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  1. Article ; Online: Short-term stability of rocky intertidal biofilm to nitrogen and phosphorus pulses.

    Rindi, L / Benedetti-Cecchi, L

    Marine environmental research

    2022  Volume 183, Page(s) 105795

    Abstract: Coastal environments experience both natural and anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Agricultural fertilisers, organic run-offs, and edaphic characteristics of coastal environments may generate mosaics of nutrient concentrations that ...

    Abstract Coastal environments experience both natural and anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Agricultural fertilisers, organic run-offs, and edaphic characteristics of coastal environments may generate mosaics of nutrient concentrations that ultimately influence the coastal primary productivity. Here, we experimentally assessed the effects of repeated pulses of N and P on multiple components of ecological stability (sensitivity, resilience, temporal stability and recovery) of phototrophic rocky intertidal biofilm. We performed a repeated-pulses factorial experiment crossing increasing N and P concentrations chosen to reflect a range of nutrient enrichment conditions, from oligotrophic to eutrophic. N and P, regardless of concentration or whether they occurred in isolation or combination, enhanced biofilm's sensitivity (increased biomass or physiological performance compared to controls) without altering resilience. Our experiment illustrates how the stability of an essential coastal primary producer responds to increasing N and P supply levels. Furthermore, notwithstanding the importance of decomposing the multiple dimensions of stability, the transitory increase of the sole sensitivity indicated that rocky shore biofilm is robust against a wide range of nutrient enrichment.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-11-01
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 1502505-6
    ISSN 1879-0291 ; 0141-1136
    ISSN (online) 1879-0291
    ISSN 0141-1136
    DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105795
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  2. Article ; Online: Stabilizing effects of spatially heterogeneous disturbance via reduced spatial synchrony on a rocky shore community.

    Mintrone, Caterina / Rindi, Luca / Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro

    Ecology

    2024  Volume 105, Issue 3, Page(s) e4246

    Abstract: Understanding how synchronous species fluctuations affect community stability is a main research topic in ecology. Yet experimental studies evaluating how changes in disturbance regimes affect the synchrony and stability of populations and communities ... ...

    Abstract Understanding how synchronous species fluctuations affect community stability is a main research topic in ecology. Yet experimental studies evaluating how changes in disturbance regimes affect the synchrony and stability of populations and communities remain rare. We hypothesized that spatially heterogeneous disturbances of moderate intensity would promote metacommunity stability by decreasing the spatial synchrony of species fluctuations. To test this hypothesis, we exposed rocky shore communities of algae and invertebrates to homogeneous and gradient-like spatial patterns of disturbance at two levels of intensity for 4 years and used synchrony networks to characterize community responses to these disturbances. The gradient-like disturbance at low intensity enhanced spatial β diversity compared to the other treatments and produced the most heterogeneous and least synchronized network, which was also the most stable in terms of population and community fluctuations. In contrast, homogeneous disturbance destabilized the community, enhancing spatial synchronization. Intense disturbances always reduced spatial β diversity, indicating that strong perturbations could destabilize communities via biotic homogenization regardless of their spatial structure. Our findings corroborated theoretical predictions, emphasizing the importance of spatially heterogeneous disturbances in promoting stability by amplifying asynchronous spatial and temporal fluctuations in population and community abundance. In contrast to other networks, synchrony networks are vulnerable to the removal of most peripheral nodes, which are less synchronized, but may contribute more to stability than other nodes by dampening large fluctuations in species abundance. Our findings suggest that climate change and direct anthropogenic disturbance can compromise the stability of ecological communities through combined effects on diversity and synchrony, as well as further affecting ecosystems through habitat loss.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Ecosystem ; Ecology ; Invertebrates ; Light
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-01-29
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2010140-5
    ISSN 1939-9170 ; 0012-9658
    ISSN (online) 1939-9170
    ISSN 0012-9658
    DOI 10.1002/ecy.4246
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  3. Article ; Online: Complex networks of marine heatwaves reveal abrupt transitions in the global ocean.

    Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro

    Scientific reports

    2021  Volume 11, Issue 1, Page(s) 1739

    Abstract: Understanding how marine heatwaves (MHWs) unfold in space and time under anthropogenic climate change is key to anticipate future impacts on ecosystems and society. Yet, our knowledge of the spatiotemporal dynamics of MHWs is very limited. Here, I ... ...

    Abstract Understanding how marine heatwaves (MHWs) unfold in space and time under anthropogenic climate change is key to anticipate future impacts on ecosystems and society. Yet, our knowledge of the spatiotemporal dynamics of MHWs is very limited. Here, I combine network theory with topological data analysis and event synchronization to high-resolution satellite data and to a set of Earth System Model simulations to reveal the dynamical organization of complex MHW networks. The analysis reveals that MHWs have already crossed a tipping point separating highly synchronized preindustrial MHWs from the more extreme, but less coherent warming events we experience today. This loose spatiotemporal organization persists under a reduced RCP 2.6 emission scenario, whereas a second abrupt transition towards a permanent state of highly synchronized MHWs is foreseen by 2075 under a business-as-usual RCP 8.5 scenario. These results highlight the risks of abrupt ocean transitions, which may dramatically affect marine life and humanity by eroding valuable time for adaptation to climate change.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-01-18
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2615211-3
    ISSN 2045-2322 ; 2045-2322
    ISSN (online) 2045-2322
    ISSN 2045-2322
    DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-81369-3
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  4. Article ; Online: Spatial signatures of an approaching regime shift in Posidonia oceanica meadows.

    Rindi, Luca / Mintrone, Caterina / Ravaglioli, Chiara / Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro

    Marine environmental research

    2024  Volume 198, Page(s) 106499

    Abstract: Determining the proximity of ecosystems to tipping points is a critical yet complex task, heightened by the growing severity of climate change and local anthropogenic stressors on ecosystem integrity. Spatial Early Warning Signals (EWS) have been ... ...

    Abstract Determining the proximity of ecosystems to tipping points is a critical yet complex task, heightened by the growing severity of climate change and local anthropogenic stressors on ecosystem integrity. Spatial Early Warning Signals (EWS) have been recognized for their potential in preemptively signaling regime shifts to degraded states, but their performance in natural systems remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the performance of 'recovery length' - the spatial extent of recovery from a perturbation - and spatial EWS as early warnings of regime shifts in Posidonia oceanica meadows. Our experimental approach involved progressively thinning the P. oceanica canopy, from 0 to 100%, at the edge of a dead-matte area - a structure formed by dead P. oceanica rhizomes and colonized by algal turfs - to promote the propagation of algal turfs. We calculated recovery length as the distance from the dead-matte edge to the point where algal turfs colonized the canopy-thinned region. Our results showed a linear increase in recovery length with canopy thinning, successfully anticipated the degradation of P. oceanica. While spatial skewness decline with increased canopy degradation, other spatial EWS, such as Moran correlation at lag-1, low-frequency spatial spectra, and spatial variance, were ineffective in signaling this degradation. These findings underscore the potential of recovery length as a reliable early warning indicator of regime shifts in marine coastal ecosystems.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-04-09
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 1502505-6
    ISSN 1879-0291 ; 0141-1136
    ISSN (online) 1879-0291
    ISSN 0141-1136
    DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106499
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  5. Article: Spatial correlation reverses the compound effect of multiple stressors on rocky shore biofilm.

    Rindi, Luca / He, Jianyu / Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro

    Ecology and evolution

    2022  Volume 12, Issue 10, Page(s) e9418

    Abstract: Understanding how multifactorial fluctuating environments affect species and communities remains one of the major challenges in ecology. The spatial configuration of the environment is known to generate complex patterns of correlation among multiple ... ...

