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Effects of the upwelling system on the assessment of reproductive parameters of the caridean shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti (Holthuis, 1950) in the Western Atlantic Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-21 Daphine R. Herrera; Thiago Maia Davanso; Rogerio C. Costa
Costal upwelling and other oceanographic features exert important effects on neritic and benthic communities, causing variations in the reproduction and survival of organisms. Here, we assessed the population structure, sex ratio, recruitment, and reproduction of the caridean shrimp Nematopalaemon schmitti near the Cabo Frio upwelling area in southeastern Brazil. In total, 759 individuals were captured
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Population genetics reveals global and regional history of the apex predator Galeocerdo cuvier (carcharhiniformes) with comments on mitigating shark attacks in north‐eastern brazil Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-21 Flávia R.S. Andrade; André S. Afonso; Fábio H.V. Hazin; Fernando F. Mendonça; Rodrigo A. Torres
The knowledge of the population structure of a given species is of great importance for its conservation and for the management of its fishing exploitation, especially for sharks. The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier Péron&Lesueur, 1822) is an apex predator species that is currently listed as “Near Threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species
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Matrilineal evidence for genetic structure and Late Pleistocene demographic expansion of the Ornate goby Istigobius ornatus (Teleostei: Gobiidae) in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-21 Reza Sadeghi; Hamid Reza Esmaeili; Fatah Zarei; Bettina Reichenbacher
The Persian Gulf and Oman Sea are characterized by an interesting paleoclimatic history and different ecological settings, and offer a unique study area to investigate the genetic structure of marine organisms including fishes. The Ornate goby Istigobius ornatus is widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo‐West Pacific including the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Here, we present the population structure
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Population dynamics, growth, production, and reproduction of the purple clam Amiantis purpurata Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-19 Juan P. Livore; Florencia Arrighetti; Pablo E. Penchaszadeh
Amiantis purpurata is the dominant clam of shallow subtidal soft bottom communities in Buenos Aires province where it is a major prey item of economically important fish and gastropods as well as anemones. Despite its significant role in the benthic food web, there are few studies dealing with the population biology of this species. Growth, age, mortality, and production along with reproductive patterns
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Molecular evidence for Myripristis jacobus and Scarus taeniopterus new to Bay of Bengal: Sporadic appearance or preliminary colonization? Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-18 Tapan K. Barik; Surya N. Swain; Bijayalaxmi Sahu; Bibarani Tripathy; Usha R. Acharya
Individual specimens of Myripristis jacobus Cuvier, 1829 and Scarus taeniopterus Lesson, 1829 were collected from Gopalpur‐on‐sea, Odisha coast, Bay of Bengal. Both the fish samples were assigned species level tags using the conventional taxonomic methods. The capture of both the fish species is of particular interest in that they were new to the Bay of Bengal. Molecular analysis using the mitochondrial
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Comparison of epiphyte algal assemblages on the leaves of marine seagrasses Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Asch, and the lessepsian Halophila stipulacea (Forssk.) Asch in Chebba (East of Tunisia) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-17 Lotfi Mabrouk; Mounir Ben Brahim; Amel Jebara; Imed Jribi
This study aims to investigate biometric parameters and epiphytic algae on the leaves of three seagrass species Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, and Halophila stipulacea, which co‐occur in Eastern coast of Tunisia (islet of Kaboudia, Chebba). Sampling was conducted at six stations (5 m depth) during March 2017. Biometrical measurements showed that shoot density and leaf surface area of P. oceanica
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Inbreeding vs outbreeding depression in a marine species with low dispersal potential Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-17 Camila Montecinos; Carolina Álvarez; Rodrigo Riera; Antonio Brante
Inbreeding depression strongly affects the biological fitness of organisms throughout their life cycle. These negative effects are more pronounced in species with low dispersal potentials, where mating among relatives is more likely. However, in some species, an outbreeding depression could be expressed when local adaptive and genetic beneficial interactions are disrupted when mating occurs between
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Growth rate is temperature‐dependent, but the proportion of resource allocation between the growth and gonads is not, in early adult stage of the lancelet branchiostoma japonicum Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-17 Fumio Takeshita; Takumi Maekawa; Yasuhisa Henmi
