Free-living nematodes of Mediterranean ports: a mandatory contribution for their use in ecological quality assessment
Franzo, A.; Baldrighi, E.; Grassi, E.; Grego, M.; Balsamo, M.; Basili, M.; Semprucci, F. (2022). Free-living nematodes of Mediterranean ports: a mandatory contribution for their use in ecological quality assessment. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 180: 113814. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113814
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363, more
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| Keywords |
Nematoda [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Marine nematodes, Commercial ports, Mediterranean Sea, Long-standing contamination, Co-occurence analysis, Environmental quality assessment |
| Authors | | Top |
- Franzo, A.
- Baldrighi, E.
- Grassi, E.
- Grego, M.
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- Balsamo, M.
- Basili, M.
- Semprucci, F.
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| Abstract |
Free-living nematodes were investigated in three Mediterranean commercial ports (Ancona and Trieste, Italy; Koper, Slovenia) in terms of abundance, diversity and functionality. Results indicated that r-strategist genera were dominant in all ports and that a more diverse assemblage characterized Trieste, despite the high contamination levels, suggesting a potential adaptation to long-standing contamination. The main environmental factor that shaped the assemblage in all ports were Total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, while Total Organic Carbon and the grain-size were less relevant. A co-occurrence analysis was applied for identifying which genera cohesively respond to site-specific environmental conditions in order to recalibrate and implement the sets of bioindicator genera in relation to their different opportunistic behaviour. Finally, we provided some suggestions for a proper application of the nematode indices (Maturity Index, Index of Trophic Diversity, Shannon diversity) in order to encourage the use of free-living nematodes for the environmental quality assessment of commercial ports. |
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