Who eats the invaders?
Landmark scientific study published by Frontiers in Marine Science journal
2021-07-21
(Press-News.org) A landmark scientific study involving marine biologists from Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Libya, Italy, Tunisia, the UK, the US and even Malta, documenting instances where native Mediterranean species have preyed upon two highly invasive marine fish - the Pacific red lionfish and the silver-cheeked toadfish - has just been published. Prof. Alan Deidun, coordinator of the Spot the Alien Fish citizen science campaign and resident academic within the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Science, is a co-author of such an extensive study.
The Pacific red lionfish (Pterois miles) and the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) are amongst the most invasive of non-indigenous fish species to enter the Mediterranean in recent years, posing both ecological and socio-economic hazards. For instance, considerable negative impacts on native fish populations in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico has been recorded as a result of the introduction of non-native lionfish species, such that the active removal and even consumption of the species is advocated by conservation biologists in the invaded areas, mainly as a result of a lack of predators of the same species. In addition, lionfish also pose risks to humans as the venom in their 18 spines can cause cardiovascular and neuromuscular effects, ranging from mild reactions, including swelling, to extreme pain and paralysis in upper and lower extremities. The Pacific red lionfish was first recorded from the Mediterranean in 1991 within Israeli waters, having reached the central Mediterranean in Italy and in Tunisia, but not Maltese waters, to date.
The silver-cheeked toadfish was first recorded from the Mediterranean from Turkish waters in 2003, and has even been caught a number of times from Maltese waters as of 2016. This is an extremely toxic species due to the high concentrations of the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX) it harbours in its tissues, responsible for a number of human mortalities each year. In addition, the species disrupts fishing lines, tears fishing nets and predates on fished stocks, including cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopus), wreaking a considerable socio-economic impact.
The study has documented only one native predator of adult silver-cheeked toadfish - loggerhead turtles - and a number of native predators for juvenile toadfish, including dolphinfish (lampuki) and garfish (msell). Interestingly enough, cannibalism was also observed within the species. As for the Pacific red lionfish, documented native predators included the dusky grouper (?erna), the white grouper (dott tal-faxxi), the common octopus (qarnit) as well as the silver-cheeked toadfish itself. The study also documented predation of the two invasive fish species within their native range (i.e. Indo-Pacific region) as well as from other invaded regions (e.g. western Atlantic), through a trans-Atlantic research collaboration with colleagues from the US.
The relative paucity in natural, native predators of these two highly invasive non-indigenous fish species suggests that direct human management measures need to be implemented in order control their Mediterranean populations. In Cyprus, for example, the direct removal of both silver-cheeked toadfish and Pacific red lionfish individuals is incentivised by authorities through the provision of financial 'bounties' and through the organisation of spearfishing competitions known as 'derbies.'
INFORMATION:
The study has been published in the high-impact Frontiers in Marine Science journal and can be accessed freely online: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.670413/full?&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&id=670413
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2021-07-21
SARS-CoV-2 still poses major challenges to mankind. The frequent emergence of mutant forms makes the threat posed by the virus difficult to predict. The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617 circulated in India and gave rise to the Delta variant, B.1.617.2, which is now becoming dominant in many countries. Infection researchers from the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have investigated the B.1.617 variant in detail. In cell culture studies, they found that this variant can infect certain lung and intestinal cell lines more efficiently than the original ...
2021-07-21
A high proportion of staff working in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced mental health conditions, according to a new study.
In a study of 515 healthcare staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) across seven countries, the researchers found that on average 48 percent of participants showed signs of mental health conditions - depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their mental health was assessed using a detailed questionnaire and a clinical scoring system.
The team also found a 40 per cent increase in the conditions for those who spent more than six hours in personal protective equipment (PPE) over ...
2021-07-21
At low temperatures, certain materials lose their electrical resistance and conduct electricity without any loss - this phenomenon of superconductivity has been known since 1911, but it is still not fully understood. And that is a pity, because finding a material that would still have superconducting properties even at high temperatures would probably trigger a technological revolution.