The pattern of resource allocation into multiple life‐history traits can vary with the environment; for example, high temperatures generally facilitate growth. Changes in investment in growth due to temperature may alter the allocation to other traits that are in trade‐off with that. Here, we investigated the trade‐off between growth and reproduction and whether the proportion of allocation to these
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Are populations of economically important bonefish and queen conch 'open' or 'closed' in the northern caribbean basin? Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2021-01-16 Marlis R. Douglas; Tyler K. Chafin; Julie E. Claussen; David P. Philipp; Michael E. Douglas
Demographics of co‐occurring species can often be diagnosed through population genomic analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These data can define population structure, gene flow, and candidate regions in the genome that potentially reflect local adaptations. They can also gauge whether populations are demographically “open” or “closed” (i.e., with global or local recruitment). We derived
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Genealogical concordance, comparative species delimitation, and the specific status of the Caspian pipefish Syngnathus caspius (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-12-31 Fatah Zarei; Hamid Reza Esmaeili; Keyvan Abbasi; Golnaz Sayyadzadeh; Soheil Eagderi; Brian W. Coad
To evaluate the specific validity of the Caspian pipefish Syngnathus caspius, we used a comparative molecular species delimitation method on a COI barcode library of Syngnathus, as well as principles of genealogical concordance. Comparative species delimitation allowed us to delineate putative species without a priori assignment of individuals to nominal species, while genealogical concordance extended
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Surface behaviors correlate with prey abundance and vessels in an endangered killer whale (Orcinus orca) population Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-12-24 Christine M. Bubac; Amy C. Johnson; Robert Otis
Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) (Orcinus orca) are an endangered population in the United States and Canada, partly due to declines of their primary prey species, Chinook salmon. Prey availability influences various aspects of SRKW behavior, including distribution patterns and social structure. Yet, it is unclear to what extent a limited prey source influences the frequency of surface‐active
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Assessing the factors driving the changes in the spatio‐temporal distribution of Hepatus pudibundus (Decapoda, Brachyura) over a 20‐year interval in a region under the influence of El Niño (ENSO) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-10-21 Jeniffer Natalia Teles; Fernando Luis Mantelatto; Antonio Leão Castilho; Adilson Fransozo; Giovana Bertini
This study aimed to compare the spatio‐temporal distribution of demographic groups of Hepatus pudibundus in the Ubatuba Bay, São Paulo, Brazil, over a 20‐year interval. Two 1‐year samplings were conducted: the 1st period (P1) ran from September 1995 to August 1996 and the 2nd period (P2) ran from September 2016 to August 2017. Samples were taken from five stations that differed in depth (5, 10, and
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Surface cyclopoid copepod assemblages in relation to environmental conditions near undisturbed coral reefs of Minicoy, southeastern Arabian Sea, a part of the Indian Ocean Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-11-06 Radhika Radhakrishnan; Santu Kuzhikandathil Sunny; Bijoy Nandan Sivasankaran; Harikrishnan Mahadevan
The cruise conducted in the spring inter‐monsoon (pre‐monsoon) of April 2015 in the frame of a funded project epitomized an open ocean survey that allowed procuring a quasi‐synoptic picture of cyclopoid copepod community structure in 18 open ocean stations of the Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep archipelago, off the southwestern Indian coast, based on the analysis of standing stock and composition in the
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Keratose‐dominated sponge grounds from temperate mesophotic ecosystems (NW Mediterranean Sea) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-10-25 Francesco Enrichetti; Giorgio Bavestrello; Federico Betti; Martina Coppari; Margherita Toma; Roberto Pronzato; Simonepietro Canese; Marco Bertolino; Gabriele Costa; Maurizio Pansini; Marzia Bo
Differently from the North Atlantic Ocean, only few examples of sponge grounds are known from the Mediterranean Sea, mainly thriving in the deep sea. In this study, a novel temperate mesophotic ecosystem dominated by massive keratose sponges is reported from the Ligurian deep continental shelf. An extensive Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) survey allowed to study the structure and large‐scale distribution
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Coral reef productivity and diversity—Contributions from enhanced photosynthesis via demand for carbohydrate from the host Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-10-25 Melanie S. Adams; Barbara Demmig‐Adams; Ruiqi Li; Daniel Zarate; Jingchun Li
