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En los últimos años, el cambio climático y la creciente concienciación acerca del cáncer de piel están haciendo que el uso de las cremas de protección solar aumente. Esto es destacable en destinos turísticos de sol y playa como lo es el Mediterráneo español. Esta entrada constante de productos cosméticos en el medio acuáticos podría estar generando efectos nocivos sobre las poblaciones naturales. El presente estudio tiene el objetivo de estimar el impacto de las cremas solares sobres los invertebrados marinos, en concreto se evalúa la potencial toxicidad de dos tipos de cremas de protección solar. Una de ellas con filtros solares orgánicos en su composición, y otra con filtros solares inorgánicos (crema ecológica o eco-friendly). Preliminarmente se realizó un estudio de elementos traza en ambos productos que pretendía determinar diferencias en su composición. También se realizaron dos ensayos de toxicidad sobre invertebrados marinos. Uno de los trabajos se realizó en el laboratorio, donde huevos de Artemia salina estuvieron expuestos a las cremas solares, recogiendo datos de eclosión a lo largo del tiempo. El otro se llevó a cabo en un medio natural costero, donde muestras de sedimento se sometieron a detritus de Posidonia contaminada con los dos tipos de crema solar. Se evaluó la abundancia de la fauna de dichas muestras (poliquetos, anfípodos, cumáceos y otros) y se buscaron diferencias significativas entre tratamientos. Los datos se trataron con diversas técnicas estadísticas: cluster, regresión polinómica y ANOVA. El Zn resultó ser un elemento ideal a la hora de detectar cremas ecológicas (con ZnO en su composición) en el medio natural. Otro método debe ser desarrollado a la hora de obtener un buen marcador de cremas compuestas por filtros orgánicos. Las cremas solares resultaron presentar efectos nocivos sobre los grupos estudiados. Ambas cremas redujeron la tasa de eclosión de A.salina un 65 % en la crema no ecológica y en un 97 % en la crema ecológica. Tambié

Alien species must adapt to new biogeographical regions to acclimatise and survive. We consider a species to have become invasive if it establishes negative interactions after acclimatisation. Xylella fastidiosa Wells, Raju et al., 1986 (XF) represents Italy’s and Europe’s most recent biological invasion. In Apulia (southern Italy), the XF-encountered Philaenus spumarius L. 1758 (Spittlebugs, Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) can acquire and transmit the bacterium to Olea europaea L., 1753. The management of XF invasion involves various transmission control means, including inundative biological control using Zelus renardii (ZR) Kolenati, 1856 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). ZR is an alien stenophagous predator of Xylella vectors, recently entered from the Nearctic and acclimated in Europe. Zelus spp. can secrete semiochemicals during interactions with conspecifics and prey, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that elicit conspecific defence behavioural responses. Our study describes ZR Brindley’s glands, present in males and females of ZR, which can produce semiochemicals, eliciting conspecific behavioural responses. We scrutinised ZR secretion alone or interacting with P. spumarius. The ZR volatilome includes 2-methyl-propanoic acid, 2-methyl-butanoic acid, and 3-methyl-1-butanol, which are consistent for Z. renardii alone. Olfactometric tests show that these three VOCs, individually tested, generate an avoidance (alarm) response in Z. renardii. 3-Methyl-1-butanol elicited the highest significant repellence, followed by 2-methyl-butanoic and 2-methyl-propanoic acids. The concentrations of the VOCs of ZR decrease during the interaction with P. spumarius. We discuss the potential effects of VOC secretions on the interaction of Z. renardii with P. spumarius.

Increasing human pressure has strongly impacted the littoral environment, altering the habitats and population parameters of some species. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the regions that have been highly affected by these events. In response to these events, marine protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as one of the main conservation tools for marine habitats and species. In this regard, harvesting of limpets (Patella spp.) is a good example of the impact of human activity on the coast. Limpets are mollusks that are collected as food or fishing bait, and their exploitation causes an immediate decrease in the density and size structure of individuals. In the Mediterranean Sea, the genus Patella is represented by five species: Patella rustica, P. caerulea, P. ulyssiponensis, P. ferruginea, and P. depressa. To verify the effectiveness of the MPAs, a deep review of 75 studies on Patella spp. in the Mediterranean Sea was conducted to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of studies. Data extracted from these articles were used to assess the effect of protection on the density and size of P. ferruginea. Regarding spatial distribution, the studies reviewed were performed at 67 sites in 13 countries, of which 23 were in MPAs and 44 in non-protected or control areas. The findings of this study show that P. ferruginea is the species most studied, because it is one of the most threatened marine invertebrates in the Mediterranean Sea. This explains the temporal distribution of the studies, which coincides with the establishment of the conservation status and the concern about the population status of P. ferruginea. Analysis of the effect of protection on the density and mean size of P. ferruginea individuals revealed no significant difference in mean density between the control sites and MPAs. However, mean size between individuals was significantly higher in MPAs than control sites. This pattern may be related to intra- and interspecific competition between individuals.

Fungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are responsible for fungal odor and play a key role in biological processes and ecological interactions. VOCs represent a promising area of research to find natural metabolites for human exploitation. Pochonia chlamydosporia is a chitosan-resistant nematophagous fungus used in agriculture to control plant pathogens and widely studied in combination with chitosan. The effect of chitosan on the production of VOCs from P. chlamydosporia was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Several growth stages in rice culture medium and different times of exposure to chitosan in modified Czapek–Dox broth cultures were analyzed. GC-MS analysis resulted in the tentative identification of 25 VOCs in the rice experiment and 19 VOCs in the Czapek–Dox broth cultures. The presence of chitosan in at least one of the experimental conditions resulted in the de novo production of 3-methylbutanoic acid and methyl 2,4-dimethylhexanoate, and oct-1-en-3-ol and tetradec-1-ene in the rice and Czapek–Dox experiments, respectively. Other VOCs changed their abundance because of the effect of chitosan and fungal age. Our findings suggest that chitosan can be used as a modulator of the production of VOCs in P. chlamydosporia and that there is also an effect of fungal age and exposure time.

Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System’s Environmental Protocol are committed to preventing incursions of non-native species into Antarctica, but systematic surveillance is rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide new opportunities for enhancing detection of non-native species and biosecurity monitoring. To be effective for Antarctic biosecurity, eDNA tests must have appropriate sensitivity and specificity to distinguish non-native from native Antarctic species, and be fit-for-purpose. This requires knowledge of the priority risk species or taxonomic groups for which eDNA surveillance will be informative, validated eDNA assays for those species or groups, and reference DNA sequences for both target non-native and related native Antarctic species. Here, we used an expert elicitation process and decision-by-consensus approach to identify and assess priority biosecurity risks for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) in East Antarctica, including identifying high priority non-native species and their potential transport pathways. We determined that the priority targets for biosecurity monitoring were not individual species, but rather broader taxonomic groups such as mussels (Mytilus species), tunicates (Ascidiacea), springtails (Collembola), and grasses (Poaceae). These groups each include multiple species with high risks of introduction to and/or establishment in Antarctica. The most appropriate eDNA methods for the AAP must be capable of detecting a range of species within these high-risk groups (e.g., eDNA metabarcoding). We conclude that the most beneficial Antarctic eDNA biosecurity applications include surveillance of marine species in nearshore environments, terrestrial invertebrates, and biofouling species on vessels visiting Antarctica. An urgent need exists to identify suitable genetic markers for detecting priority species groups, establish baseline terrestrial and marine biodiversity for Antarctic stations, and develop eDNA sampling methods for

