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Abstract: The analysis of historical data sets and the results obtained from field studies about the pressures exerted on coastal ecosystems in 18 sites of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea showed that : Inputs form Po and Danube rivers showed a high interannual variability. After an increase of eutrophication over the 70-80s, a decrease of nutrients inputs, especially of phosphate, was recorded since 1990. Positive impacts are seen on phytoplancton communities. In the vicinity of most coastal big cities the policy measures taken in order to reduce polluted water discharges show their effectiveness although some local issues still exist. Chemical contaminants levels decrease rapidly when the distance increase from point sources. However a large amount of coastal inputs is exported offshore. Attention should be paid to the fate and the impact of new emerging pollutants. At the basin scale, contaminant concentrations in biota show very different patterns depending on substances. For some substances, the biogeochemical background and the environmental conditions play a important role in the contamination of marine organisms. There is globally no evidence of neither degradation nor clear trends regarding seagrass meadows. The status of seagrass habitats is correlated to water quality. It can be concluded that human pressures have not affected seagrass meadows in a irreversible way. Seagrass habitats can recover (slowly) when pressures decrease. The rate of new introductions of Non Indigenous Species has been increasing at all coastal study areas after 2000. An increase of the Lessepsian species migration is seen, in link with climate change The analysis of 18 years of data about demersal fish communities showed a geographic variability in functional group (FG) biomass trends. Nearly half of the studied Mediterranean areas shows an increase of FG biomass. Changes respond mainly to nutrient inputs trends and to a lesser extent fishing pressure. Marine litter is increasing pressure on marine ecosystems. The majority of items were made of plastic often exceeding the global average of 75%. Some harmful effects on fauna are documented (birds, turtles…) but impact is poorly known. The lack of standardized methods for underwater noise measurements make difficult to assess the level of the pressure and the impact on marine ecosystems.
Keywords: sea, water directive, marine strategy framework directive, population dynamics, Gulf of Trieste, jellyfish, PERSEUS, environmental parameters
Published in DiRROS: 16.09.2024; Views: 194; Downloads: 654
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Abstract: Research on the metabolic physiology of groundwater species, particularly regarding oxygen consumption rates (OCR), has made significant advancement, revealing valuable insights into the adaptations of exclusively groundwater-dwelling (stygobitic) species. However, a comprehensive understanding of how these metabolic rates scale with body mass and respond to temperature changes remains elusive. This study aims to bridge this gap by reviewing published data on OCR across a variety of groundwater organisms to elucidate patterns of metabolic rates in relation to body size and temperature. We employed a combination of literature review and quantitative analyses, focusing on the allometric scaling of OCR with body weight and the effect of temperature on metabolic rates. Our findings indicate that OCR scales with body weight in an allometric pattern, with an inter-species slope of 0.80, suggesting non-isometric scaling. Furthermore, our analysis showed that stygobitic species’ metabolic rates are less responsive to warming than those of non-stygobitic species at low to moderate temperatures. However, at higher temperatures, metabolic rates in stygobitic species decline faster than in non-stygobitic taxa, highlighting a potential vulnerability to global climate change. This study contributes to our understanding of the metabolic strategies of groundwater species, underscoring the need for further research to fully grasp the eco-evolutionary implications of these findings for groundwater conservation.
Keywords: allometry, Arrhenius equation, ectotherms, metabolism, oxygen consumption rate, respiration, stygobiont
Published in DiRROS: 13.09.2024; Views: 165; Downloads: 100
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Abstract: V članku je predstavljena črnika (Quercus ilex L.), ena glavnih drevesnih vrst evmediteranske flore na območju Slovenije, kjer raste na razpršenih nahajališčih na severni meji svojega naravnega areala. Glavni namen raziskave je bil preučiti morfološko variabilnost njenih listov. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih sedem naravnih populacij črnike v Sloveniji. Morfometrijska analiza je pokazala veliko variabilnost listov in značilne razlike med populacijami, ki smo jih potrdili pri skoraj vseh preučevanih morfoloških znakih. Na podlagi ugotovljenih morfoloških razlik lahko slovenske populacije razdelimo v tri geografskomorfološke skupine: i) populacije na Goriškem (Sabotin, Sv. Gora in Lijak), ii) Nanos - Osp in iii) populaciji v dolini reke Dragonje. Morfološka variabilnost kot odsev genetske variabilnosti je posledica prilagoditve na lokalne okoljske razmere. Črnika v Sloveniji za zdaj ni ogrožena vrsta, vendar bi bilo pri morebitnih aktivnih varstvenih ukrepih za njeno ohranjanje smiselno čimbolj upoštevati ugotovljene tri geografsko-morfološke skupine.
Keywords: črnika, Quercus ilex, morfološka variabilnost, Slovenija, drevesni listi
Published in DiRROS: 12.09.2024; Views: 398; Downloads: 645
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Abstract: This book is the seventh volume in the ECOTHEE book series, which is published every two years and was first published in the field of ecumenical ecotheology in 2008, following the first ECOTHEE conference (ECOTHEE 08) held in Crete on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2008. Each ECOTHEE publication collects academic papers and statements by scientists, theologians, sociologists and researchers from different fields under the motto: “Religion and science can provide solutions to sustainability problems.” The articles selected in this seventh volume, ECOTHEE 22, continue the development of ecotheological resources on environmental ethics and sustainable solutions for the common oikos. This book follows the ECOTHEE goal and seeks to engage theology on key ecological concerns from a variety of religious traditions and perspectives. The emphasis is on theological and ethical implications of contributing to a sustainable ecological future. This publication is enriched with additional articles from the 5th SAPREJ conference on sustainable alternatives to poverty reduction and eco-justice and the roles, responsibilities and initiatives of religion, science and civil societies for ecological justice and biodiversity protection, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May 2023. /// The present ECOTHEE 22 book is structured into the following sections: Introduction, Section 1: Towards Reconciliation and Justice for all Creation (Eco-ethical Theological and Philosophical Reflections), Section 2: Governance, Politics, Good Practices, and Critical Evaluations of Ecological (In)Justice. /// An “Anthology of Contemporary Ecotheology, Philosophy and Eco-Justice Practices” volume of ECOTHEE delivers chapters on contemporary insights into various religious, spiritual, philosophical reflections towards reconciliation and ecojustice for a sustainable future.
Published in DiRROS: 11.09.2024; Views: 299; Downloads: 1409
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Abstract: Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, characterized by resistance to therapy. Despite aggressive treatment options, GB remains an incurable disease. Invasiveness and heterogeneity are key GB features that cannot be studied in preclinical in vitro models. In this study, we investigated the effects of standard therapy using patient-derived GB organoids (GBOs). GBOs reflect the complexity and heterogeneity of the original tumor tissue. No significant effect on GBO viability or invasion was observed after irradiation and temozolomide treatment. E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (MDM2), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A), and the serine/threonine kinases ATM and ATR were upregulated at the gene and protein levels after treatment. Our results show that the p53 pathway and DNA-damage response mechanisms were triggered, suggesting that GBOs recapitulate GB therapy resistance. GBOs thus provide a highly efficient platform to assess the specific responses of GB patients to therapy and to further explore therapy resistance.
Keywords: cellular physiology, cellular toxicology, in vitro toxicology including 3D culture, technical aspects of cell biology, cancer
Published in DiRROS: 09.09.2024; Views: 275; Downloads: 133
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