Coral reefs’ high productivity has been attributed mainly to photosymbioses between the coral animal and algae of the family Symbiodiniaceae, with recognition that the host can increase algal photosynthesis by concentrating nutrients and enhancing the efficiency of light absorption. Here, we propose that an additional effect, consumption of carbohydrate by the host, may also enhance algal photosynthesis
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Population genetics of cold‐water coral associated Pleustidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) reveals cryptic diversity and recent expansion off Iceland Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-12-14 Martin Schwentner; Anne‐Nina Lörz
Amphipoda are a diverse and important faunal component of deep‐sea habitats worldwide. However, relatively little is known about species that are associated with cold‐water corals, in particular concerning their genetic diversity, population genetic processes, population differentiation, and potential host specificity. We exemplarily investigate these questions studying three pleustid species—Stenopleustes
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Trait‐based diversity of deep‐sea benthic megafauna communities near the Deepwater Horizon oil spill site Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Clifton C. Nunnally; Mark C. Benfield; Craig R. McClain
Deep‐sea ecosystems are fragile yet diverse habitats that are sensitive to disturbance. In the northern Gulf of Mexico deepwater extraction of hydrocarbons led to the accidental release of four million barrels of oil from the Macondo wellhead in 2010. The release of oil combined with the addition of dispersant at depth and the resulting delivery of oiled “marine snow” led to dramatic disruptions of
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Using stable isotope analysis to determine the effects of ocean acidification and warming on trophic interactions in a maerl bed community Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-12 Erwann Legrand; Sophie Martin; Cédric Leroux; Pascal Riera
Ocean acidification and warming are likely to affect the structure and functioning of marine benthic communities. This study experimentally examined the effects of ocean acidification and warming on trophic interactions within a maerl bed community by using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. Two three‐month experiments were conducted in winter and summer seasons with four different combinations
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Why do certain species dominate? What we can learn from a rare case of Microdictyon dominance on a Caribbean reef Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Claire L. A. Dell; Guilherme O. Longo; Carrie Manfrino; Deron E. Burkepile
Many Caribbean reefs have shifted from coral dominance to macroalgal dominance, often by brown algae such as Dictyota and Lobophora. However, the north side of Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands is dominated seasonally by the green macroalga Microdictyon (percent cover of Microdictyon is 4% in the winter and ~40% of the reef in the summer), although it is absent from the south side of the island and
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pH variability off Goa (eastern Arabian Sea) and the response of sea urchin to ocean acidification scenarios Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-16 Suhas S. Shetye; Hema Naik; Siby Kurian; Damodar Shenoy; Nandakumar Kuniyil; Michelle Fernandes; Afreen Hussain
The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration in the last few decades has resulted in a decrease in oceanic pH. In this study, we assessed the natural variability of pH in coastal waters off Goa, eastern Arabian Sea. pHT showed large variability (7.6–8.1) with low pH conditions during south‐west monsoon (SWM), and the variability is found to be associated with upwelling rather than freshwater runoff
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Responses of humpback whales to a changing climate in the Southern Hemisphere: Priorities for research efforts Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Jan‐Olaf Meynecke; Elisa Seyboth; Jasper De Bie; Jan‐Lukas Menzel Barraqueta; Abdoulkadri Chama; Subhra Prakash Dey; Serena Blyth Lee; Vivitskaia Tulloch; Marcello Vichi; Ken Findlay; Alakendra Narayan Roychoudhury; Brendan Mackey
Globally, baleen whales were severely depleted by historic whaling. Recovering populations have been observed to alter their behaviour. These changes have been attributed to climate change in some cases and raise concerns over the successful recovery of baleen whale populations. Current data‐driven statistical habitat and behavioural models have proven useful for addressing questions of whale distribution
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Recolonization patterns of benthic assemblages after relict sand dredging in the central Tyrrhenian sea Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-09-18 Marco Loia; Paola La Valle; Loretta Lattanzi; Barbara La Porta; Monica Targusi; Luisa Nicoletti
Recolonization patterns of benthic assemblages after relict sand dredging were investigated in an area offshore of Capo d’Anzio (central Tyrrhenian Sea). Surveys were performed before, during, and after dredging in 2007. Sampling stations were located within and outside the dredging site in water depths between 40 and 56 m. Defaunation due to sand extraction was the main impact observed in the inner