The introduction of new non-indigenous species (NIS) in Spanish marine waters is addressed under Descriptor 2 of the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. National baseline inventories of NIS have been compiled and updated for the three subregions (Western Mediterranean Sea, WMED; Bay of Biscay–Iberian Coast, ABI; Macaronesia, AMA) with data from 1800 to 2021. An overall of 574 species were identified with an alien, cryptogenic, crypto-expanding, or debatable status, mostly invertebrates (~65%) and primary producers (~22%). Of 412 alien species, 80.51% were reported in ABI, 67.82% in WMED, and 66.67% in AMA. Cryptogenic species are more abundant in the WMED (25.25%), compared to AMA (19.77%) and ABI (18.46%). ABI harbors more established species (62.56%) than AMA (45.2%) and WMED (43.56%), contrary to casual records (AMA 31.64%, WMED 23.76%, ABI 13.85%). Invasive species are more abundant (14.36%) in WMED. The ‘transport-stowaway’ pathway accounted for 142 (79.33%), 123 (67.58%), and 169 (85.21%) records in WMED, ABI, and AMA, respectively. The second most common pathway was ‘transport-contaminant’ related to mariculture (~10% of the total), prevalently in ABI with 42 species (23.08%). The Canary Islands stand out for species introduced through oil platforms from throughout the world. ‘Unaided’ was a relevant pathway of secondary introduction into the WMED, particularly of Lessepsian species progressing westwards. Temporal trends in newly introduced species show similar behavior among subregions.

Seagrasses, which are considered among the most ecologically valuable and endangered coastal ecosystems, have a narrowly limited distribution in the south-east Pacific, where Zostera chilensis is the only remaining relict. Due to water scarcity, desalination industry has grown in the last decades in the central-north coasts of Chile, which may be relevant to address in terms of potential impacts on benthic communities due to their associated high-salinity brine discharges to subtidal ecosystems. In this work, we assessed ecophysiological and cellular responses to desalination-extrapolable hypersalinity conditions on Z. chilensis. Mesocosms experiments were performed for 10 days, where plants were exposed to 3 different salinity treatments: 34 psu (control), 37 psu and 40 psu. Photosynthetic performance, H2O2 accumulation, and ascorbate content (reduced and oxidized) were measured, as well as relative gene expression of enzymes related to osmotic regulation and oxidative stress; these, at 1, 3, 6 and 10 days. Z. chilensis showed a decrease in photosynthetic parameters such as electron transport rate (ETRmax) and saturation irradiance (EkETR) under hypersalinity treatments, while non-photochemical quenching (NPQmax) presented an initial increment and a subsequent decline at 40 psu. H2O2 levels increased with hypersalinity, while ascorbate and dehydroascorbate only increased under 37 psu, although decreased along the experimental period. Increased salinities also triggered the expression of genes related to ion transport and osmolyte syntheses, but salinity-dependent up-regulated genes were mostly those related to the reactive oxygen species metabolism. The relict seagrass Z. chilensis has shown to withstand increased salinities that may be extrapolable to desalination effects in the short-term. As the latter is not fully clear in the long-term, and considering the restricted distribution and ecological importance, direct brine discharges to Z. chilensis meadows may no

The anchovy fishery in the Bay of Biscay holds immense importance in the Basque Country, playing a significant role both economically and culturally. However, recent challenges such as inflation, rising fuel prices, declining first sale prices, shifting fishing grounds, and stagnant prices of anchovy landed in the Basque Country have negatively impacted the profitability of the purse seiner fleet. In order to optimize the fishing strategy and help the fishing industry overcome these challenges, a study was conducted to examine the key anthropological factors influencing the pricing of anchovy in Basque region. The study involved analyzing first sale price data from Basque ports between the years 2013 and 2021, and identifying temporal trends, market saturation, volume of sales and cumulative sales affecting the prices of these fishes. To analyze the data, Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were employed. Model selection was done using forward selection based on AIC, residual plots, predictor visualization, and cross-validation, ultimately resulting in the selection of the most suitable model. The findings revealed several significant relationships between the first sale prices of anchovy and various factors. These factors included the size of the anchovy, anthropological variables such as accumulated landings from previous day, daily total landings, standardized annual accumulated landings, TAC, fishing harbors, weekdays, and the interaction between daily total landings and standardized annual accumulated landings. The study also identified pricing pattern indices, indicating that larger anchovy sizes were associated with higher prices. Additionally, prices tended to decrease when both daily total landings and cumulative landings from preceding day increased. On the other hand, prices increased when the TAC was low. Furthermore, prices generally rose during weekdays and reached their lowest point on Fridays. Taking into account both uncontrollable variables (such as

Los músculos son un tejido heterogéneo organizado en forma de fibras. Generalmente estas fibras se clasifican en 2 grandes grupos, Fibras de tipo 1, también conocidas cómo fibras de contracción lenta, y fibras de tipo 2, también conocidas cómo fibras de contracción rápida. Ambos tipos presentan diferencias en cuanto a la velocidad de contracción y el tipo de metabolismo utilizado. La capacidad de transición entre los tipos de fibras musculares en respuesta al entrenamiento es motivo de investigación debido a su implicación en el mundo del deporte [20,21]. En este proyecto se realizó un meta análisis de diferentes estudios clínicos para analizar el impacto del entrenamiento físico de resistencia y cardiovascular en la transición de los diferentes tipos de fibras musculares. Los estudios se consideraban aptos para el analisis si cumplian una serie de criterios de evaluación: (23) Los participantes fueran humanos; (20) los participantes fueran individuos sanos; (21) los participantes hubieran sido sometidos a un periodo de entrenamiento de resistencia o cardiovascular, pero no ambos; (25) el tiempo y tipo de entrenamiento hubiera sido descrito en el artículo; (8) se hubiera realizado un estudio de la composición de las fibras musculares antes y después del entrenamiento. Los análisis se realizaron utilizando un modelo de efectos aleatorios, con el programa RStudio y el paquete de datos Metafor (versión 4.2-0). Estos revelaron cambios entre los subtipos de fibras tipo 2, en concreto la presencia de un aumento significativo en la proporción de fibras musculares tipo 2A en respuesta al entrenamiento de resistencia, sin embargo no se detectaron cambios de las fibras tipo 1 a tipo 2 o viceversa. Se observaron posibles evidencias de que puede existir transición entre los tipos musculares 1 y 2 pero requieren de una gran cantidad de tiempo y posiblemente entrenamiento especializado.