    Abstract Understanding how multifactorial fluctuating environments affect species and communities remains one of the major challenges in ecology. The spatial configuration of the environment is known to generate complex patterns of correlation among multiple stressors. However, to what extent the spatial correlation between simultaneously fluctuating variables affects ecological assemblages in real-world conditions remains poorly understood. Here, we use field experiments and simulations to assess the influence of spatial correlation of two relevant climate variables - warming and sediment deposition following heavy precipitation - on the biomass and photosynthetic activity of rocky intertidal biofilm. First, we used a response-surface design experiment to establish the relation between biofilm, warming, and sediment deposition in the field. Second, we used the response surface to generate predictions of biofilm performance under different scenarios of warming and sediment correlation. Finally, we tested the predicted outcomes by manipulating the degree of correlation between the two climate variables in a second field experiment. Simulations stemming from the experimentally derived response surface showed how the degree and direction (positive or negative) of spatial correlation between warming and sediment deposition ultimately determined the nonlinear response of biofilm biomass (but not photosynthetic activity) to fluctuating levels of the two climate variables. Experimental results corroborated these predictions, probing the buffering effect of negative spatial correlation against extreme levels of warming and sediment deposition. Together, these results indicate that consideration of nonlinear response functions and local-scale patterns of correlation between climate drivers can improve our understanding and ability to predict ecological responses to multiple processes in heterogeneous environments.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-10-27
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2635675-2
    ISSN 2045-7758
    ISSN 2045-7758
    DOI 10.1002/ece3.9418
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  6. Article ; Online: Ecological feedback mechanisms and variable disturbance regimes: the uncertain future of Mediterranean macroalgal forests.

    Maggi, E / Puccinelli, E / Benedetti-Cecchi, L

    Marine environmental research

    2018  Volume 140, Page(s) 342–357

    Abstract: Loss of algal canopies can result in a shift towards a turf-dominated state, where variability in species life-history traits can determine new mechanisms of feedback, and influence the degraded system under variable regimes of disturbance. By focusing ... ...

    Abstract Loss of algal canopies can result in a shift towards a turf-dominated state, where variability in species life-history traits can determine new mechanisms of feedback, and influence the degraded system under variable regimes of disturbance. By focusing on rockpools dominated by Cystoseira brachycarpa, we tested the hypothesis that the alga Dictyopteris polypodioides could take advantage of extreme regimes of disturbance related to storms, and outcompete other turfs through a distinctive combination of life traits. Replacement of the canopy was initially driven by a mix of taxon-specific life-traits and resulting assemblages were susceptible to intense events of disturbance. Subsequently, D. polypodioides dominated removal quadrats, favored by density-dependent abilities to intercept more light and reach larger size than the rest of turf. These new positive feedbacks may contribute to maintain the modified state of the system and influence its ability to withstand extreme abiotic conditions.
    MeSH term(s) Ecology ; Ecosystem ; Forests ; Mediterranean Sea ; Phaeophyceae ; Seaweed
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-07-09
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 1502505-6
    ISSN 1879-0291 ; 0141-1136
    ISSN (online) 1879-0291
    ISSN 0141-1136
    DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.07.002
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  7. Article: Experimental evidence of spatial signatures of approaching regime shifts in macroalgal canopies.

    Rindi, L / Dal Bello, M / Benedetti-Cecchi, L

    Ecology

    2018  Volume 99, Issue 8, Page(s) 1709–1715

    Abstract: Developing early warning signals to predict regime shifts in ecosystems is a central issue in current ecological research. While there are many studies addressing temporal early warning indicators, research into spatial indicators is far behind, with ... ...

