The marbled goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus, a species inhabiting coastal Mediterranean lagoons, has been studied by measuring its mitochondrial DNA variation. This analysis revealed a Mediterranean west vs east split and, subsequently, an eastern differentiation among the Libyan-Tunisian Gulf, the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. The high cohesion between the samples collected in the vast area ...

Atlantic-Mediterranean anchovies were genetically characterized at two polymorphic nuclear loci (intron 6 of two creatine-kinase genes) and compared to reference Engraulis albidus and E. encrasicolus samples from the northern Western Mediterranean to provide new insights into their geographic structure. Northeastern Atlantic anchovy, represented by one sample from the Canary archipelago and one...

During the last two decades, several satellite algorithms have been proposed to retrieve information about phytoplankton groups using ocean color data. One of these algorithms, the so-called PHYSAT-Med, was developed specifically for the Mediterranean Sea due to the optical peculiarities of this basin. The method allows the detection from ocean color images of the dominant Mediterranean phytopl...

The increasing necessity of scientific evidence on the socioeconomic impacts of MPAs, as well as acknowledging them, is of relevance for marine policies. This is especially important at the regional level, such as for the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. However, since a previous work carried out in 2000, no study has analyzed the most recent findings, or performed a comparative review of the s...

Population genetic structures of the mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) were studied in the Mediterranean Sea. Fragments of 272 bp (S. scomber) and 387 bp (S. japonicus) of the 5'-end of the mitochondrial control region were sequenced from spawning individuals collected off the coasts of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. High levels of mitochondrial control regi...

1. introduction the effect of climate of the earth's surface is the result of interaction of different levels of atmosphere and lithosphere. one of the factors which influences that interaction is the way the system pressure transcends it. in this way, the system pressure changes and can be changed and eventually may become an environmental hazard and geomorphodynamic phenomenon. hazards are an...

Despite attention focused on the population status and rebuilding trajectory of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), the reproduction and spawning biology remains poorly understood, especially in the NW Atlantic. At present, the eastern and western spawning populations are believed to exhibit different reproductive characteristics and, consequently, stock productivity. However, our study su...

Vision is an important source of information for many animals. The crystalline lens plays a central role in the visual pathway and hence the ecology of fishes. In this study, we tested whether the different light regimes in the Mediterranean and Red Seas have an effect on the optical properties of the lenses in the rivulated rabbitfish, Siganus rivulatus. This species has migrated through the S...

Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea is a marine Chlorophyta introduced into the Mediterranean Sea from south-western Australia. Since 1990, it has been invading the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands, raising ecological problems. Although this invasion event can be considered as one of the most serious in the history of species introduced into the Mediterranean Sea, C. racemosa has not tri...

An ecosystem modelling approach was used to understand and assess the Mediterranean marine ecosystem structure and function as a whole. In particular, 2 food web models for the 1950s and 2000s were built to investigate: (1) the main structural and functional characteristics of the Mediterranean food web during these 2 time periods; (2) the key species/functional groups and interactions; (3) the...