When DNA Tells the Tale: High-Resolution Melting as a Forensic Tool for Mediterranean Cetacean Identification.

Effective species identification is crucial for the conservation and management of marine mammals, particularly in regions such as the Mediterranean Sea, where several cetacean populations are endangered or vulnerable. In this study, we developed and validated a High-Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis protocol for the rapid, cost-effective, and reliable identification of the four representative marine cetacean species that occur in the Mediterranean Sea: the bottlenose dolphin (), the striped dolphin (), the sperm whale (), and the fin whale (). Species-specific primers targeting mitochondrial DNA regions (cytochrome b and D-loop) were designed to generate distinct melting profiles.

Extraocular Photoreception in Optic Lobes, Suckers, and Skin of Octopus vulgaris.

Coleoid cephalopods like octopuses, squids, and cuttlefishes have advanced light-sensing systems crucial for visual perception and survival. Previously, it has been demonstrated that the skin of coleoids contains transcripts encoding rhodopsin and retinochrome, exhibiting a dermal light sense. Moreover, chromatophores in the mantle skin of Octopus bimaculoides expand in response to light when completely isolated from the central nervous system and eyes.

Stress Induced by Fishing in Common Octopus () and Relative Impact on Its Use as an Experimental Model.

The common octopus (), among coleoid cephalopods, has evolved the most complex nervous system and sophisticated behaviors. Historically, was a key animal model for neurophysiology research, and today, it is studied for its genomic innovations. However, unlike other models, there is no octopus farming for research, so specimens must be collected from the wild.

Trophic organization of the benthic communities off the South Italian coasts: A review with a modelistic approach.

Limited data are available about the coastal ecology of the Calabria region, in the southern Italy. As well, data about the levels of biodiversity and the structure of food webs in these environments are totally missing. However, considering the wide range of physical and ecological conditions distinguishing these ecosystems, a remarkable spread of biodiversity is expected.

Postscript to Invertebrate Welfare: "We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us".

Through this collection of papers, we have considered in depth the effects that humans have on invertebrate welfare in a variety of contexts [...

Effect of biodegradable polymers upon grazing activity of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk) revealed by morphological, histological and molecular analyses.

In the last years biodegradable polymers (BPs) were largely used as real opportunity to solve plastic pollution. Otherwise, their wide use in commercial products, such as packaging sector, is causing a new pollution alarm, mainly because few data reported about their behaviour in the environment and toxicity on marine organisms. Our previous results showed that embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lmk) exposed to poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) showed delay of their development and morphological malformations, also affecting at the molecular levels the expression of several genes involved in different functional responses.

The Use of Isoflurane and Adjunctive Magnesium Chloride Provides Fast, Effective Anaesthetization of .

A wide variety of substances have been used to anaesthetise invertebrates, but many are not anaesthetics and merely incapacitate animals rather than preventing pain. In essence, the role of an ideal general anaesthetic is to act as a muscle relaxant, an analgesic, an anaesthetic, and an amnesic. To achieve all these properties with a single substance is difficult, and various adjuvants usually need to be administered, resulting in a cocktail of drugs.

Recording electrical activity from the brain of behaving octopus.

Octopuses, which are among the most intelligent invertebrates, have no skeleton and eight flexible arms whose sensory and motor activities are at once autonomous and coordinated by a complex central nervous system. The octopus brain contains a very large number of neurons, organized into numerous distinct lobes, the functions of which have been proposed based largely on the results of lesioning experiments. In other species, linking brain activity to behavior is done by implanting electrodes and directly correlating electrical activity with observed animal behavior.

Gene Expression Detects the Factors Influencing the Reproductive Success and the Survival Rates of Offspring.

The increase in the demand for roe, a food delicacy, causes increased pressure on its wild stocks. In this scenario, aquaculture facilities will mitigate the effects of anthropogenic pressures on the wild stocks of . Consequently, experimental studies should be conducted to enhance techniques to improve efficient aquaculture practices for these animals.

Neuroecology: Forces that shape the octopus brain.

Octopuses inhabit almost all seas in the world. A new study on tropical species suggests that, as in vertebrates, folding in the brain and visual system might be linked to habitat and lifestyle.

In an octopus's garden in the shade: Underwater image analysis of litter use by benthic octopuses.

Benthic octopuses have been widely documented in artificial shelters for decades, and this use is apparently increasing. Despite any possible positive effects, the use of litter as shelter could have negative implications. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the interactions of octopuses with marine litter, identifying types of interactions and affected species and regions.

The differential role of Leydig cells in the skin and gills of Lissotriton italicus larvae.

Larval urodeles are provided with external gills involved, along with the skin, in gas exchange and osmoregulation. Gills and skin epithelia are different, each showing a peculiar set of specialized cells but both provided with Leydig cells (LCs). Information on LCs in the gills is lacking as the literature has focused primarily on the epidermis.

Identification and Characterization of a Rhodopsin Kinase Gene in the Suckers of : Looking around Using Arms?

In their foraging behavior octopuses rely on arm search movements outside the visual field of the eyes. In these movements the environment is explored primarily by the suckers that line the entire length of the octopus arm. In this study, for the first time, we report the complete characterization of a light-sensing molecule, Ov-GRK1, in the suckers, skin and retina of .

Correction: Fixation of genetic variation and optimization of gene expression: The speed of evolution in isolated lizard populations undergoing Reverse Island Syndrome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Research Trends in Octopus Biological Studies.

Octopuses represent interesting model studies for different fields of scientific inquiry. The present study provides a bibliometric analysis on research trends in octopuses biological studies. The analysis was executed from January 1985 to December 2020 including scientific products reported in the Web of Science database.

The Membranotropic Peptide to Combat Mixed / Biofilm: Correlation between In Vitro Anti-Biofilm Activity and In Vivo Antimicrobial Protection.

The antibiofilm activity of a gH625 analogue was investigated to determine the in vitro inhibition and eradication of a dual-species biofilm of and , two leading opportunistic pathogens responsible for several resistant infections. The possibility of effectively exploiting this peptide as an alternative anti-biofilm strategy in vivo was assessed by the investigation of its efficacy on the larvae model. Results on larvae survival demonstrate a prophylactic efficacy of the peptide towards the infection of each single microorganism but mainly towards the co-infection.

Cognitive Stimulation Induces Differential Gene Expression in : The Key Role of Protocadherins.

Octopuses are unique invertebrates, with sophisticated and flexible behaviors controlled by a high degree of brain plasticity, learning, and memory. Moreover, in , it has been demonstrated that animals housed in an enriched environment show adult neurogenesis in specific brain areas. Firstly, we evaluated the optimal acclimatization period needed for an before starting a cognitive stimulation experiment.