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Submarine groundwater springs are characterized by distinct fish communities Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-18 Timo Pisternick; Julian Lilkendey; Anishta Audit‐Manna; Danishta Dumur Neelayya; Yashvin Neehaul; Nils Moosdorf
The inflow of terrestrial groundwater into the ocean is increasingly recognized as an important local source of nutrients and pollutants to coastal ecosystems. Although there is evidence of a link between fresh submarine groundwater discharge (SGD)‐derived nutrients and primary producer and primary consumer abundances, the effects of fresh SGD on the productivity of higher trophic levels such as ichthyofaunal
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Comparison of the spatio‐temporal distribution of the roughneck shrimp Rimapenaeus constrictus (Stimpson, 1874) (Crustacea, Penaeoidea) from monthly samples collected 20 years apart: Effects of a marine protected area in southeastern Brazil Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-13 Veronica P. Bernardes; Aline N. Sousa; Camila H. Bernardo; Gustavo M. Teixeira; Rogério C. Costa; Fernando L. Mantelatto; Adilson Fransozo
This study was motivated by the data about a Rimapenaeus constrictus population from Ubatuba Bay, obtained in the 1990s, and by the establishment of a marine protected area (MPA) in the same region in 2008. We obtained comparable data about the distribution and abundance of this species collected 20 years apart, to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPA, for its preservation and possible changes in
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Reef microhabitats mediate fish feeding intensity and agonistic interactions at Príncipe Island Biosphere Reserve, Tropical Eastern Atlantic Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-11 Angela Marina Canterle; Lucas Teixeira Nunes; Luisa Fontoura; Hugulay Albuquerque Maia; Sergio Ricardo Floeter
The benthic assemblage of reefs provides an important resource of food and habitat for reef fishes. However, how benthic composition mediates reef fishes' biotic interactions at isolated environments such as oceanic islands remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of four different reef microhabitats over biological interactions of fishes in an understudied oceanic island, Príncipe
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After the nursery: Regional and broad‐scale movements of sharks tagged in the Caribbean Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-10 Bryan Legare; Bryan DeAngelis; Gregory Skomal
Broad‐scale movements (10s–100s km) of highly migratory species, such as sharks, present unique management challenges as fish migrate across international boundaries, thereby exposing them to different levels of anthropogenic pressure. Lemon sharks and blacktip sharks are well‐studied throughout their range in the western North Atlantic, but broad‐scale movements in the Caribbean region are largely
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Geographical ecology of the symbiotic crabs Libinia ferreirae and Libinia spinosa: Distributional patterns in south and south‐eastern coast of Brazil Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-02 Geslaine Rafaela Lemos Gonçalves, Luana Ferraz da Silveira Palomares, Aline Nonato Sousa, Gilson Stanski, Gustavo Sancinetti, Rogerio Caetano da Costa, Antonio Leão Castilho
The Brazilian coast is home to two species of Majoid crabs: Libinia ferreirae and Libinia spinosa, with similar habits, as they live in symbiosis with the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna during their juvenile stage and dwell on the bottom of the ocean near the coast when adults. This study investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of L. ferreirae and L. spinosa during different ontogenic phases
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Mass mortality of the fan mussel, Pinna nobilis in Turkey (eastern Mediterranean) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-08-02 Fikret Öndes; Vahit Alan; Barış Akçalı; Harun Güçlüsoy
This study reported the mass mortality events (MMEs) of Pinna nobilis based on diving surveys in Turkey. Data were collected across 12 sites in the Aegean Sea, and one site in the Sea of Marmara, within the period of June‐September 2019. The results showed that a low mortality rate of 10% was found in the Sea of Marmara, and a MME was not detected for this area. In contrast, 97% mortality was recorded
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Effects of Ficopomatus enigmaticus ecosystem‐engineered habitat structure on population parameters of the amphipod Melita palmata: A NIS‐NIS interaction study Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-05-11 María Cielo Bazterrica, Pedro J. Barón, Graciela Álvarez, Sandra M. Obenat
The variability of some population (demo) parameters of the gammarid amphipod Melita palmata was associated with contrasting habitat structures created by the non‐indigenous reef‐builder polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus in the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37°40 S, 57°23 W, Argentina). Sampling of M. palmata was conducted biweekly during the reproductive period in F. enigmaticus reefs and sediment
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Do intertidal Zostera noltei meadows represent a favourable habitat for amphipods? The case of the Kneiss Islands (Gulf of Gabès: Central Mediterranean Sea) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-05-08 Nawfel Mosbahi, Lobna Boudaya, Lassad Neifar, Jean‐Claude Dauvin
