Publications

[effect of injection of a human gonadotropin on the synthesis and liberation of vitellogenin by adipose tissue of the marine crustacean isopod idotea balthica basteri audouin].	human chorionic gonadotrophin (hcg) stimulates the rate of vitellogenin synthesis and release by fat bodies in puberal females of the marine crustacean isopods idotea balthica basteri. moreover this effect is specific for vitellogenin: since 48 hr after the treatment, the rate of total protein synthesis, in treated females, is not significantly different from that of females injected with physiological medium, or with denaturated gonadotrophin.	1984	6735158
phylogeography and historical ecology of the north atlantic intertidal.	recent glaciation covered the full extent of rocky intertidal habitat along the coasts of new england and the canadian maritimes. to test whether this glaciation in fact caused wholesale extinction of obligate rocky intertidal invertebrates, and thus required a recolonization from europe, we compared american and european populations using allelic diversity and techniques adapted from coalescent theory. mitochondrial dna sequences were collected from amphi-atlantic populations of three cold-temp ...	2001	11831661
genetic and environmental variation in performance of a marine isopod: effects of eutrophication.	environmental variation in food resources modifies performance of herbivores, in addition to genetic variation and maternal effects. in marine benthic habitats, eutrophication may modify herbivores' diets by changing host species composition or nutritional quality of algae for herbivores. we studied experimentally the effects of diet breadth and nutrient availability for the host algae on fitness components of the herbivorous isopod idotea baltica. we fed the adult isopods with the brown algae f ...	2004	15146322
predicting toxicity in marine sediment in taranto gulf (ionian sea, southern italy) using sediment quality guidelines and a battery bioassay.	the goal of this study was to assess coastal marine pollution in the mar piccolo and taranto gulf (ionian sea, southern italy) by combining chemical and toxicological data in order to compare and integrate both approaches. pollutants levels, traditionally, have limited ability to predict adverse effects on living resources. moreover, in order to provide information on the ecological impact of sediment contamination on aquatic biota numerical sediment quality guidelines (sqgs) and sediment toxici ...	2007	17115271
bacterial symbionts in the hepatopancreas of isopods: diversity and environmental transmission.	the midgut glands (hepatopancreas) of terrestrial isopods contain bacterial symbionts. we analysed the phylogenetic diversity of hepatopancreatic bacteria in isopod species from various suborders colonizing marine, semiterrestrial, terrestrial and freshwater habitats. hepatopancreatic bacteria were absent in the marine isopod idotea balthica (valvifera). the symbiotic bacteria present in the midgut glands of the freshwater isopod asellus aquaticus (asellota) were closely related to members of th ...	2007	17506824
asymmetric competition via induced resistance: specialist herbivores indirectly suppress generalist preference and populations.	species may compete indirectly by altering the traits of a shared resource. for example, herbivore-induced responses in plants may make plants more resistant or susceptible to additional herbivorous insect species. herbivore-induced plant responses can significantly affect interspecific competition and herbivore population dynamics. these herbivore-herbivore indirect interactions have been overlooked in aquatic ecosystems where previous studies used the same herbivore species to induce changes a ...	2007	17536409
divergence in host use ability of a marine herbivore from two habitat types.	we studied ecological divergence of host use ability in a generalist marine herbivore living in two distinct host plant assemblages. we collected idotea balthica isopods from three populations dominated by the brown alga fucus vesiculosus and three dominated by the seagrass zostera marina. in two reciprocal common garden feeding experiments for adult and laboratory-born juvenile isopods, we found that isopods from both assemblages performed better with their sympatric dominant host species than ...	2009	19500204
induced resistance in a brown alga: phlorotannins, genotypic variation and fitness costs for the crustacean herbivore.	in the marine littoral, strong grazing pressure selects for macroalgal defenses such as the constitutive and inductive production of defense metabolites. induced defenses are expected under spatiotemporally varying grazing pressure and should be triggered by a reliable cue from herbivory, thereby reducing grazing pressure via decreased herbivore preference and/or performance. although induced resistance has frequently been demonstrated in brown macroalgae, it is yet to be investigated whether in ...	2010	19921521
nutrient availability modifies species abundance and community structure of fucus-associated littoral benthic fauna.	the brown alga fucus vesiculosus is a foundation species in the baltic sea littoral, hosting a rich faunal community. we compared the species composition and diversity of invertebrate macrofauna living on f. vesiculosus between sites differing in their eutrophication status and exposure to waves at three different times during a season. we determined the size, nitrogen and phlorotannin content of the alga. the invertebrate community differed substantially between sites near fish farms and those ...	2012	20691336
