meiofauna and use of this component in applied ecological studies, along with the availability of a standardised protocol for the analysis of meiofaunal assemblages, allows us to recommend formal acknowledgement of the need to integrate information derived from the analysis of macrofauna with information derived from the study of meiofauna. Future research based on the simultaneous use of both of these benthic components will allow faster and more accurate evaluation of the response of coastal marine ecosystems to anthropogenic disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane bioreactors allow for higher sludge concentrations and improved degradation efficiencies with respect to conventional activated sludge. However, in the current practice these systems are often operated under sub-optimal conditions, since so far no precise indications have yet been issued on the optimal operating conditions of MBR for municipal wastewater treatment. This paper reports some results of four years of operation of a bench scale membrane bioreactor where steady state conditions were investigated under different sludge retention times. The whole experimental campaign was oriented towards the investigation of optimal process conditions in terms of COD removal and nitrification, biomass activity and growth, and sludge characteristics. The membrane bioreactor treated real municipal sewage, and four different sludge ages were tested (20, 40, 60, and 80 days) and compared with previous data on complete sludge retention. The results showed that the the biology of the system, as assessed by the oxygen uptake rate, is less affected than the sludge physical parameters. In particular, although the growth yield was observed to dramatically drop for SRT higher than 80 days, the biological activity was maintained under all the tested conditions. These considerations suggest that high SRT are convenient in terms of limited excess sludge production without losses of the treatment capacity. Physical characteristics such as the viscosity and the filterability appear to be negatively affected by prolonged sludge retention times, but their values remain within the ranges normally reported for conventional activated sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine Protected Areas are considered key tools for conservation of coastal ecosystems. However, many reserves are characterized by several problems mainly related to inadequate zonings that often do not protect high biodiversity and propagule supply areas precluding, at the same time, economic important zones for local interests. The Gulf of Naples is here employed as a study area to assess the effects of inclusion of different conservation features and costs in reserve design process. In particular eight scenarios are developed using graph theory to identify propagule source patches and fishing and exploitation activities as costs-in-use for local population. Scenarios elaborated by MARXAN, software commonly used for marine conservation planning, are compared using multivariate analyses (MDS, PERMANOVA and PERMDISP) in order to assess input data having greatest effects on protected areas selection. MARXAN is heuristic software able to give a number of different correct results, all of them near to the best solution. Its outputs show that the most important areas to be protected, in order to ensure long-term habitat life and adequate propagule supply, are mainly located around the Gulf islands. In addition through statistical analyses it allowed us to prove that different choices on conservation features lead to statistically different scenarios. The presence of propagule supply patches forces MARXAN to select almost the same areas to protect decreasingly different MARXAN results and, thus, choices for reserves area selection. The multivariate analyses applied here to marine spatial planning proved to be very helpful allowing to identify i) how different scenario input data affect MARXAN and ii) what features have to be taken into account in study areas characterized by peculiar biological and economic interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global interest in the assessment of quality condition of some benthic habitats on hard bottoms, such as the coralligenous bioconstruction particularly important for the biodiversity maintenance in the Mediterranean Sea, is recently increasing. Using a synthesis of recent knowledge and ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) imaging data acquired in the Bay of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), the Coralligenous Bioconstruction Quality Index (CBQI) was developed. This new index can compare different types of coralligenous habitat (rocky cliffs, submerged shoals, and platform banks) located at both shallow and deep bottoms, and calculate their quality status taking into account coralligenous communities structuring, bottom abiotic factors and anthropic stress evaluation. The data analysis was relatively fast and easy to perform due to the use of morphological groups for coralligenous characterization and anthropic impact categories mainly related to fishing activities. The CBQI may provide a useful tool for the establishment of monitoring protocols and management programs to assess the quality of coralligenous bioconstructions, in different areas of Mediterranean Sea, since it takes into account and discerns the change in communities due to environmental characteristics and/or to anthropic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are amongst the most diverse ecosystems in the biosphere. However, they also represent one of the most threatened marine systems. Apart from global change, especially fishing and tourism affect coral reefs either with mechanical damage or with increase of pollution and sedimentation. Recently, the increase of disturbances has induced extensive changes in community structure and composition of coral reefs. Well-balanced and rich communities can better resist disturbances and show a more rapid recovery, compared to less biodiverse systems. This study