The structure, diversity, spatial and seasonal distributions of amphipod assemblages associated with intertidal Zostera (Zosterella) noltei meadows were studied around the Kneiss Islands (central Mediterranean Sea). This site represents a site of international interest in terms of its ornithological diversity (Important Bird Area, Ramsar Site and SPAMI). The amphipod fauna was sampled at 32 stations
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Feeding intensity and molecular prey identification of the mantis shrimp, Oratosquilla oratoria (De Haan, 1844), in the Tianjin coastal zone of Bohai Bay Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-05-01 Qi‐Kang Bo, Yun‐Zhao Lu, Hui‐Jing Mi, Yan‐Guang Yu, De‐Xian Gu, Hong‐Zheng You, Shuang Hao
Bohai Bay, a representative semi‐enclosed bay of China, has been severely impacted in recent decades by rapid human development. Although the mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria plays an important role in the Bohai Bay ecosystem and fishery, its feeding ecology and the impact of habitat changes on its feeding habits are poorly known. In this study, we sought to identify its feeding strategy through
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Diversity and geographical distribution of resting stages of eukaryotic algae in the surface sediments from the southern Chinese coastline based on metabarcoding partial 18S rDNA sequences Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-28 Lei Liu, Zhaohui Wang, Songhui Lu
Surface sediment samples were collected from sixteen sites of the southern Chinese coastline in this study. Diversity of eukaryotic microalgae was examined using high‐throughput sequencing of 18S rDNA to understand the community structure and geological distribution of microalgal resting stages. A total of 218 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected for eukaryotic algae, and only 75 OTUs (34
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Dynamic spawning patterns in the California market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) inferred through paralarval observation in the Southern California Bight, 2012–2019 Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-28 Joel E. Van Noord
The California market squid is ecologically and economically important to the California Current Ecosystem and coastal communities. However, the population undergoes periodic and large‐scale fluctuations on the order of magnitudes, largely as a result of warm ocean temperature and reduced ocean productivity related to cycles in El Niño Southern Oscillation. These fluctuations can lead to cascading
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Impact of vehicles on benthic macrofauna on a subtropical sand beach Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-26 Fabio Cavalca Bom, Leonir André Colling
Our study aimed to identify possible relationships between the structure of the benthic macrofauna and the intense use of vehicles in Cassino Beach. Physical changes in the sediment were identified, with high compaction in the sector most affected by the vehicles, especially during the summer. The benthic macrofauna was significantly affected by vehicles, with lower densities observed in the most impacted
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Environmental factors driving the distribution of the tropical coral Pavona varians: Predictions under a climate change scenario Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-23 Laura Rodriguez, Juan José García, Fernando Tuya, Brezo Martínez
Climate change causes shifts in the geographical distribution boundaries of many organisms. Modelling techniques predict the distribution of species by relating climatic and physical factors with species' presence records, including potential extinction areas and new potential areas of colonization, under predicted climatic scenarios. In this study, we initially explored which environmental variables
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Response of the bacterioplankton composition to inorganic nutrient loading and phytoplankton in southern Korean coastal waters: A mesocosm study Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-23 Bum Soo Park, Minji Lee, Kyoungsoon Shin, Seung Ho Baek
In Korean coastal waters (KCW), nutrient loading from the four major rivers usually peaks in summer, probably due to the large amount of water discharge in rainy seasons, but little is known about the responses of the bacterial community composition to inorganic nutrient loading. To gain deeper understanding of variations in marine microbial biodiversity and function with inorganic nutrient loading
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Effects of light intensity on Opsin4, Opsin5, and Pax6 expressions of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-23 Mingfang Yang, Yushi Yu, Jingyun Ding, Jia Luo, Jiangnan Sun, Fangyuan Hu, Yaqing Chang, Chong Zhao
The detection of light intensity and subsequent phototaxis are essential for the fitness of sea urchins in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters, where light intensity varies in accordance with the depth and other hydrographic conditions. The molecular basis of photoresponse, however, remains largely unknown. We compared the expression of SiOpsin4, SiPax6, and SiOpsin5 among tube feet, coelomocytes
