Paola Gianguzza

Università degli Studi di Palermo | UNIPA · Department of earth and marine science (DiSTeM)

Here, we report the recent capture (October, November 2021) of the following three non-indigenous species (NIS) from the Indo-Pacific in the Mediterranean Sea: the fishes Naso annulatus and Scatophagus argus and the brachyuran Charybdis (Charybdis) natator. The record of the white margin unicorn fish N. annulatus from the island of Malta represents...

Marine invasive species and their bioactive metabolites have become critical ecological issues in the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, the highly invasive green algae Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa cylindracea are known to contain the bioactive sesquiterpene caulerpenyne (1) and the bisindolic alkaloid caulerpin (2), potentially acting as chemica...

The invasive portunid species Callinectes sapidus is hereby recorded for the first time from Maltese waters, thus updating the known distribution of this decapod of Atlantic origin within the Mediterranean. Potential introduction pathways of the species to Maltese waters are discussed.

The first occurrence of Diadema setosum in the southern Mediterranean waters is recorded from the shores of Libya and Egypt, through the input by citizens' science. The expansion of this invasive sea urchin in the Mediterranean basin is briefly discussed.

Invasive portunid crabs in Libyan waters: first record of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 and range expansion of the swimming blue crab Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775) Abstract The occurrence of the portunid Callinectes sapidus is documented for the first time from Libyan waters. The record fills a gap of knowledge concerni...

The starfish Ophidiaster ophidianus is an Atlanto-Mediterranean species protected under the EU’s Habitat Directive. Despite the wide distribution and the current range of expansion of this thermophilic species in the northern Mediterranean Sea, nothing is known about its diet. Using field observations and δ13C and δ15N Stable Isotopes Analysis (SIA...

The study aimed at contributing to the knowledge of alternative stable states by evaluating the differences of mobile and sessile macro-zoobenthic assemblages between sea urchin barrens and macroalgal forests in coastal Mediterranean systems considering a large spatial scale. Six sites (100 s km apart) were selected: Croatia, Montenegro, Sicily (It...

Shallow CO2 vents are used to test ecological hypotheses about the effects of ocean acidification (OA). Here, we studied fish assemblages associated with Cymodocea nodosa meadows exposed to high pCO2/low pH conditions at a natural CO2 vent in the Mediterranean Sea. Using underwater visual census, we assessed fish community structure and biodiversit...

Native generalist grazers can control the populations of non-indigenous invasive algae (NIIA). Here, it was found that the simultaneous consumption of two co-occurring NIIA, Caulerpa cylindracea and C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, hinders the grazing ability of the main Mediterranean herbivorous, the native sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The i...

A flourishing population of the Massawan mantis shrimp, Erugosquilla massavensis, an Erythraean species, is recorded off Sicily, Italy, one year after the very first specimen was collected off the eastern coast of the island. The species is already established as a minor, albeit valuable, fishery resource. Once its population increases, however, it...

BIR_2019_Gianguzza_etal_Table_S1.xlsx

---Natur. sicil., S. IV, XLIII (2): 135-154.--- The Gulf of Castellammare (Tyrrhenian Sea, NW Sicily) has been subject since 1990 to a trawl ban that covers 200 km2, most of which on the continental shelf. The trawl ban was thought as a fisheries management measure to recover the depleted fish stocks in the area. The effectiveness of the ban was as...

A second record of the non-indigenous species Botryocladia madagascariensis G. Feldmann (Rhodophyta) along the coasts of the “Ustica Island” Marine Protected Area (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) is reported. With this additional record for the Sicilian coasts, we provide a description of collected specimens of B. madagascariensis and habitat details. Numer...

Point of the situation regarding the NIS in the Marine Protected Areas in Sicily

Naturally acidified environments are used to test ecological hypotheses about the effects of ocean acidification on complex communities. Here, we used a shallow Mediterranean CO2 vent to study the coastal fish assemblages associated to Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows, long-term exposed to high pCO2 / low pH conditions. In particular, by using und...

Understanding which factors influence the invasion of alien seaweed has become a central concern in ecology. Increasing evidence suggests that the feeding preferences of native herbivores influence the success of alien seaweeds in the new community. We investigated food selection of a generalist native grazer Paracentrotus lividus, in the presence...

The distribution of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula, a warm affinity species, has been expanding in the Mediterranean Sea. To address questions on potential for future success of this species in the region, the thermotolerance of larval development was investigated in context of regional warming. The larvae were reared in present day spawning period...