Las Organizaciones Regionales de Ordenación Pesquera (OROPs) que gestionan la pesquería atunera de cerco tropical en el Atlántico e Índico han requerido evaluaciones del impacto sobre las especies que forman parte de la captura accesoria para mejorar la gestión desde un punto de vista más ecosistémico. Atendiendo a dicho interés, se ha querido realizar un análisis de las tasas y estimas de captura de fauna accesoria respecto a la captura objetivo, así como conocer su devenir. Para ello se han analizado datos procedentes de los programas de observadores que se llevan a cabo en la flota española, de los programas de buenas prácticas que sigue la flota asociada en AGAC, y datos reportados en las páginas de dominio público de las OROPs. La captura accesoria representó el 6,63% de la captura total en el océano Atlántico y el 2,68% en el océano Índico de media en el período 2003-2021. El 88% de la captura accesoria se produjo como resultado de lances a dispositivos concentradores de peces, siendo la principal causa de la captura fortuita. En cuanto a las especies, los grupos de otros túnidos y otros peces óseos constituyeron aproximadamente el 90% del tonelaje total de la captura accesoria. La caracterización de este conjunto pasa por considerar su importancia en la seguridad alimentaria, por lo que, obviando lo retenido y descartado vivo (78% en el Atlántico y 64% en el Índico), se concluye que el cerco tropical ha tenido de media en dicho período unas ratios de captura accesoria del 1,47% y 0,97% en Atlántico e Índico respectivamente, aunque, considerando solamente los últimos 3 años (2018-2021), las ratios se reducen al 0,67% en el Atlántico y al 0,82% en el e Índico, poniendo de manifiesto una evolución positiva al respecto.

Biofouling in different artificial substrata was done to determine the differences in biofouling assemblages among different substrates. However, studies on biofouling on natural substrates like electrolytic carbonated ones are lacking. These substrates have a great potential for coral reef restoration in tropical areas and for biofilter construction. Thus, this study was done to examine the colonization of sessile macrofouling in the port of Alicante (SE Spain, Western Mediterranean) on two types of substrata: electrolytic carbonated and bare steel (as control) over three months of immersion (October 2019–January 2020). The community diversity was studied through different biotic parameters and abundance of assemblages, and preference of organisms according to their status and functional group (active filter feeders). Univariate and multivariate analyses (PERMANOVA and SIMPER) were also done to examine the differences between carbonate and control substrata. The carbonated substrate had a more structured community and higher abundance, recruitment, and diversity indexes than the bare steel. Moreover, filter feeders (Porifera, Bivalvia, and Ascidiacea) were more abundant, and most of them only appeared in the carbonated substrate. These results show the potential of carbonated structures as biofilters.

To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).

Urban areas provide a constant and predictable supply of anthropogenic processed food. The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus Linnaeus, 1758), a declining urban bioindicator species, has recently been reported to have a high level of oxidative stress, with urban diet or pollutants proposed as the potential cause. In this study, we aimed to experimentally determine the effects of two urban trophic resource types (bar snack food leftovers and pet food) on sparrows' physical condition, plasma biochemical nutritional parameters, and blood oxidative status in captivity. To exclude the potential previous effect of urban pollutants, 75 House Sparrows were captured from a rural area in SE Spain and kept in outdoor aviaries. Individuals were exposed to one of three diet treatments: control diet (fruit, vegetables, poultry grain mixture), bar snack diet (ultra-processed snacks), or cat food diet (dry pellets) for 20 days. Blood samples were collected before and after diet treatments to analyze the relative change rates of 12 variables, including physical condition, nutritional status, and oxidant–antioxidant status. A principal component analysis was run to identify gradients of variables covariation, and Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used to determine the effect of diets on each selected PC and on raw variables. The bar snack diet led to signs of anemia and malnutrition, and females tended to lose body condition. The cat food diet increased oxidative stress indicators and protein catabolism. Unbalanced urban diets can affect the body condition and nutritional physiology of House Sparrows and may also induce oxidative stress despite the absence of environmental pollution.

El gran túnido Thunnus thynnus es uno de los objetivos más populares en la pesca recreativa. Debido a este hecho y a su naturaleza migratoria, la correcta gestión de esta especie es un factor clave para garantizar su viabilidad. El impacto de la pesca recreativa no se evalúa suficientemente debido a la falta de datos, lo que dificulta su comprensión. El objetivo de esta tesis es proporcionar herramientas complementarias de estudio utilizando los datos de CPUE obtenidos mediante metodologías alternativas. Los temas elegidos son el concurso de pesca, que es un gran incentivo para la economía turística, y los datos de YouTube. El CPUE se ha estimado utilizando el concurso de pesca de atún en diferentes localidades de la península de Urla entre 2016 y 2022. El efecto de los años se ha estudiado utilizando un modelo GAM, añadiendo también los valores de temperatura superficial del mar (SST) y clorofila a. Los resultados muestran una influencia a lo largo de los años. El promedio total de CPUE fue de 5,56 ± 0,49 Kg*día-1 y los datos anuales más altos de CPUE fueron de 13,98 Kg*día-1 en 2018; se registraron pesos individuales de BFT desde 305 hasta 10,45 Kg. El tipo de captura es relevante ya que el “Catch” es 21 veces más frecuente que el “Catch And Release”. El área sur alberga una mayor concentración de capturas, lo que puede estar relacionado con las jaulas de engorde de atún. El modelo también se ve influenciado por los años, sin embargo, los datos no son lo suficientemente completos como para apreciar los efectos de las variables ambientales. Sin embargo, el potencial de estos datos debe tenerse en cuenta en un futuro cercano como un hito del esfuerzo de pesca recreativa. El análisis de datos de YouTube muestra una tendencia exponencial alta a lo largo de los años, lo que representa un gran potencial de información, como destacaron otros autores. Las principales palabras clave en los videos son "Yazili", que se refiere al atún de aleta amarilla, "pesca" y "jigging"

Callinectes sapidus es un voraz y agresivo crustáceo que potencialmente puede producir un impacto ecológico en los hábitats costeros y salobres invadidos. Además de su posible efecto sobre la biodiversidad nativa, la capacidad de esta especie para dañar los artes de pesca y depredar sobre otras especies atrapadas en las redes representa una amenaza para el sector pesquero. Los objetivos principales del estudio fueron analizar el impacto socioeconómico que ha provocado el cangrejo azul en el sector pesquero artesanal alicantino y definir su percepción y perspectivas sobre la aparición de C. sapidus en sus costas. Para ello se realizaron encuestas a pescadores y al patrón mayor de las cofradías de Alicante. La especie se había detectado de Dénia a Alicante entre 2017-2021 según la zona y en Santa Pola y Guardamar entre 2015-2016, en Tabarca y Torrevieja no se había detectado. Únicamente los artes de enmalle capturaban C. sapidus. Se estimó el rendimiento económico de la captura de C. sapidus, confrontando ganancias y pérdidas, y se concluyó que los artes de enmalle no son rentables para su captura. Se observó una tendencia entre cofradías donde mayores capturas ocasionaban mayores problemas y mayores pérdidas económicas. El sector artesanal de Santa Pola y Guardamar resultó notablemente afectado económicamente. En este sector el 100,00% percibía la especie como una amenaza, evitaba su captura y expresó la necesidad de medidas de gestión. Por el contrario, las cofradías de Dénia a Alicante-Tabarca-Torrevieja no resultaron afectadas económicamente, debido al escaso volumen de capturas que realizaban. Aproximadamente el 100,00% no percibía la especie como una amenaza, no evitaba su captura y expresó no necesitar medidas de gestión. Ante la problemática observada en Santa Pola y Guardamar, se plantearon una serie de recomendaciones para sobreexplotar las poblaciones de C. sapidus y su viabilidad como recurso pesquero.

