Comparison of calculated and measured nutrient fluxes reveals buffer saturation in dystrophic lagoon sediments.

In shallow lagoons dissolved oxygen and nutrients fluxes regulate oxygen levels, water chemistry and primary production and are generally measured via dark incubations. Nutrient fluxes can also be calculated from sediment respiration and C:N:P stoichiometry or from diffusive gradients between bottom and pore waters. Rarely are these different approaches used together, even though they can provide valuable insights into benthic functioning.

Lipid metabolism of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in two contrasting natural habitats.

Sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus were harvested monthly from April 2015 to March 2016 from two sites in Sardinia (Italy). The two sites, a Posidonia oceanica meadow and a rocky bottom habitat, were naturally characterized by different food sources and availability, being mainly populated by the sea grass Posidonia oceanica and the brown algae Halopteris scoparia, respectively. Total lipids showed a minimum during winter in mature gonads, and a maximum in the summer (recovery stage).

The challenge of managing the commercial harvesting of the sea urchin : advanced approaches are required.

Sea urchins act as a keystone herbivore in marine coastal ecosystems, regulating macrophyte density, which offers refuge for multiple species. In the Mediterranean Sea, both the sea urchin and fish preying on it are highly valuable target species for artisanal fisheries. As a consequence of the interactions between fish, sea urchins and macrophyte, fishing leads to trophic disorders with detrimental consequences for biodiversity and fisheries.

Microplastics uptake and egestion dynamics in Pacific oysters, Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793), under controlled conditions.

Microplastics debris (<5 mm) are increasingly abundant in the marine environment, therefore, potentially becoming a growing threat for different marine organisms. Through aquatic animals, these can enter in the human food chain, and can be perceived as a risk for consumers' health. Different studies report the presence of particles in marketable shellfish including the world wide commercially grown Pacific oyster Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793).

The role of fatty acids and triglycerides in the gonads of Paracentrotus lividus from Sardinia: Growth, reproduction and cold acclimatization.

A detailed characterization of lipid extracts from gonads of P. lividus over a year has been performed combining GC and NMR measurements. For this purpose, sea urchins from two different Sardinian coastal areas were collected monthly.

Hard time to be parents? Sea urchin fishery shifts potential reproductive contribution of population onto the shoulders of the young adults.

Background: In Sardinia, as in other regions of the Mediterranean Sea, sustainable fisheries of the sea urchin have become a necessity. At harvesting sites, the systematic removal of large individuals (diameter ≥ 50 mm) seriously compromises the biological and ecological functions of sea urchin populations. Specifically, in this study, we compared the reproductive potential of the populations from Mediterranean coastal areas which have different levels of sea urchin fishing pressure.

Proteomic dataset of Paracentrotus lividus gonads of different sexes and at different maturation stages.

We report the proteomic dataset of gonads from wild Paracentrotus lividus related to the research article entitled "Proteomic changes occurring along gonad maturation in the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus" [1]. Gonads of three individuals per sex in the recovery, pre-mature, mature, and spent stages were analyzed using a shotgun proteomics approach based on filter-aided sample preparation followed by tandem mass spectrometry, protein identification carried out using Sequest-HT as the search engine within the Proteome Discoverer informatics platform, and label-free differential analysis. The dataset has been deposited in the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PRIDE: PXD004200.

Proteomic changes occurring along gonad maturation in the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

Unlabelled: The reproductive stage of Paracentrotus lividus strongly influences product quality that, in turn, impacts significantly on the market price. Large, compact and sweet gonads are preferred, and sensory attributes are positively related to the ratio of nutritive phagocytes to gametes. Gonads at advanced maturation stages, although larger, have less desirable attributes, being more watery and bitter especially in females.

Influence of seasonal and environmental patterns on the lipid content and fatty acid profiles in gonads of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus from Sardinia.

The influence of seasonal and environmental patterns on the lipid fraction of Paracentrotus lividus gonads was investigated. For this purpose, sea urchins were collected monthly over a year from two Sardinian coastal areas. Total lipids in gonads follow an annual cyclical trend, described by a sine wave curve, that it is more influenced by season than by growing area.