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Stationary underwater cameras assess more efficiently clear‐water mangrove fish assemblages: A comparison of non‐extractive techniques Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-22 José Amorim Reis‐Filho, Tommaso Giarrizzo, Francisco Barros
Research in aquatic ecology requires adequate sampling designs if the underlying processes that govern population and community dynamics are to be understood. Adequate sampling design is particularly important for organisms inhabiting environments such as mangroves. Thus, collecting quantitative ecological data remains a major challenge. Here, we analysed the structural and temporal dynamics of a tidal
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Spatial and seasonal variations of dinoflagellates and ciliates in the Kongsfjorden, Svalbard Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 Jane Theophline Bhaskar, Bhaskar Venkateswaran Parli, Sarat Chandra Tripathy
Abundance and assemblages of dinoflagellates and ciliates were studied in water samples collected from three different depths at five locations in the Kongsfjorden, during summer (June 14–21, 2011) and fall (September 15–27, 2012). Generally, athecate dinoflagellates were ubiquitously dominant during both seasons. Surface dinoflagellates abundance ranged from 1.87 × 103 cells/L (KF1) to 11.62 × 103 cells/L
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Depth and grazing intensity are the main drivers of subtidal hardground benthic community structure on tropical south Atlantic reefs Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 Marcelo Checoli Mantelatto, Anderson Eduardo Silva de Oliveira, Carla Menegola, Fernanda Araujo Casares, Joel Christopher Creed
Marine hardground bottom (subtidal) benthic (sessile) communities (HBBC) are subjected to various biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors that can vary over space and time and interact with one another. To evaluate the main drivers of the structure of HBBC in a large tropical bay in the southwest Atlantic (Ilha Grande Bay, Brazil), a total of 98 HBBC were sampled using visually estimated quadrats
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A potential new threat on the coral reefs of Puerto Rico: The recent emergence of Ramicrusta spp. Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 Stacey M. Williams, Jorge R. García‐Sais
The rapid appearance of Ramicrusta spp. is described and analyzed from 40 permanent monitoring coral reef stations in Puerto Rico. Before 2016, Ramicrusta had not been observed from any of the reef monitoring stations. By 2018, it was present at 76% of all the monitoring stations. Ramicrusta was the dominant substrata type at all of the shallow reef sites sampled on the east coast (e.g., Fajardo, Culebra
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Spatio‐temporal variability of benthic macroalgae in a coral reef system highly influenced by fluvial discharge: Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 Guillermo Horta‐Puga, José Luis Tello‐Musi, Alejandro Córdova, Adriana Gutiérrez‐Carrillo, Jhoan Gutiérrez-Martínez, Aura Aletse Morales‐Aranda
The Veracruz Reef System, in the southern Gulf of Mexico, is a suitable area for the study of the temporal and spatial variability of macroalgae abundance, at reef settings influenced by the fluvial discharge of the Jamapa River, and by human activities in the city and port of Veracruz. With this purpose, the bottom cover of each morpho‐functional group of benthic macroalgae (frondoses, turf, and crustose
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The Mediterranean in check: Biological invasions in a changing sea Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-09 Adriana Giangrande, Cataldo Pierri, Michela Del Pasqua, Cinzia Gravili, Maria Cristina Gambi, Maria Flavia Gravina
In recent decades, the high introduction rate of alien species (AS) has been mainly due to the increasingly widespread human movements, which often compromise natural barriers, facilitating the invasion of new geographic areas and environments. Being completely new in the recipient habitat, alien invasive species can often have strongly negative impacts on native communities, sometimes causing substantial
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Influence of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami on the genetic structure of wild sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus) populations in Sanriku, Japan Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-04-09 Kenta Adachi, Takuya Suzuki, Sei‐ichi Okumura, Shohei Funayama, Shunsuke Moriyama
Sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus) is a major marine resource of Sanriku off the Pacific Coast, Japan, that includes Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi Prefectures. Using six microsatellites and three mitochondrial DNA regions, we aimed to characterize genetic diversity of M. nudus before and after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Sanriku's Touni and Okirai Bays. Although mass death during the Tohoku disaster likely
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Spatial variation of abundant picoeukaryotes in the subtropical Kuroshio Current in winter Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-02-03 Ya‐Fan Chan, Chih‐Ching Chung, Gwo‐Ching Gong, Ching‐Wei Hsu