Extreme storms can trigger abrupt and often lasting changes in ecosystems by affecting foundational (habitat-forming) species. While the frequency and intensity of extreme events are projected to increase under climate change, its impacts on seagrass ecosystems remain poorly documented. In January 2020, the Spanish Mediterranean coast was hit by Storm Gloria, one of the most devastating recent climate events in terms of intensity and duration. We conducted rapid surveys of 42 Posidonia oceanica meadows across the region to evaluate the extent and type of impact (burial, unburial and uprooting). We investigated the significance of oceanographic (wave impact model), geomorphological (latitude, depth, exposure), and structural (patchiness) factors in predicting impact extent and intensity. The predominant impact of Storm Gloria was shoot unburial. More than half of the surveyed sites revealed recent unburial, with up to 40 cm of sediment removed, affecting over 50 % of the meadow. Burial, although less extensive, was still significant, with 10–80 % of meadow cover being buried under 7 cm of sediment, which is considered a survival threshold for P. oceanica. In addition, we observed evident signs of recently dead matte in some meadows and large amounts of detached drifting shoots on the sea bottom or accumulated as debris on the beaches. Crucially, exposed and patchy meadows were much more vulnerable to the overall impact than sheltered or continuous meadows. Given how slow P. oceanica is able to recover after disturbances, we state that it could take from decades to centuries for it to recoup its losses. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role as coastal ecological infrastructure. Protecting vulnerable meadows from anthropogenic fragmentation is crucial for ensuring the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis.

Wetland ecosystems of the Nile Delta face severe threats due to natural climatic changes and anthropogenic activities. Life and death assemblage comparisons can be implemented as a historical record to detect anthropogenic-induced environmental changes in the past few decades. A geometric morphometric approach was applied to quantify the pollution-induced morphological variation between life and death populations of the gastropod Melanoides tuberculata. The results indicated that life populations differ significantly from the death ones, where the first tend to be much smaller, more globular, and with a depressed aperture and whorl section. In addition, the phenetic diversity of the life populations was also decreased, and the allometric growth was shifted. These morphological changes in the life populations are well-known adaptations for reducing the cost of shell maintenance in polluted water. No distinct morphospace was found between life populations from different habitats, suggesting that habitats have no significant role in the current pollution-induced evolution.

Studies of non-indigenous species (NIS) often tend to focus on medium and large-sized taxa with potential for remarkable ecological and/or economic impact, whereas the early detection of small invertebrates is often delayed due to taxonomic challenge, lack of consistent, standardised monitoring efforts and limited funding. This study represents the first records of the marine amphipod Laticorophium baconi (Shoemaker, 1934) in Morocco, Tunisia, Corsica (France), Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and New Caledonia (France). Furthermore, it reports an expansion of its known distribution in Portugal (earliest and northernmost record for the country and first record for Macaronesia), Spain (earliest record for Atlantic and Mediterranean European waters), and Australia (first record for Indian Ocean). Recreational boating and commercial shipping, mainly through hull fouling and secondarily ballast waters, are proposed as vectors for introduction and secondary spread of L. baconi. The following traits, analysed during the present study, could contribute to its invasive potential: (i) quick and extensive spread of the species worldwide, (ii) high densities in marinas, harbours, hull fouling and other artificial habitats, including aquaculture facilities and floating debris, (iii) high ability for short-term colonisation of empty artificial niches, (iv) diet based on detritus suggesting an opportunistic feeding behaviour, and (v) population survival during seasonal fluctuations in different regions. Taxonomic expertise and scientific collaboration, based on multidisciplinary networks of experts, are crucial for the early detection, distribution updates, and risk assessment of small and overlooked stowaways in marine environments.

The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a cosmopolitan cetacean and the most commonly sighted dolphin in the Mediterranean Sea. It usually appears in groups of very different sizes, ranging from less than ten to more than 500 individuals, although it is usually found in groups of between 21 and 50 individuals. In the western Mediterranean, and more specifically in the Gulf of Mazarrón, S. coeruleoalba was the most frequently sighted cetacean during the 1042 whale-watching trips. The goal of this study was to establish the spatial and temporal distribution of striped dolphin sightings along the Gulf of Mazarrón between 2004 and 2014. Spatial patterns were analysed using a Random Forest based Species Distribution Model to estimate the presence of the species. Twentythree variables (three geographic, one temporal, eight geomorphometric and twelve oceanographic) were used as predictors. Out of the 1042 cruises, 872 records of striped dolphins were obtained. Some variations in the grouping patterns of these mammals were observed during the years 2006–2007, with an average shift in the size of the groups to fewer individuals (3−10). This variation is probably related to an epizootic event of morbillivirus occurring during those years, which was responsible for an abnormal rate of strandings of striped dolphins and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). The Random Forest model allowed to select 6 predictors related to morphometry and sea currents, suggesting the importance of specific habitat in offshore areas between 1000 and 3000 m depth in the continental slope.

Los mares y océanos están experimentando impactos significativos a diferentes escalas debido al cambio climático y a actividades antropogénicas, como la sobrepesca, la acuicultura y la contaminación generada por diferentes residuos. Bajo este contexto nace el proyecto CLIMAREST, financiado por Horizon Europe, con el objetivo de abordar los desafíos en el ámbito de la restauración de ecosistemas marinos costeros impactados desde el Ártico hasta el Atlántico. Con la colaboración de 18 instituciones europeas, el proyecto busca desarrollar e implementar herramientas y soluciones basadas en la naturaleza para mitigar las presiones sobre estos ecosistemas y fortalecer la resiliencia de las comunidades marinas que dependen de ellos. Además de beneficiar la biodiversidad y salud de los ecosistemas, CLIMAREST busca fomentar la colaboración y el apoyo de diferentes sectores de la comunidad para garantizar el éxito del proyecto a largo plazo.

Ecosystem engineers are organisms that cause changes in the physical state of biotic and abiotic structures that modulate the availability of resources to other species, thus affecting biochemical cycles. Molluscs, especially bivalves such as mussels, are widespread in coastal environments and they are excellent ecosystem engineers because of the durability of their shells, which add complexity and heterogeneity to benthic environments. The presence of mussel farms favours the accumulation of shells in benthic environments and may influence surrounding bare sediments, with potential legacy effects on benthic communities. We studied the effects of the accumulation of mussel shells at finfish farms and mussel farms by experimentally comparing bare sediment and sediment with fragmented shells in terms of the abundance of the most relevant faunal groups, specifically polychaete families as well as physical–chemical variables in sediment water samples, specifically organic matter (OM), redox potential, and acid-volatile sulphides (AVS) NH4+ and PO43−. The experiment was replicated under two environmental conditions over a period of 35 days: eutrophic muddy sediments and oligotrophic sandy sediments. The OM and AVS values were significantly higher in the eutrophic sediment with mussel shells. Only NH4+ was positively affected by the mussel shells in the oligotrophic conditions. Differences between the two environments were observed, and the effect of the mussel shells on the polychaete assemblages was more significant in the oligotrophic conditions. Mussel shell accumulations affected the structure of benthic assemblages by modifying their heterogeneity and complexity, which suggests that the presence of mussel farms above bare sediment may affect ecosystem functioning. Aquaculture has potentially negative or positive effects that must be addressed on a large scale, considering the increased input of organic matter and also the simultaneous presence of mussel shell waste