Predator-prey interactions may be strongly influenced by temperature variations in marine ecosystems. Consequently, climate change may alter the importance of predators with repercussions for ecosystem functioning and structure. In North-eastern Pacific kelp forests, the starfish Pycnopodia helianthoides is known to be an important predator of the...

Ecosystem resistance to species invasion is considered to be related to the abundance and diversity of native species (i.e. diversity-resistance hypothesis). In particular, the integrity of predator assemblages may enhance the control of prey populations through direct and indirect interactions (e.g.: different predation strategies by different pre...

The effects of alien macroalgal invasions on ecosystem functioning may depend on the feeding choice of native herbivores between native and non-native algae. The co-occurrence of two invasive Caulerpa species, C. taxifolia var. distichophylla and C. cylindracea in Southern Sicily, offered the possibility to investigate the feeding preferences of a...

Asteroids are largely recognized as important predators in all of the world’s oceans and for this reason, they play a crucial role in shaping the structure and functioning of benthic ecosystems. The spiny starfish Marthasterias glacialis is generally considered a voracious predator of molluscs, in particular bivalves. Using field observations and c...

Although protected areas can lead to recovery of overharvested species, it is much less clear whether the return of certain predator species or a diversity of predator species can lead to re-establishment of important top-down forces that regulate whole ecosystems. Here we report that the algal recovery in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area did...

This study provides for the first time an evaluation of the natural availability of scallop seeds along the coastal area of Taranto (Mediterranean Sea, Southern Italy). To select the best artificial collectors to harvest scallop seeds in this area, cylindrical collectors (Cyl) were compared to traditional ‘Japanese-style onion bags’ (Bag) across th...

Asteroids are an important group of predators in many marine ecosystems. The measure of body size is crucial in studying asteroid biology as this variable affects both prey selection and predation impact. Current field techniques for estimating asteroid size (i.e. total length TL, total weight TW) include the measure of correlated variables, such u...

In the Mediterranean Sea the co-occurring sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are usually considered to share the same ecological role in the formation of barren from Cystoseira canopy. However, their foraging ability may vary due to feeding behavior and species-specific morphological traits. The relative effects of P. lividus and...

As has been shown for other ecosystems, the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change on Mediterranean intertidal habitats are highly variable in space and time. We conducted field and laboratory measurements of cellular, ecophysiological and behavioural responses of selected intertidal invertebrates (mussels, gastropods and sponges)...

Macroalgae bioactive compounds are considered a possible source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in marine herbivores and can result in oxidative stress. Caulerpenyne, an acetylenic sesquiterpene produced by Caulerpa species (Ulvophyceae, Caulerpales), is especially deterrent to herbivores by producing repulsive and toxic secondary metabolites. Th...

The increasing abundances of the thermophilous black sea urchin Arbacia lixula in the Mediterranean Sea are attributed to the Western Mediterranean warming. However, few data are available on the potential impact of this warming on A. lixula in combination with other global stressors such as ocean acidification. The aim of this study is to investig...

Based on recent biodiversity studies carried out in different parts of the Mediterranean, the following 19 species are included as new records on the floral or faunal lists of the relevant ecosystems: the green algae Penicillus capitatus (Maltese waters); the nemertean Amphiporus allucens (Iberian Peninsula, Spain); the salp Salpa maxima (Syria); t...

Asteroids, popularly known as starfish or sea stars, by virtue of their crucial role in shaping the structure and functioning of benthic ecosystems, are largely recognized as important predators in all of the world’s oceans. The spiny starfish Marthasterias glacialis is usually mentioned in Northern Europe and Mediterranean Sea as a predator of biv...

I dati di monitoraggio attualmente disponibili per le aree marine protette (AMP) mediterranee risultano nella maggior parte dei casi limitati nel tempo. Per ovviare a tale mancanza, si possono sfruttare le conoscenze ecologiche di persone appartenenti al mondo scientifico e non, che risultano avere avuto un prolungato legame con l’ambiente marino....

The occurrence of the invasive seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia in the Straits of Messina (Italy) provides an excellent opportunity to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of abundance of the endemic Mediterranean sacoglossan Oxynoe olivacea. Densities of this species were recorded in March, June and October 2000 on three different habitats: the und...

Trace element accumulation is particularly important in coastal and transitional environments, which act as contaminant buffers between the continental and marine systems. We compared trace element transfer to the biota in two locations with different open-sea exposures in a semi-enclosed marine coastal area (Stagnone di Marsala, Sicily, Italy) usi...

