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Povzetek: Brown algal forests (Cystoseira sensu lato) are key habitat-forming components of temperate rocky coasts but have experienced widespread decline across the Mediterranean Sea. This study investigates the current distribution and potential future shifts in brown algal forests across the Adriatic Sea under ongoing climate change. We combined non-destructive field-based mapping along the Slovenian coastline with remote-sensing products and spatial environmental predictors to model basin-wide habitat suitability. A multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) framework was applied to account for spatial non-stationarity and to explicitly capture the fact that environmental drivers of habitat suitability operate at different spatial scales—an assumption that global models such as GAM or standard GWR cannot adequately address. Habitat suitability maps were generated for present-day conditions and projected under mid- and late-century climate scenarios. The results reveal pronounced latitudinal gradients, identify areas of ongoing canopy decline in the northern Adriatic, and highlight parts of the southern Adriatic as potential climate refugia. Overall, the study demonstrates a likely north–south contraction of suitable habitat for brown algal forests and underscores the value of multiscale spatial modelling for informing marine spatial planning, conservation prioritization, and climate- adaptive restoration under European policy frameworks.
Ključne besede: brown algal forests, Cystoseira s.l., habitat suitability, spatial modelling, Adriatic Sea, climate change, shifts
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 21.01.2026; Ogledov: 132; Prenosov: 99
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Povzetek: Ficopomatus enigmaticus, a reef-forming serpulid, has emerged as a promising candidate for biomonitoring and ecotoxicology studies. Recent research has focused on adult stress responses, highlighting the need to understand population-specific responses. This study employed a multi-biomarker approach to investigate how F. enigmaticus adults from two populations in the NE Adriatic (Site A) and NE Tyrrhenian (Site B) responded to chronic exposure to heat and chemical stress (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO), individually and in combination. The analysis detected significant differences in protein content and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) between populations. Notably, no oxidative damage (measured as lipid peroxidation, LPO) was detected in any population or treatment. Similarly, no significant differences were detected in the integrated biomarker response index (IBRv2i). However, lower IBRv2i values at Site A suggested reduced stress conditions, possibly indicating that this site may have lower baseline stress. Overall, treatment effects were limited and site-specific: only the combined heat and DMSO exposure at Site A lowered GST activity compared to heat stress alone. Nevertheless, both populations exhibited broadly similar biochemical response patterns to stress. Our findings deepen the understanding of stress physiology in F. enigmaticus, underscoring the ecological importance of multi-stressor approaches in environmental monitoring.
Ključne besede: ecotoxicology, wild populations, biomarkers, heat stress, combined stress, population responses
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.11.2025; Ogledov: 207; Prenosov: 177
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Povzetek: The fan mussel Pinna nobilis is the largest bivalve species in the Mediterranean Sea and provides numerous ecosystem services. It is classified as critically endangered by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) due to severe mass mortality events throughout the Mediterranean. The aims of this work are as follows: (i) to assess the current recruitment potential of the species, (ii) to enhance recruitment by keeping juveniles in controlled conditions before releasing them back into the sea, and (iii) to assess the health status of recruits. In the period 2022–2023, larval collectors were set up in the Gulf of Trieste as part of the LIFE Pinna project. The collected individuals were kept in aquaria in two different facilities under different conditions: (a) a closed system with constant water temperature, live phytoplankton, and commercial food and (b) an open system with ambient seawater temperature and commercial food. A clear temporal and spatial variability in recruitment was observed: 13 recruits were found in 2022 and 50 recruits in 2023. The live specimens were between 0.5 and 8 cm in size upon collection and larger in 2023. The growth and survival rate did not differ significantly between the two systems, but the average monthly growth and survival rate were related to the initial size of the juveniles.
Ključne besede: pen shell, ex situ maintenance, in situ maintenance, Haplosporidium pinnae, Mycobacterium, conservation, marine biology
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 08.10.2025; Ogledov: 345; Prenosov: 158
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Povzetek: This study provides baseline information on the feeding habits of the bull ray, Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817), in the Gulf of Venezia. Among 1557 prey items isolated from the stomachs of bull ray specimens, gastropods represented the overwhelming majority (93.8%). Within gastropods, Aporrhais pespelecani was the dominant species, followed by Gibbula magus and Bolinus brandaris – all characteristic elements of the biocoenosis of the muddy detritic bottom. We observed differences in prey structure between juveniles and adults, as well as sexes. Among fishes that proved to be particularly important in terms of biomass, the majority of prey items consisted of small pelagic fish, including pilchard (Sardina pilchardus) and horse mackerel (Trachurus sp.). This paper contributes new data on the feeding ecology of a lesser known and critically endangered batoid species.
Ključne besede: myliobatids, feeding ecology, nursery, Gulf of Venice, batoids, endangered species, marine biology
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 03.07.2025; Ogledov: 602; Prenosov: 286
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Povzetek: Marine fouling communities, characterized by a high abundance of suspension feeders, play a crucial role in regulating ecosystem services, particularly in improving seawater quality. While not typically prioritized in conservation due to their prevalence in degraded or artificial habitats, fouling communities are important for their ecological functions under increasing urbanization and climate change. Bryozoans are an important component of these communities, although their filtering activity is less understood compared to some other groups, such as bivalves and ascidians. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the filtration activity of two widespread fouling bryozoan species, namely Schizoporella errata and Bugula neritina in the northern Adriatic (Slovenia). We measured the clearance rates (CR) of both the species when fed with microalgae to assess their filtration capacity and determine the most suitable units for quantifying the biofiltration. B. neritina exhibited a higher average CR than S. errata. The maximum CR was 32 mL/(h·cm2 ) for the S. errata and 52 mL/(h·cm2 ) for the B. neritina. Due to the morphological and growth differences between the species, the surface area was determined to be the most appropriate unit for expressing the CR. We also examined the CR of the S. errata exposed to fluorescent microplastic beads and identified active feeding areas within the colonies. Feeding zooids in S. errata were concentrated at the terminal growth margins and elevated areas of the frontal budding, as indicated by a higher fluorescence and microsphere density. These results contribute to the existing knowledge on fouling bryozoans in coastal habitats and provide further insights into their potential role as biofilters and contributors to ecosystem functioning.
Ključne besede: bryozoans, suspension feeders, fouling community, ecosystem services, microplastics, Schizoporella errata, Bugula neritina
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 06.06.2025; Ogledov: 746; Prenosov: 542
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