El impacto ambiental más común asociado con las plantas de desalinización es la descarga de salmuera, o concentrado salino, en el mar, lo cual se puede reducirse mediante sistemas difusores. Este trabajo presenta los resultados del modelado de descarga de salmuera en la salinidad del agua alrededor del emisario de la planta desaladora de San Pedro del Pinatar (España), antes y después de instalar un equipo difusor. Se ha utilizado del software Visual Plumes para evaluar la dilución de campo cercano y el software SisBaHiA (Sistema de Base Hidrodinámica Ambiental) para generar un modelo hidrodinámico baroclínico y evaluar la dilución de campo lejano mediante modelos acoplados Eulerianos y Lagrangeanos. Los resultados del modelo se compararon con los datos de monitoreo a largo plazo realizado por la Universidad de Alicante. Antes de la instalación del difusor, no había dilución inicial significativa y se formó una corriente de densidad clara en la dirección batimétrica, cercana a 0,05 m/s, extendiendo la salmuera hasta 3 km de la descarga del emisario. En este caso, la dirección y concentración de la pluma de salmuera eran similares a los datos de monitoreo. Por el contrario, después de la instalación del difusor, la dilución inicial fue cerca de 10, la corriente de densidad estaba presente, pero con menor intensidad (< 0,02 m/s) y la dispersión de pluma se redujo a menos de 0,6 km, de manera similar a los datos de monitoreo, mostrando una fuerte mejora en la tasa de dilución y la consiguiente reducción en el área afectada.

Reducing fishing effort and fishing capacity was labelled by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as a key requirement to ensure the sustainability of global fisheries. The objective of this paper was to analyse the evolution of fishing effort and capacity during the last two decades in Egypt’s marine fisheries. Fishing effort (number of licences and fishers), capacity (number of vessels and engine power) and landings data were obtained from the fisheries management agency’ annual statistical books (2000–2019). The evolution of fishing effort and capacity in total, for Mediterranean and Red Sea fisheries, also by gear and port was presented. The annual catch per unit effort (CPUE), maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and fleet overcapacity were calculated. Some of these indicators were compared to Saudi fisheries in the Red Sea to provide regional insight into the northern Red Sea. Results highlighted the overcapacity of the Egyptian Mediterranean fleet in terms of engine power (increasing average hp) while the Red Sea in terms of number of vessels. The estimated MSY was about 64,388 tonnes for the Mediterranean Sea and about 66,823 tonnes for the Red Sea. The number of vessels was higher about 1.68% and 36.67% than the estimated optimum number of vessels for the Mediterranean and Red Sea respectively. Both fleets’ CPUE is now less than it was in the beginning of this century despite considerable technological advancement. Limitations, gaps and future direction to address the issue of overcapacity and the management of these fisheries are provided in the last section.

Despite the global decline in marine species biodiversity, relatively few countries have enacted national endangered and threatened species legislation. Tailoring an adequate legislative framework with clear objectives and regulations consistent with the available scientific evidence is fundamental for the effective conservation of marine endangered and threatened species. This paper analyzes the legal framework and current institutional tools for the conservation of marine endangered and threatened species in the Russian Federation. In this regard, important legislative tools include federal laws, as well as internationally binding signed agreements, among others, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar). A strategy and an action plan for the conservation of biological diversity were also developed. Besides, the most important tool for the conservation and protection of marine endangered and threatened species is the Red Book of the Russian Federation (RBRF) and other regional Red Books. Responsibility for causing harm to the species listed in the RBRF and their habitat is specified in the code of administrative offenses and the criminal code of the Russian Federation. Finally, conclusions and identified gaps were highlighted in the last section, including, among other things, that legislation is still limited in how it takes the impacts of climate change into account. Such type of study is highly recommended, considering the relatively few number of papers dedicated to the study of the impact and/or implications of the conservation tools and strategies mentioned in this paper on the status of the marine endangered and threatened species.

Posidonia oceanica es una fanerógama marina endémica del mar Mediterráneo. Se trata de una especie que presenta un gran valor ecológico, pues sus praderas sirven de refugio y alimento, así como, ofrecen una zona de cría. También, contribuye a la estabilización del sedimento, al reciclaje de nutrientes y ayuda a mitigar el efecto invernadero y la acidificación de los océanos. No obstante, P. oceanica es especialmente sensible a las perturbaciones tanto de carácter natural como antropogénico. Existe gran variedad de causas que han llevado a la regresión de esta planta marina, en este caso, se va a tratar el impacto del anclaje sobre la cobertura de las praderas. La zona de estudio es la Reserva Marina de Interés Pesquero de Tabarca -RMIPT-, se va a diferenciar entre una zona control y una zona de impacto -donde está autorizado el fondeo-. También, entre sector norte y sur. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar la evolución temporal de la tasa de variación de cobertura de P. oceanica, medida en m²/año. Asimismo, se desea comprobar si el hidrodinamismo provoca un impacto en la pradera. Se han analizado tres periodos de tiempo -P1: 2002/2012, P2: 2012/2019 y P3: 2019/2022-. Para la elaboración del estudio, se han utilizado ortofotos disponibles en diversas fuentes de datos, para posteriormente, proceder a su digitalización y al posterior cálculo de la tasa de variación de cobertura. Finalmente, se ha llevado a cabo un análisis de la varianza mixto. Los resultados obtenidos no han mostrado diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las fuentes de variación. Sin embargo, se puede apreciar una tendencia de la cobertura de la pradera a incrementar su área con el paso de los años. Este aumento de cobertura puede indicar que la pradera se encuentra en un estado de equilibrio, e incluso, que ha mejorado su estado de conservación. La reserva marina no ha mostrado signos de impacto negativo producido por el anclaje de embarcaciones, no obstante, este impacto es visible e

Effector proteins are secreted by plant pathogens to enable host colonization. Typically, effector genes are tightly regulated, have very low expression levels in axenic conditions, and are strongly induced during host colonization. Chromatin remodeling contributes to the activation of effector genes in planta by still poorly known mechanisms. In this work, we investigated the role of histone acetylation in effector gene derepression in plant pathogens. We used Zymoseptoria tritici, a major pathogen of wheat, as a model to determine the role of lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) in plant infection. We showed that effector gene activation is associated with chromatin remodeling, featuring increased acetylation levels of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) and 14 (H3K14) in effector loci. We functionally characterized the role of Z. tritici KATs and demonstrated their distinct contributions to growth, development, and infection. Sas3 is required for host colonization and pycnidia production and is involved in the acetylation of H3K9 and H3K14 in effector loci and, consequently, in effector gene activation during plant infection. We propose that Sas3-mediated histone acetylation is required for the spatiotemporal activation of effector genes and the virulence of Z. tritici.