To understand the importance of picoeukaryotes in the biogeochemical cycle in the subtropical Kuroshio Current, a year‐round survey of the hydrography and the distribution of picoeukaryotes were conducted in four oceanographic cruises from October 2012 to July 2013. In comparison with other seasons, the highest abundancy of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, with concentrations >104 cells/ml, was observed
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The paradox of the Hauraki Gulf snapper population: Testing the nursery habitat concept Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-02-03 Darren M. Parsons, Dane Buckthought, Scott Edhouse, Andrew Martin Lohrer
Juvenile nursery habitats are a critical requirement for the maintenance of some fish populations. Snapper in northern New Zealand is hypothesised to fit this nursery habitat model; however, nursery habitat association and dependency are poorly understood for New Zealand's largest snapper population in the Hauraki Gulf. To better understand habitat usage by post‐settlement snapper and identify potential
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Assessing the response of sandy‐beach macrobenthos to recreation and the ecological status of the beach ecosystem at Liandao, China Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-01-30 Xiaowei Wu, Xinqing Zou, Chongqing Zhong, Wenwen Yu, Yali Li, Teng Wang
Sandy beaches, prime recreational assets that attract more people than other types of shorelines, are the main assets underpinning many coastal economies and developments. However, the intense stressors to the ecology of sandy beaches caused by recreational activities are generally underestimated or ignored. This study was the first to emphasize the ecological characteristics of recreational beaches
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Changes in reproduction for subtropical cutlassfish Trichiurus japonicus reflect variation in temperature and population demography Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-01-28 Ying‐Shiuan Chen, Zhi‐Yu Jeng, Hui‐Yu Wang
Many subtropical fishes spawn multiple batches throughout a year. To understand plasticity in their reproductive output, we evaluated variation in oocyte size and batch fecundity for an exploited subtropical cutlassfish, Trichiurus japonicus, between two temperature periods (warm vs. cold) on the NE and SW coasts of Taiwan, northwestern Pacific. Given greater temperature variability on NE compared
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Social flexibility to balance habitat fragmentation? Insights from the Mediterranean cave‐dwelling cardinalfish Apogon imberbis Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2020-01-28 Pierre‐Alexandre Rastorgueff
The Mediterranean cave‐dwelling cardinalfish Apogon imberbis shows a surprising panmixia for a brooding species inhabiting a fragmented habitat. This is partly attributed to the plasticity of its aggregative behavior, ranging from solitary to large schools. This plasticity allows this cardinalfish to take advantage of a wide variety of shadowed shelters, ranging from small cracks to large caves, which
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2015–16 ENSO contributed reduction in oil sardines along the Kerala coast, south‐west India Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-11-24 Suhas S. Shetye, Siby Kurian, Mangesh Gauns, Pottekkatt Jayapalan Vidya
Fishery along the west coast of India largely depends on pelagic fish such as oil sardines, which are dominant during the south‐west monsoon. However, the response of sardine population to the warming caused by the climatic events such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is poorly studied. Here, we hypothesize that the ENSO‐related changes in biogeochemistry can adversely
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Are all patterns created equal? Cooperation is more likely in spatially simple habitats Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-11-17 Camilla Bertolini, Kasper Hlebowicz, Flavia Schlichta, Jacob J. Capelle, Johan van de Koppel, Tjeerd.J. Bouma
Cooperative behaviours, such as aggregation with neighbouring conspecifics, can enhance resilience in habitats where risks (i.e. predation, physical disturbances) are high, exerting positive feedback loops to maintain a healthy population. At the same time, cooperation behaviours can involve some extra energy expenditures and increasing resource competition. For sessile reefs, like mussels, simulation
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Meio‐epifaunal wood colonization in the vicinity of methane seeps Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-11-11 Adriana Gracia C., Lisa A. Levin, Sven Zea
In deep‐sea environments, plant remains of several origins are found, including branches, twigs, leaves, and wood pieces, among others. As most of the deep‐sea bottoms are oligotrophic and nutrient‐limited, plant remains provide an oasis of localized organic enrichment and a substrate for colonization. Sunken wood was suggested to play an important evolutionary role in the diversification of chemosynthetic
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Long‐term sponge stranding along the shores of Sardinia Island (Western Mediterranean Sea) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-30 Renata Manconi, Andrea Padiglia, Tiziana Cubeddu, Roberto Pronzato
