You cannot conserve a species that has not been found: The case of the marine sponge Axinella polypoides in Liguria,Italy

1. Detailed knowledge about the distribution of species in need of protection is required for the management of Marine Protected Areas, a major tool to reduce marine biodiversity loss. Such knowledge is deficient for most marine invertebrates.
2. Axinella polypoides is a marine sponge included on the list of protected species by the Barcelona Convention (1976) and the Bern Convention (1987). This large and erect species has an important ecological role in habitat forming and benthic–pelagic coupling.
3. Bathymetrical, geographical and ecological data over the last 60 years were collated from publications and reports, together with new surveys to assess the distribution and protection status in Liguria of A. polypoides. It identified a more widespread distribution than previously thought, which points at a general need for dedicated investigations on the occurrence of species that require protection.
4. Bathymetrical distribution was trimodal, with peaks corresponding to different geomorphological settings: coastal cliff bases (around 38 m depth), inner shelf shoals (52 m) and rocks amidst coarse sediment on the outer shelf (79 m). Density was significantly greater at the shallowest depths. The species was mostly found in the coralligenous biocoenosis, in association with other characteristic species or forming a monospecific facies.
5. On (sub)vertical cliffs, A. polypoides often exhibited an unusual cane shape, rather than the typical bushy morphology, thus causing confusion with the congeneric A. cannabina, a more southern species. Records of the latter in the Ligurian Sea therefore need confirmation.
6. Only a minority (22.6%) of A. polypoides records were in Marine Protected Areas, the remainder being located in areas with no current environmental protection plans in place. While the occurrence of this species in MPAs remained stable over the decades, the only quantitative historical data available indicated that populations in non-protected areas were declining owing to anthropogenic impacts (fishing and anchoring).

     

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production using mannitol as a sole carbon source by Burkholderia sp. AIU M5M02 isolated from a marine environment

Fisheries Science - We isolated Burkholderia sp. AIU M5M02, which accumulates poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] homopolymer in a nitrogen-limiting mineral salt medium containing mannitol as a sole...     

Asexual propagation of the soft corals Sinularia sp., Cladiella sp. and Sarcophyton sp. (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) using different methods of attachment in a recirculating seawater system

Three soft coral cuttings (finger soft coral, Sinularia sp.; black finger soft coral, Cladiella sp. and leather mushroom soft coral, Sarcophyton sp.) were selected to distinguish among the effects of five methods of attachment (adhering, containing, impaling, tethering and a natural attachment method used as a control) in a recirculating seawater system on healing time, time of self‐attachment, development of the cuttings and final survival. Three replicate and 30 cuttings per replicate (n = 30) were used for each treatment and the experimental period was 70 days. The results showed that the cuttings of Sinularia sp., Sarcophyton sp. and Cladiella sp. had already healed the wound area with pigmentation between 7 and 12 days for all the methods of attachment. The shortest time of self‐attachment for the Sinularia sp., Sarcophyton sp., and Cladiella sp. cuttings was obtained in the impaling method, with average values of 8.2 ± 0.9 days, 6.1 ± 0.1 days and 9.00 ± 0.8 days respectively. At the end of the experiment, the highest average final survival values of the Sinularia sp., Sarcophyton sp. and Cladiella sp. cuttings were obtained in the impaling method (86.7 ± 5.7%), the containing method (93.3 ± 5.7%) and the containing method (53.3 ± 5.7%), respectively. It was concluded from the study that the suitable methods of attachment for each soft coral were different and these methods are available for use in targeted propagation farms for restoration purposes.     

Effect of marine Eubothrium sp. (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) on the growth of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar L., experimentally infected with marine Eubothrium sp. were kept together with uninfected salmon in the laboratory for 11 months in two tanks, 80 infected and 80 uninfected in each tank. The infected fish had a reduced growth rate compared with the uninfected fish. Significant differences in growth between infected and uninfected fish were not observed until several months post-infection. There was no correlation between the number of Eubothrium sp. and fish weight, indicating that even low intensity alters the growth rate of the salmon. The cestode had the same effect on both sexes of salmon. Haematocrit level was found to be significantly lower in infected compared with uninfected salmon in one of the samples during the experiment.     

Calcium-sensitive extracellular poly(α-L-guluronate)lyase from a marine bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain F6: Purification and some properties

ABSTRACT: Poly(α- L -guluronate)lyase, as one of alginate lyases, was purified from the culture medium of a marine bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain F6, to an electrophoretically homogeneous state. The enzyme was shown to have a molecular mass of 36 kDa by sodium dodecylsulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and was most active at around pH 7.5 and was stable between pH 6.5 and pH 8.5. In the thermal stability experiments, the enzyme's activity diminished through an intermediate state with increasing incubation temperatures and was finally lost when heated at 100°C for 15 min. The addition of hen egg-white lysozyme to the enzyme decreased thermal stability dramatically. The apparent retention of enzyme activity (approximately 50%) was observed after the addition of 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and 8 M urea. Enzyme activity was lost completely with 10 mMSDS, while the ordered structure, which is considered likely to be β-structure, was markedly created. The similar conformational feature has also been created in marine bacterial and mollusc enzymes and the β-structure is commonly observed in polyuronate lyases. The divalent cation (Ca²⁺) promoted the activity of the calcium chelator-treated enzyme significantly, suggesting that Ca²⁺ is involved in the formation of the active intermediate between the acidic uronate(s) and amino acid side-chain(s) of the enzyme.     

A metacercarial disease in the dogfish species Umbra limi (Teleostei) and a trematode infestation in a Physa sp. (Mollusca)

A metacercarial infestation is reported in Canadian Umbra limi and a mass infestation by trematodes in Physa sp. from the same locality. Trials made by using parasitised snails showed that both parasites are not of the same species.