Six years of demography data for 11 reef coral species.

Scleractinian corals are colonial animals with a range of life-history strategies, making up diverse species assemblages that define coral reefs. We tagged and tracked ~30 colonies from each of 11 species during seven trips spanning 6 years (2009-2015) to measure their vital rates and competitive interactions on the reef crest at Trimodal Reef, Lizard Island, Australia. Pairs of species were chosen from five growth forms in which one species of the pair was locally rare (R) and the other common (C).

Toxic metals in Loggerhead sea turtles () stranded freshly dead along Sicilian coasts.

Background: The Loggerhead sea turtle () is a marine reptile belonging to a monophyletic group of chelonians. As these animals are long-lived, they have the ability to accumulate pollutants.

Aim: To collect epidemiological data on toxic metals in marine Loggerhead sea turtles.

Fatty Acids Composition of Stomach Oil of Scopoli's Shearwater () from Linosa's Colony.

is a Procellariforms seabird having a very representative colony in Linosa Island (Southern Italy). The adult forms of produce a pasty oil from their proventriculus to feed their chicks during the rearing period. In this work, we examined the fatty acids composition of the stomach oil of from Linosa Island by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID).

Trace elements in stomach oil of Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) from Linosa's colony.

Calonectris diomedea is a colonial Procellariiform breeding on Mediterranean islands. The stomach oil produced during chick rearing is a peculiar trait of this species. The composition of the stomach oil is likely to reflect the composition of the prey ingested and might reveal the contaminants uptake with prey becoming a possible tool for the marine pollution monitoring.

A Neglected Parasite: , First Report in Feral Pigs in a Natural Park of Sicily (Southern Italy).

Sanitary management and population control of feral pigs remains a major problem in public health, particularly in natural parks where hunting is prohibited and the extensive farming of livestock is common. is a zoonotic parasite species with a worldwide distribution of which the natural definitive hosts are primarily pigs and wild boars (). The present study describes the main anatomo-pathological and parasitological findings in the first case of in feral pigs in the Madonie park in Sicily (Southern Italy).