The taxonomic richness and geographic distribution of sponges stranded along Sardinian shores were investigated in the long term by means of a revisited ancient sampling method in order to support a comprehensive species inventory. Almost all stranded species were Keratosa (n = 20), plus 6 species of other Demospongiae taxa. Dictyoceratida were dominant, with 6 genera and 19 species of the families
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Evolution and paleobiogeography of mangroves Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-26 Jyoti Srivastava, Vandana Prasad
We reviewed the geological record of mangroves based on fossil pollen, fruits, and wood evidence of Nypa, Avicennia, Sonneratia, Rhizophoraceae, and mangrove associates to trace the origin, distribution, extinction, and range contraction of paleo‐mangroves during the Late Cretaceous–Miocene time. Our study region covers paleocoastal areas of Indo‐West Pacific (IWP) and Atlantic East Pacific (AEP) region
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Effects of Paracentrotus lividus (Lamark, 1816) harvesting on benthic assemblages. An experimental approach Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-22 Ana Catarina Torres, Marcos Rubal, Isabel Sousa‐Pinto, Puri Veiga
The effect of harvesting on the diversity and structure of benthic assemblages is nowadays a relevant component of fishery management. Invertebrate harvesting is increasing worldwide and sea urchins are one of the main invertebrate target species. However, current knowledge about the effects of sea urchin harvesting on benthic assemblages is still poor. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence
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Bioenergetics of parental investment in two polychaete species with contrasting reproductive strategies: The planktotrophic Boccardia chilensis and the poecilogonic Boccardia wellingtonensis (Spionidae) Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-22 Daniel Doherty‐Weason, Fernanda Oyarzun, Luciano Vera, Miguel Bascur, Fabián Guzmán, Francisco Silva, Ángel Urzúa, Antonio Brante
The level of parental investment for larval nutrition may determine the life cycle in marine invertebrate species laying egg masses or capsules, where the food available for enclosed individuals would determine time and developmental stage of hatching. Most species show a unique type of larval development. However, few species are poecilogonous and combine more than one development type. Poecilogony
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Population dynamics of the Brown mussel Perna perna at a Rocky beach near Cape Coast, Ghana Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-22 Eric A. Krampah, Kobina Yankson, John Blay
The brown mussel, Perna perna, is an ecologically important species which has a great potential for aquaculture in Ghana. Though it is harvested from the wild for consumption locally, there is no information on its population parameters to guide its management and subsequent culturing. The species inhabiting Iture rocky beach near Cape Coast (Ghana) was therefore investigated to elucidate its growth
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Decomposition rate and invertebrate colonization of seagrass detritus along a hydrodynamic gradient in a Mediterranean coastal basin: The Stagnone di Marsala (Italy) case study Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-18 Valentina Costa, Antonio Mazzola, Francesca Rossi, Salvatrice Vizzini
Seagrass leaf litter decomposition is a key component of marine carbon flow driven by both biotic and abiotic factors, including water movement. In this study, we analyse Posidonia oceanica litter decomposition and invertebrate colonization in three sites with different hydrodynamics in a coastal basin. Litterbags were put on the sea bed along a gradient of distance from the open sea, implying a different
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Community structure and functional traits of mollusks associated with coastal reef macroalgae in Northeastern Brazil Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-10-14 Débora Ferreira Barbosa, Thelma Lúcia Pereira Dias, Sérgio de Faria Lopes, Rafaela Cristina de Souza Duarte, Fernanda Maria Duarte do Amaral
This study investigated the community structure and functional traits of the mollusk fauna associated with macroalgae with different thallus morphologies in a reef environment in Northeastern Brazil. A total of 15 individuals of each species of macroalgae adhered to natural substrate and 15 individuals of Padina gymnospora detached from the substrate were collected. The structural complexity of algal
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Temperature‐ and size‐associated differences in the skeletal structures and osculum cross‐sectional area influence the pumping rate of contractile sponge Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa Mar. Ecol. (IF 1.359) Pub Date : 2019-09-10 Azraj S. Dahihande, Narsinh L. Thakur
Sponges alter the proportion of structural and morphological components such as spicule skeleton and number of oscula in response to environment, development and growth. Such mechanisms indicate morphological and physiological variations within populations. We measured the pumping rate of different sized specimens of contractile sponge Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa present in the intertidal rock pools
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