A discovery made at TU Wien (Vienna) could be an important step in this direction: A team of solid-state physicists studied an unusual material - a so-called "strange metal" made of ytterbium, rhodium and silicon. Strange metals show an unusual relationship between electrical resistance and temperature. ...
2021-07-21
A protein involved in making cells move offers a clue to how certain types of cancer metastasize and develop into secondary tumours, according to new research from the University of Warwick.
Scientists from Warwick Medical School have demonstrated for the first time that levels of this protein can increase and decrease the movement of a cell, including cancer cells - suggesting that they could play a role in the spread of tumours.
The study is published today (21 July) in the Journal of Cell Biology and was funded by the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
The researchers are investigating a tiny cell component called an Intracellular nanovesicle (INV) which acts like a courier within a cell by transporting cargo to where it ...
2021-07-21
Classical molecular sieve membranes, with 3D microparticles and 2D nanosheets as primary building blocks, are promising in chemical separation.
Separation within such membranes relies on molecular movement and transport though their intrinsic or artificial nanopores. Since the weak connections by nature between the neighboring "bricks" usually result in intercrystalline gaps in membranes, the prevailing selectivity for classical molecular sieve membranes is moderate.
Recently, a research group led by Prof. YANG Weishen and Dr. BAN Yujie from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed ...
2021-07-21
Professors at Ural Federal University (UrFU, Russia) Sergey Shcheklein and Aleksey Dubinin have developed a technology for generating energy for an electric car engine using methanol. An article describing the technology was published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
"We pour methanol into the fuel tank. An air converter, which processes methanol into a gas mixture, is installed directly inside the vehicle. A mixture or synthesis gas, consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, is formed in a small volume, which is necessary for the current operation of an electric vehicle engine," said Sergey Shcheklein, head ...
2021-07-21
According to the latest cosmological models, large spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way grew by absorbing smaller galaxies, by a sort of galactic cannibalism. Evidence for this is given by very large structures, the tidal stellar streams, which are observed around them, which are the remains of these satellite galaxies. But the full histories of the majority of these cases are hard to study, because these flows of stars are very faint, and only the remains of the most recent mergers have been detected.
A study led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), with the participation of the Instituto de Astrofísica ...
2021-07-21
Pregnancy-induced diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes, is a common metabolic complication of pregnancy. The disorder carries a significant risk of adverse obstetric outcome. Additionally, it is associated with a high risk of recurrence, progression to maternal type 2 diabetes as well as an elevated risk of obesity in foetuses exposed to hyperglycaemia during gestation.
The mechanisms causing gestational diabetes are complex and incompletely understood. The disorder has a strong underlying genetic element that interacts with lifestyle factors and the physiologic changes accompanying pregnancy to alter maternal glucose regulation.
A team of researchers from the Faculty ...
2021-07-21
The tiny organisms living in soil may have a greater effect on the yield and pest and disease resistance of crop plants grown in that soil than previously known.
Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Kansas have shown that soil microbes - microscopic organisms like viruses, bacteria and fungi found throughout nature - play a role in the phenomenon of heterosis or "hybrid vigor," the superior performance of crossed plant lines, or hybrids, over inbred plant lines. Hybrids are often used by farmers for agricultural production due their superior crop yields.
Research into hybrid vigor has generally highlighted the roles of genetic ...
2021-07-21
BOSTON - A new study by research, quality improvement and health equity experts at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in The American Journal of Managed Care lays out the challenges of achieving equity for diverse patients in communication at hospital discharge. A survey of 224 recently discharged patients was conducted in five languages just before the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted challenges, including limited understanding of medications; lack of available professional medical interpreters and translated patient instructions at discharge; and worries about support for at home after hospitalization.
Major findings include:
Overall, one in four patients were alone at discharge, without a family member ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Who eats the invaders?
Landmark scientific study published by Frontiers in Marine Science journal