    Abstract Developing early warning signals to predict regime shifts in ecosystems is a central issue in current ecological research. While there are many studies addressing temporal early warning indicators, research into spatial indicators is far behind, with field experiments even more rare. Here, we tested the performance of spatial early warning signals in an intertidal macroalgal system, where removal of algal canopies pushed the system toward a tipping point (corresponding to approximately 75% of canopy loss), marking the transition between a canopy- to a turf-dominated state. We performed a two-year experiment where spatial early warning indicators were assessed in transects where the canopy was differentially removed (from 0 to 100%). Unlike Moran correlation coefficient at lag-1, spatial variance, skewness, and spatial spectra at low frequency increased along the gradient of canopy degradation and dropped, or did not show any further increase beyond the transition point from a canopy- to a turf-dominated state (100% canopy removal). Our study provides direct evidence of the suitability of spatial early warning signals to anticipate regime shifts in natural ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of field experiments as a powerful tool to establish causal relationships between environmental stressors and early warning indicators.
    MeSH term(s) Ecology ; Ecosystem
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-07-05
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 1797-8
    ISSN 0012-9658
    ISSN 0012-9658
    DOI 10.1002/ecy.2391
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  8. Article ; Online: Dim artificial light at night alters gene expression rhythms and growth in a key seagrass species (Posidonia oceanica).

    Dalle Carbonare, L / Basile, A / Rindi, L / Bulleri, F / Hamedeh, H / Iacopino, S / Shukla, V / Weits, D A / Lombardi, L / Sbrana, A / Benedetti-Cecchi, L / Giuntoli, B / Licausi, F / Maggi, E

    Scientific reports

    2023  Volume 13, Issue 1, Page(s) 10620

    Abstract: Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a globally spreading anthropogenic stressor, affecting more than 20% of coastal habitats. The alteration of the natural light/darkness cycle is expected to impact the physiology of organisms by acting on the complex ... ...

    Abstract Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a globally spreading anthropogenic stressor, affecting more than 20% of coastal habitats. The alteration of the natural light/darkness cycle is expected to impact the physiology of organisms by acting on the complex circuits termed as circadian rhythms. Our understanding of the impact of ALAN on marine organisms is lagging behind that of terrestrial ones, and effects on marine primary producers are almost unexplored. Here, we investigated the molecular and physiological response of the Mediterranean seagrass, Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, as model to evaluate the effect of ALAN on seagrass populations established in shallow waters, by taking advantage of a decreasing gradient of dim nocturnal light intensity (from < 0.01 to 4 lx) along the NW Mediterranean coastline. We first monitored the fluctuations of putative circadian-clock genes over a period of 24 h along the ALAN gradient. We then investigated whether key physiological processes, known to be synchronized with day length by the circadian rhythm, were also affected by ALAN. ALAN influenced the light signalling at dusk/night in P. oceanica, including that of shorter blue wavelengths, through the ELF3-LUX1-ZTL regulatory network, and suggested that the daily perturbation of internal clock orthologs in seagrass might have caused the recruitment of PoSEND33 and PoPSBS genes to mitigate the repercussions of a nocturnal stress on photosynthesis during the day. A long-lasting impairment of gene fluctuations in sites characterised by ALAN could explain the reduced growth of the seagrass leaves when these were transferred into controlled conditions and without lighting during the night. Our results highlight the potential contribution of ALAN to the global loss of seagrass meadows, posing questions about key interactions with a variety of other human-related stressors in urban areas, in order to develop more efficient strategies to globally preserve these coastal foundation species.
    MeSH term(s) Humans ; Light Pollution ; Alismatales/genetics ; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ; Anthropogenic Effects ; Gene Expression
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-06-30
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2615211-3
    ISSN 2045-2322 ; 2045-2322
    ISSN (online) 2045-2322
    ISSN 2045-2322
    DOI 10.1038/s41598-023-37261-3
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  9. Article ; Online: Assessing the risk of oil spill impacts and potential biodiversity loss for coastal marine environment at the turn of the COVID-19 pandemic event.

    Cucco, Andrea / Rindi, Luca / Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro / Quattrocchi, Giovanni / Ribotti, Alberto / Ravaglioli, Chiara / Cecchi, Enrico / Perna, Massimo / Brandini, Carlo

    The Science of the total environment

    2023  Volume 894, Page(s) 164972

    Abstract: The Tuscan Archipelago, with its great environmental and economic importance, is one of the highest oil spill density areas in the Western Mediterranean. In this study, an interdisciplinary approach, based on numerical applications and experimental ... ...