To monitor the changes in fish biodiversity and to elucidate the factors responsible for these changes, the landings composition (LC) over the past 30 years in the Nile-Delta lakes was quantitatively analyzed. The LC data indicates a shift in target species towards demersal opportunistic species. A significant difference (P < 0.001) between two main intervals highlighted in both PERMANOVA and PCA plot; the first interval (1991–2002) is dominated by Tilapia and rare species, while the second interval (2003−2020) is dominated by the opportunistic catfish and mullet species. Noticeable declines in species richness and landings of rare species were observed, where rare taxa either have been overexploited or they may be positively affected by increasing pollution levels than do other dominated species such as Tilapia. In contrast, opportunistic fish species such as catfish and mullet, have flourished in such polluted water due to their ability to tolerate seasonal pollution-related hypoxia.

Las infraestructuras costeras se han utilizado durante años como una herramienta para evitar procesos de erosión costera (espigones) o para generar protección para embarcaciones o actividades (muelles). Sin embargo, estas construcciones tienden a generar impactos ambientales significativos, como la destrucción de hábitats naturales someros, la modificación de la complejidad y heterogeneidad del hábitat, la alteración de la biodiversidad local y la estructura taxonómica y funcional de las comunidades biológicas, etc. Por lo tanto, y dado que su funcionamiento ecológico no se conoce con exactitud, es interesante comparar ecosistemas rocosos naturales y artificiales en términos de efectos sobre la comunidad íctica, para generar medidas de gestión efectivas en un contexto de cambio climático. En este sentido, el presente estudio se plantea con el objetivo de comparar el funcionamiento ecológico del hábitat artificial de Puerto Amor (Alicante, SE Ibérico) con hábitats naturales aledaños del entorno del Cabo de la Huerta, a fin de proporcionar un conocimiento base que facilite la toma de decisiones respecto a la gestión ambiental y posible restauración ecológica de este hábitat modificado antrópicamente, utilizando los poblamientos ícticos como grupos indicador de los cambios. Por lo tanto el presente estudio, bajo un diseño asimétrico y dos escales temporales y espaciales, ha utilizado los métodos de censos visuales en snorkel para realizar estimar la abundancia y talla de la fauna íctica mediante y evaluar la características del hábitat. El resultado del análisis de los datos censados descubre una alteración en la comunidad íctica relacionada con los cambios en la estructuración del hábitat, aunque muestra también un aumento en la riqueza (9 especies/m2) y abundancia y biomasa totales (100 individuos/m2 y 1700 gramos/m2, respectivamente)del hábitat artificial. Se censaron un total de 30 especies y 10 familias de peces, aunque solo 28 especies y 3 familias (Labriadae, Sp

La aparición de especies exóticas es un problema que cada vez llama más la atención de la comunidad científica, debido a los posibles impactos que estas pueden llegar a causar en los ecosistemas. Batophora es un género típico del Atlántico occidental tropical y subtropical, la cual ha sido vista en el Mar Mediterráneo de forma reciente. En 2021 se detectó en el Mar Menor (Murcia), pero no se pudo identificar a nivel de especie. En el presente trabajo se realizaron análisis morfológicos y genéticos (rbcL, 18S, atpB). El análisis morfológico consistió en la observación de caracteres bajo lupa binocular y microscopio. Los datos se compararon con la literatura consultada. Además, se trataron mediante las técnicas de PERMANOVA, PCA y ANOVA, para comprobar las diferencias morfológicas entre los individuos fértiles y los estériles. Para el análisis molecular se emplearon protocolos ya practicados para este grupo. La extracción se realizó mediante el protocolo CTAB, la amplificación se realizó mediante la VWR Red Taq DNA polymerase Master Mix. El producto de PCR se evaluó en un gel de agarosa 1.5% TAE 1x, seguidamente fueron purificados mediante un kit. Finalmente, los productos fueron secuenciados, empleando Sanger, en un laboratorio externo. Las secuencias se emplearon para realizar una secuencia consenso, la cual se comparó con la base de datos del NCBI mediante la herramienta Blastn. Además, se llevó a cabo un análisis filogenético empleando la secuencia de la rbcL. Gracias a los resultados morfológicos, comparados con distintos trabajos de referencia sobre las especies de Batophora; así como las secuencias obtenidas, se pudo reforzar que los especímenes encontrados en el Mar Menor pertenecen a B. occidentalis var. largoensis. Las diferencias entre los ejes fértiles y vegetativos aportaron información sobre su desarrollo morfológico.

We report the first occurrence of Rugulopteryx okamurae in Alicante Bay, the northernmost location in the Iberian Mediterranean where this species was detected. Collected specimens were studied using a morphological and molecular approach. A rapid assessment survey was conducted to assess its presence and abundance in the nearest beach-cast and infralittoral areas. The highest abundance was found over dead P. oceanica matte, occupying an important extension in the bay. We found detached fragments of R. okamurae dispersed by local hydrodynamics, accumulating on some tourist beaches in the region. The potential suitability of the Mediterranean for its spread necessitates monitoring programs to study its variation over time and potential impacts on native biota.

The San Pedro del Pinatar I and II desalination plants in Spain were constructed near Posidonia oceanica meadows protected at the national and European level. The environmental impact statement for these plants stipulate that the brine discharge from the plant must not impact the meadows. To this end, a 4790 m submerged outfall was constructed to bypass the lower limit of the seagrass meadows, and a diffuser piece, along with an outfall pumping system, was installed at the end of the outfall. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the economic cost of the energy consumed for the brine discharge evacuation process necessary to comply with environmental requirements. The operating time and power consumption data were obtained from the plant’s monitoring system, while the energy cost was obtained from energy invoices. The computed results show that it is possible to minimize the environmental impacts of brine discharge on the marine environment of an SWRO plant with a low economic cost. The average energy consumption of the reject effluent pumping system ranged from 19.4 to 1239.3 thousand kWh per year, while the average annual energy cost was 49,329 €, which amounts to only 0.56% of the total energy cost for plant operation. The adoption of these measures provide a cost-effective means to meet environmental protection requirements and minimize the environmental impact associated with the discharged brine. As the demand for desalination operations increase, economically and scientifically viable technologies for mitigating environmental impacts are necessary for sustainability in this domain.

Global shipping facilitates the introduction of fouling organisms to new geographic areas. The increase in maritime transport in recent decades has led to unprecedented development, where marine coastal waters have become one of the most invaded habitats around the globe. Among the most successful invaders are ascidians. Despite the geographic and oceanographic isolation of Iceland, it is far from being excluded as a recipient region. Ascidians have successfully been able to establish stable populations in Iceland that are slowly expanding around the SW region. Here we report the first record of Ascidiella scabra in Icelandic waters, and the spread of seven non-indigenous ascidians across the S-SW Icelandic harbours. We compare their relative abundances to our survey from 2018. The bulk of these ascidians is not only present in the temperate Atlantic Ocean, but also in the Northwest Pacific and temperate Australasia, revealing that global homogenization of the ascidiofauna is emerging in anthropized coastal areas. The rising of sea surface temperature, driven by climate change, is likely to continue to support the development of this scenario leading to biodiversity loss, which could endanger living resources with severe economic impacts.

