Sensitivity of foraminiferal-based indices to evaluate the ecological quality status of marine coastal benthic systems: A case study of the Gulf of Manfredonia (southern Adriatic Sea).

This paper aims to compare two foraminiferal based biotic indices generally used to evaluate the ecological quality status (EcoQS): the Foram-AMBI and the Foram Stress Index (FSI). For this purpose, we report the distribution and diversity of living foraminiferal assemblages and the environmental variables from a bathymetric transect in the Southern Adriatic Sea. The two indices agree well with the detected organic enrichment but indicate conflicting EcoQS as the Foram-AMBI detects good environmental conditions, whereas the FSI describes a poor-moderate quality. Many species not assigned (including soft-shelled foraminifera) are to blame for the different results. Also, both foraminiferal-based indices neglect the heavy metal increase encountered in the deepest stations. These findings suggest the need for a more in-depth analysis to improve the ecological status evaluation of marine benthic systems, including other descriptors as chemical pollutants in combination with biotic indices sensitive to organic matter enrichment.

Cigarette butts, a threat for marine environments: Lessons from benthic foraminifera (Protista).

Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter in the world and their environmental impact is related to both persistence and potential toxic effects for chemical composition. The objective of this study was to assess the acute toxicity (LC50-48 h) of human-smoked cigarette butts leachate on 3 cultured genera of benthic foraminifera: the calcareous perforate Rosalina globularis, the calcareous imperforate Quinqueloculina spp., and the agglutinated Textularia agglutinans. The specimens were exposed to 16, 8, 4, 2, and 1 cigarette butts/L concentrations that prove to be acutely toxic to all taxa. Starting from 4 cigarette butts/L, both calcareous genera showed shell decalcification, and death of almost all the individuals, except for the more resistant agglutinated species. These results suggest the potential harmfulness of cigarette butts leachate related to pH reduction and release of toxic substances, in particular nicotine, which leads to physiology alteration and in many cases cellular death.

The Effects of Paleoclimatic Events on Mediterranean Trout: Preliminary Evidences from Ancient DNA.

In this pilot study for the first time, ancient DNA has been extracted from bone remains of Salmo trutta. These samples were from a stratigraphic succession located in a coastal cave of Calabria (southern Italy) inhabited by humans from upper Palaeolithic to historical times. Seven pairs of primers were used to PCR-amplify and sequence from 128 to 410 bp of the mtDNA control region of eleven samples. Three haplotypes were observed: two (ADcs-1 and MEcs-1) already described in rivers from the Italian peninsula; one (ATcs-33) belonging to the southern Atlantic clade of the AT Salmo trutta mtDNA lineage (sensu Bernatchez). The prehistoric occurrence of this latter haplotype in the water courses of the Italian peninsula has been detected for the first time in this study. Finally, we observed a correspondence between frequency of trout remains and variation in haplotype diversity that we related with ecological and demographic changes resulting from a period of rapid cooling known as the Younger Dryas.