Ricerc@Sapienza

Determining food web architecture and its seasonal cycles is a precondition for making predictions about Antarctic marine biodiversity under varying climate change scenarios. However, few scientific data concerning Antarctic food web structure, the species playing key roles in web stability and the community responses to changes in sea-ice dynamics are available. Based on C and N stable isotope analysis, we describe Antarctic benthic food webs and the diet of species occurring in shallow waters (Tethys Bay, Ross Sea) before and after seasonal sea-ice break-up.

Knowledge of the trophic ecology of predators is key to understanding how they affect food web structure and ecosystem functioning. The harbour crab Liocarcinus depurator (L.) (Brachyura: Portunidae)
is one of the most abundant decapod species in soft-bottom areas of the Mediterranean Sea and northeast Atlantic Ocean. It is both a common prey and predator of commercial and non-commercial

Transitional waters are highly productive ecosystems, providing essential goods and services to the biosphere and human population. Human influence in coastal areas exposes these ecosystems to continuous internal and external disturbance. Nitrogen-loads can affect the composition of the resident community and the trophic relationships between and within species, including fish.