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.

Objectives: The analysis of prehistoric human dietary habits is key for understanding the effects of paleoenvironmental changes on the evolution of cultural and social human behaviors. In this study, we compare results from zooarchaeological, stable isotope, and dental calculus analyses as well as lower second molar macrowear pat-terns to gain a broader understanding of the diet of three individuals who lived between the end of the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene (ca., 17–8 ky cal BP)in the Eastern Alpine region of Italy.

The structure, status, and processes of the groundwater system, which can only be acquired through scientific research efforts, are critical aspects of water resource management. Isotope hydrology and hydrogeology is a genuinely interdisciplinary science. It developed from the application of methods evolved in physics (analytical techniques) to problems of Earth and the environmental sciences since around the 1950s. In this regard, starting from hydrogeochemical data, stable and radioactive isotope data provide essential tools in support of water resource management.

The intensification of agricultural land use and urbanisation has increased nutrient loads in aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen loads can alter ecosystem structure and functioning, resulting in increased algal productivity, algal blooms and eutrophication. The principal aim of the present paper is to extend the use of epilithic ?15N signatures to a lake ecosystem in order to evaluate the potential impact of anthropogenic nitrogen discharges (organic and inorganic) that can also reach coastal waters.

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

Effects of two chemical forms of Nitrogen (NH4
+ and NO3
?) on ?15N in Ulva lactuca were analysed separately and
in mixture at two concentrations.We assessedwhether the ?15Nvaluesof U. lactuca discriminate between Nitrogen
from synthetic fertilisers (inorganic) and from fresh cow manure (organic), and the isotopic ability of the
macroalga to reflect Nitrogen concentrations. Isotopic signature and N content of themacroalga reflected different
nitrogenous sources and their concentrations after 48 h. The inorganic Nitrogen source (NH4NO3) altered the

In the Ross Sea, biodiversity organisation is strongly influenced by sea-ice cover, which is characterised by marked spatio-temporal variations. Expected changes in seasonal sea-ice dynamics will be reflected in food web architecture, providing a unique opportunity to study effects of climate change. Based on individual stable isotope analyses and the high taxonomic resolution of sampled specimens, we described benthic food webs in contrasting conditions of seasonal sea-ice persistence (early vs. late sea-ice break up) in medium-depth waters in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea).

Non-native freshwater fish species can have adverse ecological impacts on native populations. However, the mechanisms determining the success or otherwise of their invasion and their role in invaded communities remain largely unknown. This is particularly true for the Mediterranean region, where endemic species characterised by restricted natural ranges may be at high risk of extinction. The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is native to North America but is invasive in the Italian Peninsula. The aim of this study was to explore the trophic position of M.

Climate change is expected to affect resource-consumer interactions underlying stability in polar food webs. Polar benthic organisms have adapted to the marked seasonality characterising their habitats by concentrating foraging and reproductive activity in summer months, when inputs from sympagic and pelagic producers increase. While this enables the persistence of biodiverse food webs, the mechanisms underlying changes in resource use and nutrient transfer are poorly understood.

Marine coastal areas are highly productive due to the presence of various inputs of organic matter, including terrestrial material, which fuels food webs. However, the ecological mechanisms underlying the productivity of benthic and demersal fish species in estuarine areas are poorly understood. By means of C and N stable isotope analysis and Bayesian mixing models, we investigated the trophic niches of three common fish species: Citharus linguatula, Pegusa lascaris (flatfish) and Liza ramada (mullet) in the Gulf of Gaeta (Italy).