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The occurrence of protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. such as the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli was molecularly investigated in the following free ranging species of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) as well as loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles living in the Gulf of Taranto (Mediterranean Sea). Out of forty-one investigated individuals belonging to the 4 species, 13 (31.7%) were positive to one or more pathogens and zoonotic G. duodenalis assemblage A, Cryptosporidium parvum and S. enterica were identified in striped dolphins, loggerhead and green sea turtles. In this work, the presence of these opportunistic pathogens has been investigated in fecal samples of free ranging dolphin and sea turtle species for the first time. Moreover, this is the first record of C. parvum in loggerhead sea turtles. These results may provide baseline data for the potential role of cetaceans and sea turtles as potential sentinel species for zoonotic and terrestrial pathogens in the marine environment., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

We present a high-resolution isotope stratigraphy based on Globigerinoides ruber (white) over the past 2500 years in the Gulf of Taranto, central Mediterranean. G. ruber (white) reflects summer conditions in the Gulf of Taranto but is influenced by two major surface water masses: the Western Adriatic Current (WAC) and the Ionian Surface Water (ISW) and their variations on a decadal to multicentennial scale. Our analysis of the δ13C and δ18O of G. ruber (white) allows the distinction of several climatic periods: the ‘Roman Warm Period’ (RWP) (450–0 bc), with relatively wet and warm conditions and a higher influence of the WAC; the ‘Roman Classical Period’ (RCP) (ad 1–200) characterized by salinity increase resulting from circulation changes; the ‘Dark Ages Cold Period’ (DCP) (ad 500–750), where wetter conditions in the Gulf of Taranto region are coherent with an increase dominance of the WAC; the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ (MWP), with wet and warm conditions in the first, and a gradual drying in the second half; and finally, the transition from the MWP to the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA), which is characterized by continuing dry conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The Mediterranean Sea is at the transition between temperate and tropical air masses and as such of importance for studying climate change. The Gulf of Taranto and adjacent SW Adriatic Sea are at the heart of this region. Their sediments are excellently suited for generating high quality environmental records for the last millennia with a sub-decadal resolution. The quality of these records is dependent on a careful calibration of the transfer functions used to translate the sedimentary lipid signals to the local environment. Here, we examine and calibrate the and TEX86 lipid-based temperature proxies in 48 surface sediments and relate these to ambient sea surface temperatures and other environmental data. The -based temperatures in surface sediments reflect winter/spring sea surface temperatures in agreement with other studies demonstrating maximum haptophyte production during the colder season. The TEX86-based temperatures for the nearshore sites also reflect winter sea surface temperatures. However, at the most offshore sites, they correspond to summer sea surface temperatures. Additional lipid and environmental data including the distribution of the BIT index and remote-sensed chlorophyll-a suggest a shoreward increase of the impact of seasonal and spatial variability in nutrients and control of planktonic archaeal abundance by primary productivity, particle loading in surface waters and/or overprint by a cold-biased terrestrial TEX86 signal. As such the offshore TEX86 values seem to reflect a true summer signal to the effect that offshore and TEX86 reconstruct winter and summer temperature, respectively, and hence provide information on the annual temperature amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the distribution and species composition of cetaceans in the Gulf of Taranto, central Mediterranean Sea. Available information is limited to stranding reports and to scant preliminary observations at sea. Cetacean sightings were recorded between April 2007 and October 2009 during 23 daily boat surveys, totalling 1728 km of navigation. Three cetacean species were encountered: striped dolphins (n = 41), Risso's dolphins (n = 5) and fin whales (n = 3). An additional sighting of a sperm whale group is reported. Encounter rates of striped dolphins were the highest, suggesting a regular occurrence in the study area. Risso's dolphins seemed to be predictably present in continental slope waters off the coast of Basilicata. Fin whales and striped dolphins, normally inhabiting deep pelagic waters offshore, were found in continental slope waters relatively close to the coast, possibly due to the particular bathymetry of the Gulf of Taranto and to oceanographic conditions that enhance local productivity. High human impact and worsening environmental conditions in the northern Gulf of Taranto raise concerns over the future of cetaceans living in these waters. This study expands previous knowledge and aims to stimulate research on whales and dolphins in what seems to be an important portion of their Mediterranean range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]