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Mar Piccolo is a semi-enclosed sea of about 21 Km2, consisting of two basins to the north of the city of Taranto. It is subjected to multiple anthropogenic pressures, such as industrial and waste pollution, harbour activities, aquaculture and commercial fishing that affect the environmental quality and can favour the arrival and establishment of alien species. The two basins are very different in terms of both abiotic and biotic features. The western basin is a proper marine coastal area, while the eastern one is more similar to a lagoon with very reduced water circulation and low ecological diversity. Throughout the years, the anthropogenic activities increased their impactsonthisecosystemleadingtothespreadofvariousmacro-algalspecies(e.g. Hypnea cornuta and Caulerpa prolifera) and recurrent noxious episodes of phytoplankton blooms. During several sea truth campaigns carried out in 2013 and 2014, many data concerning distribution, density, biomass and chlorophyll a and b, related to the populations of benthic macroalgae and phytoplankton, were acquired at different sampling stations located in the two basins of the Mar Piccolo. The sea truth data collected during these campaigns were integrated with those provided by the new family of multispectral HR satellite sensors, namely Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel 2 MSI, to preliminarily test their improved capability for seaweed and phytoplankton detailed mapping. Different image based approaches were applied for the essential atmospheric preprocessing focusing on the AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth) and adjacency effects noise contributions removal, taking into account the optical complexity of these shallow waters (case II water). The spectral responses detected by OLI sensor in the form of various blue-green and additional ratios, once atmospherically corrected, were satisfyingly tested for mapping the distribution of phytoplankton communities, through regressive statistical and bio-optical models. The most reliable multivariate models were those obtained for surface and sub-surface distributions of nano-phytoplankton and pico-phytoplankton, respectively. The PLS (Partial Least Square regression) models demonstrated higher robustness for assessing the distribution of all the phytoplankton and Chl a distributions, except for those related to sub-surface micro-phytoplankton, as did the regressive ones. The preliminary distributions obtained via a bio-optical approach, including the OC3 algorithm and full inversion with default settings, showed a general agreement with the previous ones produced by statistic methods. The OLI corrected data were then exploited for assessing the distribution of Caulerpa and Hypnea populations, using a ML (Maximum Likelihood) algorithm through standard supervised classification schema and related station point spectral signatures. Overall, the implemented methodology, based on the HR satellite sensors, allowed us to suitably map the variability at detailed scale of both submerged vegetation and water column concentration of chlorophyll and different phytoplankton populations, in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto. Thus, innovative monitoring methods, integrated by the most recent RS techniques, are needed for the sustainable management of this environment, to prevent, control and mitigate the impact of anthropogenic pressures on the environmental quality, human health and activities such as tourism and aquaculture, economically relevant in this context.

The feeding ecology of the transparent goby Aphia minuta was examined in spring (May 2003) in the coastal waters off Comacchio, in the northwestern Adriatic Sea. Stomach content analysis indicated A. minuta to be a planktivorous species, feeding exclusively on pelagic invertebrates. The diet composition was dominated by the calanoid copepods Acartia clausi and Temora longicornis, followed in decreasing order of importance by other copepods (especially calanoids and Oncaea spp.) and larvae of decapods, polychaetes and bivalves. A. minuta exhibited a generalistic feeding strategy with a relatively broad niche width. Abundant taxa in the environment, such as A. clausi and T. longicornis, were seldom selected, whereas rare taxa, such as larvae of polychaetes and decapods, were highly selected. According to the observed ontogenetic shift in diet, small-size individuals relied preferentially on juvenile T. longicornis and Oncaea spp., whereas large-sized specimens consumed preferably A. clausi and calanoids. The positive relationship found between prey and fish size may help to mitigate the intraspecific competition for food resources., En el presente trabajo se estudió la dieta del góbido transparente A. minuta durante la primavera (Mayo 2003) en el nor-oeste del Mar Adriático (Comacchio). El análisis del contenido estomacal mostró que A. minuta es una especie planctívora, que se alimenta exclusivamente de invertebrados pelágicos. Los copépodos calanoides Acartia clausi y Temora longicornis constituyeron las presas dominantes seguidas, en orden de importancia decreciente, de otros copépodos (calanoides y Oncaea spp.), larvas de decápodos, poliquetos y bivalvos. A. minuta evidenció una estrategia alimentaria generalista y un nicho trófico amplio. Los taxones abundantes en el medio natural, A. clausi y T. longicornis, fueron raramente seleccionados, en cambio taxones poco frecuentes, como larvas de poliquetos y decápodos, estuvieron seleccionados positivamente. Atendiendo al cambio en la dieta a lo largo de la ontogenia, los ejemplares de talla pequeña se alimentaron preferentemente de juveniles de T. longicornis y Oncaea spp., mientras los ejemplares de talla mas grande consumían preferentemente A. clausi y calanoides. La relación positiva observada entre el tamaño de la presa y del depredador podría contribuir a atenuar la competencia intraespecífica por los recursos alimenticio.

OBJECTIVE: To assess fetal and maternal outcomes in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: Prospectively collected data on 99 women with SSc from 25 Italian centers were analyzed retrospectively. Women with SSc were observed during 109 pregnancies (from 2000 to 2011), and outcomes were compared to those in the general obstetric population (total of 3,939 deliveries). The maternal age at conception was a mean ± SD 31.8 ± 5.3 years, and the median disease duration at conception was 60 months (range 2-193 months). RESULTS: SSc patients, compared to the general obstetric population, had a significantly increased frequency of preterm deliveries (25% versus 12%) and severe preterm deliveries (

We have investigated here the structure of the pelagic microbial food web and quantified the carbon fluxes from viruses to microplankton along trophic gradients in the Mediterranean Sea. To explore the complex trophic pathways of the pelagic food web, we conducted independent and replicated experiments to measure (i) predation on prokaryotes by microzooplankton, (ii) predation on prokaryotes by heterotrophic nanoflagellates, (iii) virus-induced prokaryotic mortality, and (iv) microzooplankton grazing on nanoplankton and microphytoplankton. Our study covered more than 5000 km, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Levantine basin, and from conditions of high primary production and nutrient availability to ultraoligotrophic and phosphate-limited waters. Microphytoplankton abundance and biomass were typically scarce across the entire Mediterranean basin, with almost negligible levels in the eastern part. Also, nanoplankton biomass was typically low. Conversely, prokaryotes, and particularly the heterotrophic components, were abundant and represented the only significant food source for both nanoplankton and microplankton grazers. Viral infections were not the primary agents of prokaryotic mortality, but in some areas, such as the Ligurian Sea, they had a key role in prokaryotic dynamics. The scenario depicted in this study in summer reveals the pivotal role of microzooplankton in the pelagic food web of the Mediterranean Sea, with a key role in the potential transfer of biomass to higher trophic levels. We also show that converse to theoretical expectations, the microbial food web was relatively complex under the mesotrophic conditions (Atlantic and western Mediterranean) and was much more simplified in the ultraoligotrophic conditions of the eastern Mediterranean.

Objective To assess fetal and maternal outcomes in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Prospectively collected data on 99 women with SSc from 25 Italian centers were analyzed retrospectively. Women with SSc were observed during 109 pregnancies (from 2000 to 2011), and outcomes were compared to those in the general obstetric population (total of 3,939 deliveries). The maternal age at conception was a mean ± SD 31.8 ± 5.3 years, and the median disease duration at conception was 60 months (range 2–193 months). Results SSc patients, compared to the general obstetric population, had a significantly increased frequency of preterm deliveries (25% versus 12%) and severe preterm deliveries (