assesses the status of coral reefs subjected to several anthropogenic pressures, using a modified version of Coral Condition Index (CCI) that takes into account all Acropora and Pocillopora growth forms and considers a further category of coral damage: the presence of disease. The investigations were carried out at Bangka Island (North Sulawesi, Indonesia), where some of the most flourishing reefs in the country are present. The CCI takes into account the extent of different damages on coral colonies, particularly of the genera Acropora and Pocillopora , being among the most widespread bioconstructors of local coral reefs and very sensitive to anthropogenic disturbances. The aim of the present work is to test whether the CCI is a reliable index in different coral reefs, and to evaluate if highly biodiverse reefs show a better resistance to several human stressors. Data showed high values of CCI (0.9 on average) at all the investigated sites and at the two depths (3 and 9 m) for each site, with the most abundant category represented by “healthy coral colonies”. These data indicate a reasonably good health status of the reef in the study area (CCI > 0.8). The presence of different types of human pressure in the study area was evaluated through the use of metric proxies. Results do not seem to show any significant influence of such human activities on reef coral status, as shown by the low values of correlation between CCI values and the distances of the study sites from the three main sources of stress (Villages, Resorts and Other). Moreover, the present data seem to confirm that highly biodiverse and well-structured assemblages can resist disturbances more efficiently and that human pressure in the study area is sustainable. Compared to fishing activities, the impact of Scuba diving on coral reef is lower, resulting more sustainable and ecologically non-destructive. CCI summarizes many kinds of information and can be applicable in various areas with different pressures. It is a useful tool that might help to assist and guide management decisions towards alternative development models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We applied a thermodynamic and network analysis on the micro and meio-benthic community in a wide coastal area of the southern Adriatic Sea in order to assess ecosystem health and to identify useful descriptors of environmental quality. The analysis of the micro and meio-benthic system in terms of organic matter, bacteria, microphytobenthos and meiofauna reflected changes occurring in the trophic state of benthic ecosystems and provided a tool for comparison between different environments. The biopolymeric carbon load never reached very high concentrations. Within these trophic conditions, ascendency, exergy and specific exergy resulted strictly related to each other and an increase of all the goal functions was observed at increasing resource availability. The analysis of trophic efficiency was particularly sensitive to assess the environmental state in term of sustaining complex structure and resource exploitation. In particular, specific exergy, ascendency/capacity and Finn''s cycling index showed lowest values in more anthropogenic areas and can be proposed as candidate indices for the health assessment of coastal ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Coralligenous (C) assemblages are affected by environmental impact factors. • Morphological Groups (MGs) are very helpful proxies when using indirect sampling techniques. • C quality status was evaluated by Coralligenous Bioconstructions Quality Index (CBQI) • MGs and CBQI are related to β-diversity. • High β-diversity was recorded in the low C quality sites. Sciaphilous organisms compose the Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages which have solar irradiance reduction in the water column as a main structuring environmental factor. These communities and associated habitats are taken into consideration for protection at European level, and monitoring activities of their status are mandatory (Marine Strategy Framework Directive, 2008/56/EC) representing hot spots of biodiversity. However, sampling activities of these habitats are often very expensive, thus, in recent years, remote surveys performed by underwater robots (ROVs) are more and more applied. In the present investigation Morphological Groups (MGs), which are parataxonomic proxies allowing to describe coralligenous assemblages using ROV images, are used to assess community structure and diversity of six randomly chosen sites in the Gulf of Naples, as representative of three substrate types (boulders/debris, rocky cliff and sand/mud) at two depths (De < 60 m and 60 m < De < 90 m). Results are also related to specific values of a previously developed index, Coralligenous Biocostructions Quality Index (CBQI), in order to evaluate if their β-diversity, measured as small-scale heterogeneity (differences among replicates), might represent a good indicator of assemblages quality status. Results show that the most abundant MGs in all substrates and depths are represented by crustose coralline algae and encrusting sponges, which account for significant quantitative differences only among sites (p < 0.001), but not among the substrate and among the depth factors (p = 0.5246). On the contrary, significant differences in β-diversity among substrates and depths are detected (p = 0.004), highlighting a peculiar result: more heterogeneous assemblages are associated to low CBQI values. Such findings suggest that, i) similar coralligenous assemblages structures are strictly related to edaphic factors; ii) the apparent contradiction between high CBQI values and low heterogeneities might be explained by the long successional process of bioconstruction formation, converging in similar assemblages coherently with substrate and depth-related factors. Thus, to this respect, a low small-scale heterogeneity of assemblages (as a proxy of β-diversity measure) may be considered as a reliable indicator of high quality status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]