    Abstract The Tuscan Archipelago, with its great environmental and economic importance, is one of the highest oil spill density areas in the Western Mediterranean. In this study, an interdisciplinary approach, based on numerical applications and experimental methods, was implemented to quantify the risk of oil spill impact along the rocky shores of this archipelago in relation to the maritime activities. The risk, defined as a combination of the hazard and the damage, was quantified for the biennial 2019-2020 in order to account for the effects generated by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on the local maritime traffic. A high-resolution oceanographic and particle tracking model was applied to simulate the trajectories of possible oil spill events and to quantify the hazard of impacts on the coast of numerical particles, daily seeded in correspondence of those marine sectors that are characterised by relevant traffic of vessels. The damage, expressed as the product of exposure and vulnerability, was estimated following an extensive sampling approach aimed at quantifying the ecological status of the rocky shores in four selected islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Results revealed and quantified the direct relationship between the temporary reduction of the maritime traffic due to the pandemic restrictions, and the probability of suffering damage from oil spill impact along the archipelago's rocky shores, which was highly context-dependent.
    MeSH term(s) Humans ; Petroleum Pollution/adverse effects ; Pandemics ; COVID-19/epidemiology ; Biodiversity
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-06-17
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 121506-1
    ISSN 1879-1026 ; 0048-9697
    ISSN (online) 1879-1026
    ISSN 0048-9697
    DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164972
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  10. Article: β-diversity reveals ecological connectivity patterns underlying marine community recovery: Implications for conservation.

    Bevilacqua, Stanislao / Boero, Ferdinando / De Leo, Francesco / Guarnieri, Giuseppe / Mačić, Vesna / Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro / Terlizzi, Antonio / Fraschetti, Simonetta

    Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America

    2023  Volume 33, Issue 5, Page(s) e2867

    Abstract: As β-diversity can be seen as a proxy of ecological connections among species assemblages, modeling the decay of similarity in species composition at increasing distance may help elucidate spatial patterns of connectivity and local- to large-scale ... ...

    Abstract As β-diversity can be seen as a proxy of ecological connections among species assemblages, modeling the decay of similarity in species composition at increasing distance may help elucidate spatial patterns of connectivity and local- to large-scale processes driving community assembly within a marine region. This, in turn, may provide invaluable information for setting ecologically coherent networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) in which protected communities are potentially interrelated and can mutually sustain against environmental perturbations. However, field studies investigating changes in β-diversity patterns at a range of spatial scales and in relation to disturbance are scant, limiting our understanding of how spatial ecological connections among marine communities may affect their recovery dynamics. We carried out a manipulative experiment simulating a strong physical disturbance on subtidal rocky reefs at several locations spanning >1000 km of coast in the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) and compared β-diversity patterns and decay of similarity with distance and time by current transport between undisturbed and experimentally disturbed macrobenthic assemblages to shed light on connectivity processes and scales involved in recovery. In contrast to the expectation that very local-scale processes, such as vegetative regrowth and larval supply from neighboring undisturbed assemblages, might be the major determinants of recovery in disturbed patches, we found that connectivity mediated by currents at larger spatial scales strongly contributed to shape community reassembly after disturbance. Across our study sites in the Adriatic Sea, β-diversity patterns suggested that additional protected sites that matched hotspots of propagule exchange could increase the complementarity and strengthen the ecological connectivity throughout the MPA network. More generally, conditional to habitat distribution and selection of sites of high conservation priority (e.g., biodiversity hotspots), setting network internode distance within 100-150 km, along with sizing no-take zones to cover at least 5 km of coast, would help enhance the potential connectivity of Mediterranean subtidal rocky reef assemblages from local to large scale. These results can help improve conservation planning to achieve the goals of promoting ecological connectivity within MPA networks and enhancing their effectiveness in protecting marine communities against rapidly increasing natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Conservation of Natural Resources/methods ; Ecosystem ; Biodiversity ; Larva ; Fishes
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-05-15
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 1074505-1
    ISSN 1939-5582 ; 1051-0761
    ISSN (online) 1939-5582
    ISSN 1051-0761
    DOI 10.1002/eap.2867
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