The current study aims to calculate and assess the asymmetry of the two goatfish species, Yellowstripe goatfish Mulloidichthys flavolineatus (Lacepède 1801) and Red Sea goatfish, Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé 1976) collected from Hurghada fishing harbour, Egypt. The asymmetry valuation for M. flavolineatus and P. forsskali is imperative to demonstrate the impact of asymmetry on the larvae settlement in this vital fishing ground. Asymmetry was calculated for the saccular otolith (Sagittae) biometry, namely length, width, and mass. The results showed that the otolith height had a lower asymmetry value than the otolith length for the two goatfish species inspected. No relationship between the asymmetry value of otolith length and width and total fish length was observed. Both goatfish species’ calculated otolith mass asymmetry was higher than that of many teleost fish species.

Amphipods are one of the dominant epifaunal groups in seagrass meadows. However, our understanding of the biogeographical patterns in the distribution of these small crustaceans is limited. In this study, we investigated such patterns and the potential drivers in twelve Cymodocea nodosa meadows within four distinctive biogeographical areas across 2000 Km and 13° of latitude in two ocean basins (Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean). We found that species abundances in the assemblage of seagrass-associated amphipods differed among areas following a pattern largely explained by seagrass leaf area and epiphyte biomass, while the variation pattern in species presence/absence was determined by seagrass density and epiphyte biomass. Seagrass leaf area was also the most important determinant of greater amphipod total density and species richness, while amphipod density also increased with algal cover. Overall, our results evidenced that biogeographical patterns of variation in amphipod assemblages are mainly influenced by components of the habitat structure, which covary with environmental conditions, finding that structurally more complex meadows harboring higher abundance and richness of amphipods associated.

In Small-Scale Fisheries (SSFs), where the sampling of many small boats and landing sites sometimes is not practical, fish market surveys represent an alternative way to obtain key fisheries data. This study analyses the diversity and characteristics of commercial Red Sea fish species landed in the Egyptian coast, including family, species-specific abundance, biomass, size, and price by surveying the largest local fish market on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, over the course of a year (July 2021 – June 2022) to also reflect any seasonality of these variables. Based on 53 survey visits, a total of 131,795 fish individuals were identified, recorded, measured, belonging to 111 species, and 22 families. The analysis focused on the 60 most abundant species (104,420 individuals, 15 families). The surveys revealed that the most abundant families were Serranidae, Lethrinidae, and Scaridae. Carangidae also was one of the most important families in terms of biomass. The most abundant species were, Lethrinus mahsena, Sargocentron spiniferum, and Lethrinus nebulosus. About 60% of revenue comes from the 4 families Serranidae, Lethrinidae, Scaridae, and Lutjanidae. In terms of prices, the most expensive categories were species belonging to Serranidae, Lethrinidae, and Lutjanidae families, such as Plectropomus pessuliferus marisrubri, Argyrops spinifer, Lethrinus nebulosus and Variola louti. The overall mean prices were higher in spring and summer months likely due to tourism flows. The mean size of many species, including the most valuable and abundant ones, is below the length of maturity. These results provide important benchmarks for monitoring future changes and shed important insights for fisheries management. Co-organised Dutch auctions would provide reliable data when combined with a strict monitoring effort to avoid any sale of the catch outside these official auctions. Other monitoring tools and methods are also recommended in the discussion.

The diversity of benthic communities on continental shelves is tightly linked to the diversity of habitats. Therefore, considering seascape habitat composition can help to gain insights into the spatial variability of benthic communities and move away from single-habitats approaches. This perspective needs different analytical methods, such as network analysis that enable the study of complex ecological interactions. This work explores the relationships between habitat and benthic species diversity in the Menorca Channel (the Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean). The seascape in the study area is a mosaic of alternating biogenic and sandy habitats that increases the total benthic species richness. Of the 442 benthic species included in the analyses, 286 species are shared by the six habitats identified, contributing to ecological connectivity across the seascape; 73 generalist species inhabit all six habitats simultaneously, however, 156 species are specialists and are linked to a single habitat, particularly to biogenic habitats, which increases specialization and the vulnerability of the species to habitat fragmentation. The network approach shows a tight link between epibenthic species diversity and the distribution of habitats over the continental shelf, providing essential information for optimal conservation strategies that move from a focus on protecting the most sensitive habitats to marine conservation schemes that encompass a diversity of habitats.

Este trabajo pretende optimizar un método para la extracción del quitosano del Callinectes sapidus o el cangrejo azul, que es una especie nativa de la costa occidental del Atlántico. Su hábitat natural se localiza desde el Norte hacia el Sur de América. Se ha introducido como especie invasora en el Mar Mediterráneo a través de las aguas de lastre de los barcos, causando un efecto negativo sobre la diversidad de invertebrados y vertebrados autóctonos de las costas mediterráneas españolas, teniendo también impactó en la pesca artesanal. Una forma de controlar su población, es introducirlo en el mercado de pesca con la finalidad de utilizarlo en nuestra gastronomía. Sin embargo, como en todo uso comercial, causa el aumento de los desechos de crustáceos contribuyendo a la contaminación del medio ambiente. Por lo tanto, en este Trabajo Fin de Máster, se ha creado un protocolo experimental con la ayuda de diferentes artículos científicos que estudian la obtención de la quitina y del quitosano de esta especie invasora. La finalidad del proceso en el laboratorio es observar si el quitosano puede ser eficiente en el control de la germinación de conidios del Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense raza tropical 4 (FocTR4). El FocTR4 es un hongo patógeno que parasita a los cultivos de plátanos y bananos. La finalidad de este proceso es comparar los resultados que se obtienen con la extracción del quitosano del Callinectes sapidus de mi estudio con el quitosano comercial que se encuentra depositado en el laboratorio de Fitopatología del Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de Alicante. También se ha comparado las diferencias obtenidas entre el uso de Callinectes sapidus según el sexo, machos y hembras maduras, con el objetivo de marcar la eficiencia de su utilización según el sexo. Para ello fue necesario caracterizar físicamente los biopolímeros de los sexos del Callinectes sapidus y del comercial mediante el FTIR (Infrarrojo Transformado de Fo

Substantial losses of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica have initiated investigations into localized resilience declines related to anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we determined reconstructed shoot age and interannual growth metrics can detect anthropogenic impact effects on P. oceanica production. Interannual rhizome vertical growth, leaf production, and demographics of shoots collected from sewage and trawling impacted areas were examined using mixed effects modeling. Detected impact effects were specific to the type of impact, manifesting as an older-skewed age distribution of sewage outfall shoots and reduced vertical growth and reduced leaf production of trawling site shoots. A stress event period was also detected for all shoots >5 years old, with trawling impacted shoots indicating little recovery. Reconstructed age and growth metrics are simple to measure, incorporate multiple years of in situ shoot development, and are advantageous for identification of declining P. oceanica resilience prior to catastrophic losses.