Sea urchins are ecologically important and often greatly affect marine communities. Because they have an excellent fossil record, they are also of interest to paleontologists. Research on sea urchins has increased in recent years, stimulated first by recognition of their ecological importance and subsequently their economic importance. Scientists a...

Sea urchins are ecologically important and often greatly affect marine communities. Because they have an excellent fossil record, they are also of interest to paleontologists. Research on sea urchins has increased in recent years, stimulated first by recognition of their ecological importance and subsequently their economic importance. Scientists a...

Biometric parameters of the Asteroid echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis (L.) were measured at Ustica Island MPA (SW Tyrrhenian Sea). Wet weight was correlated with tip-to-tip (arm-span) diameter, central disk, arm length, arm width and arm height. Results show high positive correlation between weight and arm height, suggesting a new useful method t...

In this study we provide estimates of density and distribution of the invasive alien crab Percnon gibbesi in the "Capo Gallo-Isola delle Femmine" MPA (NW Sicily). We also evaluated the relationship between crab density and habitat. We found density of P. gibbesi strongly correlated to turfed boulders and structural complexity.

Temperate rocky reefs may occur in two alternative states (coralline barrens and erect algal forests), whose formation and maintenance are often determined by sea urchin grazing. The two sea urchin species Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula are considered to play a similar ecological role despite their differing morphological traits and diets...

Despite the large body of work published in the last two decades on the reproduction of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the reproductive aspects linked to hydrodynamic conditions and their influence on gonad production remain poorly understood. The present paper aims to evaluate the effect of hydrodynamism on the reproductive cycle of P. livi...

Stable isotopes were used to investigate contributions of autochthonous (i.e. benthic: epilithon and macroalgae) and allochthonous (i.e. pelagic: phytoplankton) organic matter sources to the diet of suspension-feeders, grazers and predators associated to small reef-pools (cuvettes) created by the reef-building species Dendropoma petraeum in the nor...

Rocky reefs can shift from forest, a state dominated by erect algae with high biodiversity, to barren, an impoverished state dominated by encrusting algae. Sea urchins, abundant in barrens, are usually held responsible for the maintenance of this state. Predation by large fish can revert the barren state to forest by controlling sea urchin populati...

In this study we provide estimates of density and distribution of the invasive alien crab Percnon gibbesi in the "Capo Gallo-Isola delle Femmine" MPA (NW Sicily). We also evaluated the relationship between crab density and habitat. We found density of P. gibbesi strongly correlated to turfed boulders and structural complexity.

The sea urchin Arbacia lixula (Linneus, 1758) is considered a thermophilic species. Its increase in abundance and distribution coincides with the western Mediterranean warming. Marine biota might be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Ocean acidification decreases calcium carbonate saturation. Thus calcifying species may have problems in pro...

Sympatric sea urchin species are usually considered to belong to the same grazer guild. Nevertheless, their role in community dynamics may vary due to species-specific morphological traits, feeding preferences and foraging behavior. In the Mediterranean Sea, the two species Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula co-occur in barren areas. Whereas...

Knowledge on species composition changes at different spatial and temporal scales is crucial to understand the dynamics of marine communities. These are dynamic systems that can occur in multiple stable states. In temperate systems, variation in sea urchin grazing intensity may drive switches between one complex algal assemblage, dominated by sever...

L’Area Marina Protetta “Isola di Ustica” ha avviato nel 2011 il progetto di educazione ambientale redatto dall’Istituto per lo Sviluppo del Mediterraneo “Insegnanti…a mare” che nei giorni 29-30 e 31 agosto 2011 ha realizzato il primo corso di aggiornamento per docenti delle scuole inferiori. Il corso ha visto la partecipazione di 17 insegnanti dell...

Over the past 20 years, several studies observed an increase of Mediterranean A. lixula populations. Recently, a positive correlation is documented between abundance of A. lixula and temperature rising. This, improves thermophilic features of A. lixula. Reproductive processes are fundamentals to understand the success of a species influenced by env...

Per comprendere l'attuale espansione dell’echinide regolare Arbacia lixula in Mediterraneo, si è iniziato a studiarne il successo di fecondazione attraverso l’analisi della quantità e longevità dei gameti maschili e femminili. Lo studio è stato effettuato su esemplari di A. lixula provenienti da due aree della costa occidentale siciliana (Capo Gall...

Recent ecological studies have shown a strong relation between temperature, echinoids and their grazing effects on macro-algal communities. In this study, we speculate that climate warming may result in an increasingly favourable environment for the reproduction and development of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. The relationship between increased A....

