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Microplastics represent an important issue of concern for marine ecosystems worldwide, and closed seas, such as the Mediterranean, are among the most affected by this increasing threat. These pollutants accumulate in large quantities in benthic environments causing detrimental effects on diverse biocenoses. The main focus of this study is on the ‘polychaetes-microplastics’ interactions, particularly on two species of benthic polychaetes with different ecology and feeding strategies: the sessile and filter feeder Sabella spallanzanii (Gmelin, 1791) and the vagile carnivorous Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766). Since not standardized protocols are proposed in literature to date, we compared efficiencies of diverse common procedures suitable for digesting organic matter of polychaetes. After the definition of an efficient digestion protocol for microplastics extraction for both polychaetes, our results showed high microplastics ingestion in both species. Microplastics were found in 42% of individuals of S. spallanzanii , with a mean of 1 (± 1.62) microplastics per individual, in almost all individuals of H. carunculata (93%), with a mean of 3.35 (± 2.60). These significant differences emerged between S. spallanzanii and H. carunculata , is probably due to the diverse feeding strategies. The susceptibility to this pollutant makes these species good bioindicators of the impact of microplastics on biota.

The Ligurian Sea is one of the most studied Mediterranean basins. Since the beginning of the last century, many research expeditions have characterized its benthic and pelagic fauna through scuba diving and trawl surveys. However, a large knowledge gap exists about the composition of benthic communities extending into the so-called mesophotic or twilight depth range, currently under intense pressure from commercial and recreational fishing. A series of visual surveys, carried out by means of remotely operated vehicles between 2012 and 2018, were conducted along the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break, between 30 and 210 m depth, in order to characterize the main benthic biocoenoses dwelling at this depth range and to determine the most relevant environmental factors that explain their spatial distribution. Deep circalittoral communities of the Ligurian Sea were represented by a mixture of species belonging to the deepest extension of shallow-water habitats and deep circalittoral ones. Twelve major biocoenoses were identified, each one characterized by specific preferences in depth range, substrate type and seabed slope. Those biocoenoses included gorgonian and hydrozoan forests, dense keratose sponge grounds, Dendrophyllia cornigera gardens, bryozoan beds and soft-bottom meadows of sabellid polychaetes and soft-corals. Other less common aggregations included six forests of black corals and two populations of Paramuricea macrospina. A georeferenced database has been created in order to provide information to managers and stakeholders about the location of the identified communities and high-diversity areas, aiming to facilitate sustainable long-term conservation of the Ligurian benthic ecosystem.

Escherichia coli is primarily known as a commensal colonising the gastrointestinal tract of infants very early in life but some strains being responsible for diarrhoea, which can be especially severe in young children. Intestinal pathogenic E. coli include six pathotypes of diarrhoeagenic E. coli (DEC), namely the (i) enterotoxigenic E. coli, (ii) enteroaggregative E. coli, (iii) enteropathogenic E. coli, (iv) enterohemorragic E. coli, (v) enteroinvasive E. coli, and (vi) diffusely-adherent E. coli. Prior to human infection, DEC can be found in natural environments, animal reservoirs, food processing environments and contaminated food matrices. From an ecophysiological point of view, DEC thus deal with very different biotopes and biocoenoses all along the food chain. In this context, this review focuses on the wide range of surface molecular determinants acting as surface colonisation factors (SCFs) in DEC. In the first instance, SCFs can be broadly discriminated into (i) extracellular polysaccharides, (ii) extracellular DNA, and (iii) surface proteins. Surface proteins constitute the most diverse group of SCFs broadly discriminated into (i) monomeric SCFs, such as autotransporter (AT) adhesins, inverted ATs, heat-resistant agglutinins or some moonlighting proteins, (ii) oligomeric SCFs, namely the trimeric ATs, and (iii) supramolecular SCFs, including flagella and numerous pili, e.g. the injectisome, type 4 pili, curli chaperone-usher pili or conjugative pili. This review also details the gene regulatory network of these numerous SCFs at the various stages as it occurs from pre-transcriptional to post-translocational levels, which remains to be fully elucidated in many cases.

The article is devoted to the conservation of hunting and commercial ungulates biodiversity in Transbaikalia. The results of complex parasitological analysis are described. In hunting and commercial ungulates in the Trans-Baikal Territory, 22 species of helminths and 1 species of protozoa were parasitized. A complex of preventive veterinary measures aimed at maintaining the sanitary well-being of biocenoses is observed.

The capacity of macroalgae for bioaccumulation of harmful elements is beneficial from the point of view of water treatment processes. Nevertheless, it is a threat to marine biocenoses, particularly to organisms on the individual levels of the trophic chain. Since algae have a great potential to bind trace elements, these organisms are often used as indicators of marine environment pollution. The aim of this study was to assess the content of Pb, Cd, B and Ba in water and algae collected in the region of Makarska Riviera. To achieve the pursued objective, in August 2016 samples of water and algae (Cystoseira barbata and Ulva rigida species) were collected from nine sampling points located in the following towns: Makarska, Podgora, Baška Voda, Split (John Paul II Street), Stobreč, Podstrana, Omiš, Mimice and Drvenik. The laboratory samples of algae were subjected to wet mineralization in a closed system with the use of microwave energy. The content of elements in the water and in the digested algae samples was determined using the emission spectrometry, on Optima 7600 DV manufactured by Perkin Elmer. The results of the conducted research indicate slight anthropogenic water enrichment with all the investigated elements. Generally, the highest content of the studied elements was determined in the water collected in Split, Stobreč, Podstrana and Omiš, compared to samples from other sampling points. On the other hand, the content of elements in the algae does not point to a risk to the natural environment and is characteristic for unpolluted regions. The content of the studied elements in the water decreased in the order: B > Pb > Ba > Cd; in the biomass of algae of the Cystoseira barbata species in the order: B > Pb > Ba > Cd; and of the Ulva rigida species - B > Ba > Pb > Cd. With the exception of cadmium, considerable differences in the concentration of the studied elements with respect to the algae genus were recorded. Higher amounts of boron were determined in the biomass of Cystoseira barbata, whereas Ulva rigida contained more lead and barium. The mean bioaccumulation factors of individual elements in the biomass of the algae ranged between 15.39 and 3728. The highest value of the bioaccumulation factor was determined in the case of barium, whereas the lowest - in the case of boron