Desalination residual brines are mostly discharged to marine environments, which can produce osmotic stress on sensitive benthic organisms. In this investigation, we performed transplantation experiments nearby desalination plants using two brown macroalgae species from a cosmopolitan genus: Dictyota kunthii (Chile) and Dictyota dichotoma (Spain). Parameters related to photosynthetic activity and oxidative stress were evaluated at 3 and 7 days for D. kunthii, and 3 and 6 days for D. dichotoma; each at 2 different impacted sites and 1 control. We observed that brine exposition at both impacted sites in Chile generated a marked stress response on D. kunthii, reflected in a decrease of primary productivity (ETRmax), light requirement (EkETR), and an excessive thermal dissipation (NPQmax), especially at 7 days. In D. dichotoma, similar impaired photosynthetic activity was recorded but only at the highest brine influence site during day 3. Regarding oxidative stress, both species displayed high levels of H2O2 when exposed to brine-influenced sites. Although in D. kunthii H2O2 content together with lipid peroxidation was higher after 3 days, these returned to baseline values towards day 7; instead, D. dichotoma H2O2 levels increased only at day 6. This easy and practical approach has proven to provide valuable data to address potential impacts of brine discharges at global scale coastal ecosystems.

This study focuses on interacting with insects and their ectosymbiont (lato sensu) microorganisms for environmentally safe plant production and protection. Some cases help compare insect-bearing, -driving, or -spreading relevant ectosymbiont microorganisms to endosymbionts’ behaviour. Ectosymbiotic bacteria can interact with insects by allowing them to improve the value of their pabula. In addition, some bacteria are essential for creating ecological niches that can host the development of pests. Insect-borne plant pathogens include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These pathogens interact with their vectors to enhance reciprocal fitness. Knowing vector-phoront interaction could considerably increase chances for outbreak management, notably when sustained by quarantine vector ectosymbiont pathogens, such as the actual Xylella fastidiosa Mediterranean invasion episode. Insect pathogenic viruses have a close evolutionary relationship with their hosts, also being highly specific and obligate parasites. Sixteen virus families have been reported to infect insects and may be involved in the biological control of specific pests, including some economic weevils. Insects and fungi are among the most widespread organisms in nature and interact with each other, establishing symbiotic relationships ranging from mutualism to antagonism. The associations can influence the extent to which interacting organisms can exert their effects on plants and the proper management practices. Sustainable pest management also relies on entomopathogenic fungi; research on these species starts from their isolation from insect carcasses, followed by identification using conventional light or electron microscopy techniques. Thanks to the development of omics sciences, it is possible to identify entomopathogenic fungi with evolutionary histories that are less-shared with the target insect and can be proposed as pest antagonists. Many interesting omics can help detect the presence of entomopathogens in

The conceptual framework of the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System was designed to assess the EU’s progress towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy. Indicators were selected to cover the various parts of the framework but gaps in the knowledge or data still exist. This document describes the progress made in filling gaps in the indicators that had been identified as being important to understand the progress of the EU Bioeconomy. In 2022, three gaps were addressed: Climate change adaptation in fisheries and aquaculture, climate change adaptation in forestry and share of wood in construction. Indicators of adaptation to climate change in fisheries and aquaculture presented in Chapter 2 of this report are chosen for their ability to indicate changes in these sectors either as technical changes, changes in the behaviour of resource users/producers, or changes in the governance system. Many indicators are proposed here, but the final choice of the indicators selected to inform policymakers through the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System must be preceded by a period of evaluation, consultation with the productive sectors and assessment of their operation in the medium to long term. For the indicators on climate change adaptation in forestry, indicators need to be applicable in as many forest ecosystems and methods of forest management as possible allowing comparisons across temporal and spatial scales. Moreover, they need to be concise, meaningful, and communicative, easily comprehensible, particularly by decisionmakers. The indicators presented here are proposed based on an in-depth literature review and assessment of data availability at EU level. Regarding indicators to assess the share of wood in construction, there is little data available. Timber use in construction is highly centred around residential construction, its total use varies from country to country and the data available is highly localized, thus there is no centralized EU-level database available for th

Artificial intelligence techniques have been increasingly applied in healthcare to help in many areas, from assisting clinical diagnoses to preventing diseases. In this paper, a machine learning approach to predict cholesterol levels using non-invasive and easy-to-collect data is presented. Specifically, it uses clinical and anthropometric data gathered by nutritionists during weight loss intervention (dieting) periods. The prediction power analysis of different patient variables is aimed at improving both non-invasive diagnosis quality and screening of associated diseases. Moreover, a clustering analysis has been carried out to identify different groupings of patients that might share some characteristics that have so far remained inconspicuous but might contain a valuable diagnosis or prognosis information for clinical experts.The experiments show a mean absolute percentage error rate (MAPE) of 4.39% in cholesterol estimation via regression, as well as clustering of patients within four profiles in which variable values share commonalities among cluster members.

El presente documento, financiado por el Programa de Investigación en Docencia Universitaria de la Universidad 2021-22 (Xarxa 5543) tiene el objetivo de facilitar el uso de una serie de herramientas que permitan el estudio y análisis del cambio climático en el ámbito universitario de forma transversal. La base de datos de Copernicus, Programa de Observación de la Tierra de la Unión Europea, en su sección marina (Copernicus Marine Service; https://marine.copernicus.eu/) alberga una infinidad de datos que pueden ser difíciles de manejar por docentes y estudiantes. En concreto, se pretende facilitar el empleo de la herramienta MyOcean de Copernicus (https://marine.copernicus.eu/access-data/ocean-visualisation-tools) a través de este manual y de un curso Moodle y Mooc que estarán disponibles en la web de la UA.

Context: Botryllus schlosseri and Diplosoma listerianum are spreading along the south-western coast of Iceland. Both species are non-indigenous and originated from the temperate zone. In some geographic regions, these species have been associated with negative ecological and economic impacts. The proliferation of these colonial tunicates in newly colonised areas will benefit from the projected warming of sea-surface temperatures. Aims: Owing to the influence of temperature in physiological processes of marine invertebrates, the determination of the temporal dynamic of breeding activity is crucial for operational field control actions aiming to keep population abundances below a density-dependent adverse effect. Methods: Colonies of B. schlosseri and D. listerianum were collected during a 12-month period, in Sandgerði, south-western Iceland. The number of oocytes and larvae were counted. Key results: This study showed that both species are present year-round in south-western Iceland. The release of larvae is more intense during the warmer months. Conclusions: To control their population density levels, field actions should be applied during the winter months before the onset of sexual reproduction and recruitment. Implications: In the light of the findings, it is now possible to suggest the best time for countermeasures for both species and optimise resources for marine management.

Widely adoption of Information Technologies has resulted in the continuous growing of open data available on the Web. However, the lack of suitable mechanisms to understand open data sources hampers its reusability. One way to overcome this limitation is by means of Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) with proper documentation, nowadays being the existing very rudimentary, hard to follow, and sometimes incomplete or even inaccurate in most cases. In order to improve the documentation of Web APIs that access open data, this paper proposes a novel approach to automatically generate interactive Web API documentation, both machine and user readable. This process starts by analysing the documentation of an API to obtain important information, automatically constructing Natural Language descriptions of the main Web API concepts by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP), and specifically, language generation techniques. Then, the documentation is made interactive by making it available as a Web interface, offering easy access to open data provided by Web APIs. Therefore, the use and comprehension of the Web APIs is facilitated, thus promoting the reusability of open data. The feasibility of our approach is presented through a case study and an experiment with users, both showing the benefits of our approach.

Resultados 5.1 y 5.2 de la Acción 5: Análisis de la trazabilidad, seguridad alimentaria y adaptación al medio.