The sea urchin Arbacia lixula is a crucial species in driving the algal assemblages dynamic of the infralittoral zone. A. lixula is considered a thermophilic species and its increase in abundance in western Mediterranean waters, probably is due to an increase in seawater temperature. The study was conducted within two Sicilian MPA (Capo Gallo-Isola...

To appraise the current knowledge of Sicilian transitional waters (TWs), a review was undertaken of the information available on these ecosystems. In detail, a synthesis of the current status is reported, highlight-ing for each area the ecological features and status, historical data, conservation regime, environmental emergencies and anthropic pre...

This study, aimed to evaluate the protection effects on Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula populations and benthic assemblage, spanned four years (2006-2009) at the MPA "Isola di Ustica". Results showed a decrement of sea urchin abundance and a consequent recovery of erect macroalgae. Multiple factors like lack of sea urchin recruitment and n...

In the Mediterranean, sea breams are the most effective Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula predators. Generally, seabreams dislodge adult urchins from the rocky substrate, turn them upside down and crush their tests. Sea urchins may respond to fish attacks clinging tenaciously to the substratum. This study is the first attempt to investigate...

Predation of young sea urchins settlers are often invoked as a key process in the control of sea urchins populations and therefore in the structure and stability of rocky infralittoral communities. In this study a number of decapod species were detected as predators of young settlers of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and their predation rates...

This study, aimed to evaluate the protection effects on Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula populations and benthic assemblage, spanned four years (2006-2009) at the MPA "Isola di Ustica". Results showed a decrement of sea urchin abundance and a consequent recovery of erect macroalgae. Multiple factors like lack of sea urchin recruitment and n...

Distribution and diet of Marthasterias glacialis was studied at Ustica Island MPA. We conducted observations of the asteroid along the upper infralittoral zone using random parallel transects. M. glacialis was more abundant at study sites characterized by low densities of erect algae. Most frequent prey species was a bivalve and sea urchins

This study evaluated the fficts af protection orz average density of the edible sea urchin Paracentrot[s lividus on the rocly reefs of Capo GalloJsola delle Femmine MPA (SW Italy, Mediterranean Sea). Sea urchin density .tir;ts estimated from 2007 to 20A8 in three sites: two ifi the take zone C and one in the no-tuke zone A. No dffirences were detec...

In the Mediterranean, fishing bans generally allow the recovery of populations of sea urchin predators, such as the seabreams Diplodus sargus and D. vulgaris, promoting the transformation of overgrazed communities into ones dominated by erect macroalgae. However, in the marine reserve on Ustica Island (SW Italy) the opposite trend has occurred in t...

Literature data report that only fish predators are able to crush sea urchin tests in Mediterranean rocky reefs. This experimental study showed that the spiny star Marthasterias glacialis is able to break Paracentrotus lividus tests and that the breaking event is more likely to occur for small-sized sea urchins than for big ones. Our results show t...

We investigated, with a series of field and laboratory observations, the possible effect of the starfish Marthasteria glacialis predation on the operational sex ratio (OSR), i.e. the number of sexually mature males divided by the total number of sexually mature adults of both sexes at any one time, of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Th...

Fiorentino, F., Badalamenti, F., D’Anna, G., Garofalo, G., Gianguzza, P., Gristina, M., Pipitone, C., Rizzo, P., and Fortibuoni, T. 2008. Changes in spawning-stock structure and recruitment pattern of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, after a trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (central Mediterranean Sea). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1175–1...

La raccolta ricreativa del riccio di mare Paracentrotus lividus (Lam.) può avere effetti diretti sull’abbondanza di questa specie ed indiretti quali l’aumento della biomassa della specie non target Arbacia lixula (L.). Scopo del lavoro è stato quello di verificare l’ipotesi secondo cui, nei siti della zona A dell’AMP “Isola di Ustica” aperti alla b...

The feeding behaviour of the shelled sacoglossan Oxynoe olivacea was investigated to better understand the role and importance of this species in influencing encroachments of the alien alga Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean sea. We tested whether this slug preferred, as preliminary field observations suggested, an aggregative feeding behaviou...

New capture of the Tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) in the southern Tyr-rhenian Sea (Osteichthyes: Lobotidae). The specimen was a male of 470 mm total length long, caught by purse seine in October 2006, 25 miles off Punta Raisi (Palermo, Sicily). A brief description of the specimen and comment on the food item occurrence are given. Int...