Mia Buzancic

Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries | IZOR · Laboratory of Plankton and Shellfish toxicity

Considering the role of phytoplankton in the functioning and health of marine systems, it is important to characterize its responses to a changing environment. The central Adriatic Sea, as a generally oligotrophic area, is a suitable environment to distinguish between regular fluctuations in phytoplankton and those caused by anthropogenic or climat...

Marine diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia are widespread and occur in various environments. About half of the species described today have been shown to be toxic, producing the potent neurotoxin, domoic acid. The Pseudo-nitzschia species are a common component of the Adriatic phytoplankton community and are occasionally predominant. In the prese...

Coccolithophores are unicellular marine algae belonging to the haptophyte group, characterized by the production of intricate calcium carbonate plates that adorn their cells and exhibit species-specific morphology. The Adriatic Sea has historically been the type locality of numerous phytoplankton species, including coccolithophores. However, since...

In this paper, we provide the first evidence of a bloom formation of coccolithophore Syracosphaera halldalii in a salt‐wedge estuary of Krka River (Mediterranean Sea), during stratified conditions. The increase of coccolithophore abundance was firstly noticed in August 2017 and occurred again in October 2017. The increased abundance appeared over w...

In this study, three isolates of the potentially toxic diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia were analysed for morphological and toxicological features. Cultures of Pseudo-nitzschia were established from seawater samples collected from the southern part of the Velebit Channel (central Adriatic Sea) during February 2019. All culture isolates were identified...

In this study, three isolates of the potentially toxic diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia were analysed for morphological and toxicological features. Cultures of Pseudo-nitzschia were established from seawater samples collected from the southern part of the Velebit Channel (central Adriatic Sea) during February 2019. All culture isolates were identified...

The aim of the present study isto characterise the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia community during a bloom period together with environmental conditions. High proliferation of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. was observed in September 2017 at the shellfish breeding area in the Krka River estuary (Central eastern Adriatic Sea). The peak of abundance (1.8 x 106 cells...

The Krka River estuary is a karstic, permanently stratified estuary due to the strong freshwater inflow. It is a special environment in which to study the phytoplankton community, especially because this area is an important aquaculture site. Among other potentially toxic phytoplankton species, the diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia occurs frequently an...

In order to detect the possible regulatory effect of non-native C. gigas on the native O. edulis, under aquaculture conditions, feeding interactions between them were investigated in a highly productive environment of Lim Bay (Adriatic Sea). The present study uses a multi-methodological approach, including stomach content, DNA barcoding and stable...

In this study, the time series of toxic phytoplankton species collected between 2004 and 2018 from the Northern Adriatic, Šibenik Bay, and Mali Ston Bay was analyzed in relation to environmental (temperature, salinity, water column stability, and river flow) and meteorological parameters (precipitation and wind). Because of the mostly non-linear re...

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to detect the ultrastructural morphological features that distinguished the investigated species Skeletonema grevillei.

In September 2015, a massive occurrence of the Ostreopsis species was recorded in central Adriatic Kaštela Bay. In order to taxonomically identify the Ostreopsis species responsible for this event and determine their toxin profile, cells collected in seawater and from benthic macroalgae were analyzed. Conservative taxonomic methods (light microscop...

An inventory of phytoplankton diversity in 12 Adriatic ports was performed with the port baseline survey. Particular emphasis was put on the detection of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOP) because of their negative impact on ecosystem, human health, and the economy. Phytoplanktonic HAOP are identified as species, either native or non-in...

The present study shows the concise morphological description of Skeletonema grevillei Sarno & Zingone in the Šibenik Bay on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. Increased abundance of the species was observed during January 2016. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to detect the ultrastructural morphological features that distinguish...

The unusual and prolonged occurrence of rare and poorly known dinoflagellate Prorocentrum arcuatum in the phytoplankton of the shallow aquaculture site in Medulin Bay was recorded from July 2013 to October 2014. This enabled us to investigate changes in abundance and environmental drivers of P. arcuatum population dynamics in natural conditions, an...

The aim of our research was to study the composition of Pseudo-nitzschia species during a period when neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) was present in shellfish. Sampling was conducted in Kaštela Bay (Central Adriatic Sea), between November 2015 and January 2016. Concentrations of DA analyzed in various shellfish species were low, below the regulatory li...

The unusual and prolonged occurrence of rare and poorly known dinoflagellate Prorocentrum arcuatum in the phytoplankton of the shallow aquaculture site in Medulin Bay was recorded from July 2013 to October 2014. This enabled us to investigate changes in abundance and environmental drivers of P. arcuatum population dynamics in natural conditions, an...

This study shows the influence of eutrophication pressure on the phytoplankton community structure, abundance and biodiversity in the investigated bays with different hydromorphological features. Šibenik Bay is a highly stratified estuary of the karstic river Krka; Kaštela Bay is a semi-enclosed coastal bay, which is influenced by the relatively sm...

In order to test the response of phytoplankton to anthropogenic pressure, data of chlorophyll a concentration, phytoplankton abundance, and composition are analyzed in relation to anthropogenic pressure gradient and environmental variables such as temperature, salinity and nutrients. Investigated sites encompassed wide tropic range according to a p...

Present study describes the phytoplankton community structure and phytoplankton abundance in three bays on the eastern Adriatic coast (Šibenik Bay, Kaštela Bay and Mali Ston Bay) during 2005. The highest phytoplankton biomass (expressed as chlorophyll a) were recorded at one station in Šibenik Bay (4.73 mg m -3), and in Kaštela Bay (2.79 mg m -3),...

Evaluation of a 45-year data set of primary production (PP), a 30-year data set of phytoplankton biomass, and a 51-year data set of species composition shows an increase of phytoplankton biomass and abundance in the period from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Phytoplankton biomass showed bimodal seasonal cycles, with winter and spring maxima, which...

Annual dynamics and ecological characteristics of the genus Dinophysis spp. and associated shellfish toxicity events were studied from 2001 to 2005 during monitoring fieldwork in the coastal waters of the eastern Adriatic Sea. Analysis of the seasonal occurrence of Dinophysis species identified D. acuminata and D. sacculus as typical spring species...

Analysis of Istrian shellfish breeding areas for (Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning; DSP) shellfish toxicity were recorded in summer and autumn 2005 as part of Croatian shellfish breeding areas monitoring programme. As well as analysis of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), DSP and Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) through mouse bioassay, analysis of...

The isopod parasite Ceratothoa oestroides becomes hard to eradicate in intensive fish rearing systems and in addition to causing weight loss in adult fish it causes mortalities in larval and juveniles stages of sea bass and sea bream. Faced with the fast emergence of this infection in Adriatic finfish facilities, an effective compound had to be tes...