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Wetlands are essential for life on Earth, but at the same time the most threatened environments due to the gradual alterations associated with climate change and human action. The botanical studies on wetland higher plants carried out in Italy from 1950 until today are analysed in this survey. The 1,265 contributions resulting from this study are analysed from a historical, geographical, and content point of view. Most of the scientific contributions were published in the 1980s and 1990s, often by the same research groups and on a local scale. The predominant research theme is the inventory. Most papers are mainly focused on lakes and rivers. The results of this literature survey point to the need to continue and intensify these studies, especially in southern Italy and in temporary wetlands. It is essential to make the huge amount of data resting in drawers or included in scientific reports but not published in scientific journals readily accessible. This could also be achieved through online geographical databases.

In recent decades, the global vanadium (V) industry has been steadily growing, together with interest in the potential use of V compounds as therapeutics, leading to V release in the marine environment and making it an emerging pollutant. Since climate change can amplify the sensitivity of marine organisms already facing chemical contamination in coastal areas, here, for the first time, we investigated the combined impact of V and global warming conditions on the development of Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos. Embryo-larval bioassays were carried out in embryos exposed for 24 and 48 h to sodium orthovanadate (Na3VO4) under conditions of near-future ocean warming projections (+3 °C, 21 °C) and of extreme warming at present-day marine heatwave conditions (+6 °C, 24 °C), compared to the control temperature (18 °C). We found that the concomitant exposure to V and higher temperature caused an increased percentage of malformations, impaired skeleton growth, the induction of heat shock protein (HSP)-mediated cell stress response and the activation of apoptosis. We also found a time- and temperature-dependent increase in V bioaccumulation, with a concomitant reduction in intracellular calcium ions (Ca2+). This work demonstrates that embryos' sensitivity to V pollution is increased under global warming conditions, highlighting the need for studies on multiple stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary ponds are the most peculiar and representative water bodies in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world, where they often represent diversity hotspots that greatly contribute to the regional biodiversity. Being indissolubly linked to these ecosystems, the so-called “large branchiopods” are unanimously considered flagship taxa of these habitats. Nonetheless, updated and detailed information on large branchiopod faunas is still missing in many countries or regions. Based on an extensive bibliographical review and field samplings, we provide an updated and commented checklist of large branchiopods in Tunisia, one of the less investigated countries of the Maghreb as far as inland water crustaceans are concerned. We carried out a field survey from 2004 to 2012, thereby collecting 262 crustacean samples from a total of 177 temporary water bodies scattered throughout the country. Large branchiopod crustaceans were observed in 61% of the sampled sites, leading to the identification of fifteen species. Among these, the halophilic anostracan Branchinectella media is here reported for the first time for the country; conversely, four of the species reported in literature were not found during the present survey. Based on literature and novel data, the known large branchiopod fauna of Tunisia now includes 19 species, showing a noteworthy species richness when the limited extension of the country is considered. For each species, the regional distribution is described and an annotated list of references is provided. Under a conservation perspective, the particular importance of the temporary ponds occurring in the Medjerda river alluvial plain is further stressed. In this location, several large branchiopod taxa with different ecological requirements converge and form unique and species-rich assemblages that should be preserved.

We hypothesize that iron availability plays an important role in driving phytoplankton structure and dynamics in tropical reservoir. This role has often been neglected in routine monitoring of water quality since the main focus has been addressed on macronutrients such phosphorus and nitrogen. To elucidate the potential regulation exerted by iron availability on phytoplankton, a limnological investigation was carried out in two neighboring eutrophic reservoirs in tropical China. Traditional physical and chemical variables were measured along with total and dissolved iron concentrations to explore how they could influence phytoplankton structure. Statistical analyses showed that dissolved iron (DFe) as well as dissolved nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) significantly explained the variance of phytoplankton assemblages in both reservoirs. We could also find that diazotrophic cyanobacteria blooms generally developed when DFe concentrations were above 0.025 mg/L. Moreover, the DFe availability in the water columns was modulated by the effects exerted by the stratification/circulation patterns on redox conditions and pH values. Anaerobic conditions favored the release of iron and phosphorus from sediments, and likely favored an enhanced nitrogen assimilation and a decrease of DIN in the epilimnion. Our results highlighted that iron functions as an important factor promoting diazotrophic cyanobacteria and driving seasonal phytoplankton succession in tropical eutrophic reservoirs, not only with a direct effect on phytoplankton growth but also indirect effect by modifying the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Nile tilapia is a highly invasive fish species, deliberately introduced into many lakes and reservoirs worldwide, sometimes resulting in significant ecosystem alterations. A short-term mesocosm experiment with and without Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was designed to test the hypotheses that the presence of tilapia may affect phytoplankton community structure, increase nutrients availability in water column and deteriorate water quality. Nutrients, total suspended solids (TSS) and biomass of phytoplankton in different size classes (as Chl a) were measured. We found that tilapia increased the total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), NH4 + and TSS concentrations, deteriorating the water quality. In addition, under tilapia presence, the biomass of phytoplankton, as well as that of micro- and nano-phytoplankton, increased leading to a change in the structure of the phytoplankton assemblage. Moreover, a reduction in the biomass of periphyton was observed. Omnivorous tilapia is often dominant in tropical and subtropical waters, and removal of this fish may represent an effective management tool to improve the water quality.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that is age-related and progressive. It causes the destruction of articular cartilage and underlying bone, often aggravated by inflammatory processes and oxidative stresses. This pathology impairs the quality of life of the elderly, causing pain, reduced mobility, and functional disabilities, especially in obese patients. Phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities may be used for long-term treatment of OA, either in combination with current anti-inflammatories and painkillers, or as an alternative to other products such as glucosamine and chondroitin, which improve cartilage structure and elasticity. The current systematic review provides a comprehensive understanding of the use of flavonoids. It highlights chondrocyte, cartilage, and subchondral bone activities, with a particular focus on their nutrigenomic effects. The molecular mechanisms of these molecules demonstrate how they can be used for the prevention and treatment of OA in the elderly population. However, clinical trials are still needed for effective use in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of filter-feeding bivalves on plankton communities, nutrients, and water quality in a given aquatic ecosystem is so profound that they can be considered ecosystem engineers. In a 70-day mesocosm experiment, we tested the hypothesis that Corbicula fluminea would change plankton community structure by reducing small zooplankton and large phytoplankton and improve water quality by reducing nutrients. We monitored levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, organic suspended solids (OSS), and light at the sediment surface. Within the plankton, phytoplankton biomass (as Chl a, >0.45 μm), the biomass of microphytoplankton (>20 μm), nanophytoplankton (2–20 μm), picophytoplankton (0.2–2 μm), and zooplankton were determined. Compared with the controls, C. fluminea reduced the abundance of rotifers and the biomass of phytoplankton, and picophytoplankton, thereby modifying the plankton community structure. We did not observe reductions in TN and TP concentration, but OSS concentrations were reduced, and light intensity at the sediment surface was increased as a result of the improved water transparency. Our research shows that colonization by C. fluminea may modify plankton community structure and improve water quality of eutrophic shallow lakes, shedding further light on the ecological roles of filter-feeding bivalves in aquatic ecosystems.