Observations of ctenophore species were made in the Gulf of Trieste between 2003 and 2006. We examined native ctenophore species with special attention to representatives of the orders Lobata and Beroida, and we recorded among them two non-native ctenophores: Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz 1865 and Beroe ovata sensu Mayer, 1912. The validity of the Mediterranean species Beroe ovata is discussed. ...

We describe the effect of gelatinous plankton – Aurelia aurita and invaders Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe ovata – on fish (eggs, larvae, feeding, and stocks) in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, based on field data and the relevant literature. Representatives of three ecological groups of fish were chosen as examples: planktivorous anchovy typical of warm-water conditions, planktivorous sprat of tem...

The experiments with Beroe ovata showed that this ctenophore can survive and reproduce in the Caspian Sea water, though at far lower rate than in the Black Sea; larval growth in the Caspian Sea water was also slower and mortality higher. Maximum fecundity of 2210 and 240 eggs recorded in laboratories of Turkey and Iran, respectively. About 34 to 100% of eggs in the Caspian Sea water could not d...

The experiments with Beroe ovata showed that this ctenophore can survive and reproduce in the Caspian Sea water, though at far lower rate than in the Black Sea; larval growth in the Caspian Sea water was also slower and mortality higher. Maximum fecundity of 2210 and 240 eggs recorded in laboratories of Turkey and Iran, respectively. About 34 to 100% of eggs in the Caspian Sea water could not d...

Abstract Factors affecting zooplankton dynamics, especially in shelf-sea ecosystems such as the Black Sea influenced by eutrophication, overfishing, climate variability, and biological invaders, merit special attention for successful development management. We used coherence functions (phase angle) to analyze time series (918 samples collected every 10 days) of two invading ctenophores Mnemiops...