This article presents the results of a study of zoobenthos of the Ural River in an area from the town of Verkhneuralsk to the city of Orenburg (about 1000 km) with sampling upstream and downstream of sources of anthropogenic impact: large cities, metallurgical plants, treatment facilities (TFs), and reservoirs. The degree of pollution was estimated using the Shannon and EPT indices, as well as the Woodiwiss index, an indicator that partially takes into account the first two indices. It is shown that the selected parameters decrease downstream of the sources of anthropogenic impact, thereby reflecting a decrease in the species diversity of benthic biocenoses and a decrease in the number of indicator species sensitive to pollution. Small streams are particularly affected; pools are subject to greater transformations than riffles. An integrated indicator of water quality based on biological parameters is proposed. It was used to rank all studied areas by the degree of pollution. It is shown that ten of the 23 studied river areas are assigned to the 1st class of water quality (conventionally clean areas), seven areas to the 2nd class (weakly polluted areas), three areas to the 4th class (dirty areas), and three areas to the 5th class (extremely dirty areas). This indicates that, despite multiple sources of pollution, the Ural River has a high self-purification capacity and most of the studied areas are quite clean and favorable for the habitation of benthic invertebrates.

Karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems (KGDEs) in the Mediterranean region are important in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity but are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures and climate-change constraints. For this study, the ecohydrological characteristics, threats, and protection status of 112 selected KGDEs around the Mediterranean Sea, including caves, springs, rivers and wetlands, were evaluated, based on local expert knowledge and scientific literature. Results demonstrate that KGDEs contribute considerably to regional biodiversity. The diversity of karst landscapes, combined with the groundwater emergence at springs, leads to exceptional habitat diversity, particularly in arid climates, where KGDEs serve as a refuge for species that could not thrive in the surrounding environment. The most common threats identified among the selected sites are direct human disturbances, such as mass tourism or overfishing, water-quality deterioration and water shortage from aquifer overdraft and/or climate change. Although most of the selected sites are under protection, conservation measures are frequently insufficient. Such shortcomings are often caused by poor data availability, little knowledge on conservation needs of invertebrate species, and conflicts of interest with the local population. For this purpose, it is necessary to raise environmental awareness and promote interdisciplinary research, in order to monitor water quality and quantity in addition to the status of the biocenoses.

Detailed layer-by-layer studying of fossil remains of organisms provides an insight into the historical development of biocenoses. This paper focuses on the fossil cladoceran remains obtained from the sediment archive of Lake Naito-3 (70°12'125\" N 70°22'592\" E) (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia) in order to model its ecological transformations. A total of 17 cladoceran taxa, mostly belonging to the family Chydoridae, were identified. The dominant species was Bosmina longirostris (Müller, 1785) widespread in all horizons of the sediment core. Using the constrained cluster analysis, four stratigraphic zones were singled out.

Hard coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is on a trajectory of decline. However, little is known about past coral mortality before the advent of long-term monitoring (circa 1980s). Using paleoecological analysis and high-precision uranium-thorium (U-Th) dating, we reveal an extensive loss of branching Acropora corals and changes in coral community structure in the Palm Islands region of the central GBR over the past century. In 2008, dead coral assemblages were dominated by large, branching Acropora and living coral assemblages by genera typically found in turbid inshore environments. The timing of Acropora mortality was found to be occasionally synchronous among reefs and frequently linked to discrete disturbance events, occurring in the 1920s to 1960s and again in the 1980s to 1990s. Surveys conducted in 2014 revealed low Acropora cover (<5%) across all sites, with very little evidence of change for up to 60 y at some sites. Collectively, our results suggest a loss of resilience of this formerly dominant key framework builder at a regional scale, with recovery severely lagging behind predictions. Our study implies that the management of these reefs may be predicated on a shifted baseline.

In this article, we traced the development of fauna, bioecology and populations of more than 50 species of the main family Lepidoptera , found in the biocenosis of Uzbekistan. Research has been conducted in agricultural crops, forestry and natural biocenoses, and representatives of the Lepidoptera family have been involved in scientific research on species that cause great economic damage. Trichogrammatidae , Braconidae , Ichneumonidae , Chalcididae , Pteromalidae , and Tachinidae , the main entomophagous species that effectively control the number of members of the Lepidoptera family, have also been identified and systematically analyzed. The representatives of the family Trichogrammatidae , which are effective parasitic entomophagous in the management of the number of representatives of the family Lepidoptera . The study revealed that in the agrobiocenoses of cotton, mung bean, corn and cabbage in Tashkent province, the level of occurrence of three main species of nightshade pests of the family Trichogrammatidae , which are egg parasites of the family Lepidoptera , was determined. This means that the number of nights can be effectively controlled by members of the trichogramma family.