food selection of coregonus lavaretus in a brackish water ecosystem.	this study examined how variability in the abundance and biomass structure of benthic invertebrates affected the feeding choice of the whitefish coregonus lavaretus on a hard bottom habitat of the brackish baltic sea. in general, crustaceans such as idotea balthica and gammarus spp. were preferred over molluscs. although being the most numerous taxon in the invertebrate samples, mytilus trossulus was the lowest ranking in c. lavaretus food preference. the availability of benthic invertebrate pre ...	2011	21284633
local adaptation in adult feeding preference and juvenile performance in the generalist herbivore idotea balthica.	populations can respond to environmental heterogeneity by genetic adaptation to local conditions. evidence for local adaptation in herbivores with relatively broad host breadth is scarce, either because generalists rarely locally adapt or because fewer studies have tested for local adaptation. the marine isopod idotea balthica, a small (<3 cm) generalist herbivore common to estuaries of the northwestern atlantic, is found on multiple macroalgae and sea grasses north of 42°n, while more southerly ...	2012	22451011
water-borne cues of a non-indigenous seaweed mediate grazer-deterrent responses in native seaweeds, but not vice versa.	plants optimise their resistance to herbivores by regulating deterrent responses on demand. induction of anti-herbivory defences can occur directly in grazed plants or from emission of risk cues to the environment, which modifies interactions of adjacent plants with, for instance, their consumers. this study confirmed the induction of anti-herbivory responses by water-borne risk cues between adjoining con-specific seaweeds and firstly examined whether plant-plant signalling also exists among adj ...	2012	22701715
seabird guano fertilizes baltic sea littoral food webs.	nutrient enrichment in coastal marine systems can have profound impacts on trophic networks. in the baltic sea, the population of great cormorant (phalacrocorax carbo sinensis) has increased nearly exponentially since the mid-1990 s, and colonies of these seabirds can be important sources of nitrogen enrichment for nearby benthic communities due to guano runoff. in this study we used stable isotope analyses and diet mixing models to determine the extent of nitrogen enrichment from cormorant colo ...	2013	23593452
comparing the relative importance of water-borne cues and direct grazing for the induction of defenses in the brown seaweed fucus vesiculosus.	some seaweed species have been shown to release water-borne cues after herbivore attack, for example, to attract natural enemies of the herbivore. these cues may also be sensed by neighboring seaweeds and used to adjust their defenses in anticipation of a possible herbivore attack. several studies indicated information transfer between seaweed individuals in the past, including the brown seaweed fucus vesiculosus. previous work showed induction of defenses in f. vesiculosus in response to water- ...	2014	25279662
mapping present and future potential distribution patterns for a meso-grazer guild in the baltic sea.	the baltic sea is one of the world's largest semi-enclosed brackish water bodies characterized by many special features, including endemic species that may be particularly threatened by climate change. we mapped potential distribution patterns under present and future conditions for a community with three trophic levels. we analysed climate-induced changes in the species' distribution patterns and examined possible consequences for the chosen food web.	2015	25653464
induced resistance to periwinkle grazing in the brown seaweed fucus vesiculosus (phaeophyceae): molecular insights and seaweed-mediated effects on herbivore interactions.	herbivory is a key factor for controlling seaweed biomass and community structure. to cope with grazers, constitutive and inducible defenses have evolved in macroalgae. inducible chemical defenses show grazer-specificity and, at the same time, have the potential to mediate interactions among different herbivores. furthermore, temporal variations in defense patterns, which may adjust antiherbivory responses to grazing pressure, were reported in two brown seaweeds. however, underlying cellular pro ...	2014	26988328
effects of microplastics on european flat oysters, ostrea edulis and their associated benthic communities.	plastic pollution is recognised as an emerging threat to aquatic ecosystems, with microplastics now the most abundant type of marine debris. health effects caused by microplastics have been demonstrated at the species level, but impacts on ecological communities remain unknown. in this study, impacts of microplastics on the health and biological functioning of european flat oysters (ostrea edulis) and on the structure of associated macrofaunal assemblages were assessed in an outdoor mesocosm exp ...	2016	27239693
different roles of feeding and protection in diel microhabitat choice of sexes in idotea baltica.	in idotea baltica, a marine isopod that lives and feeds on the brown alga fucus vesiculosus, microhabitat choice differs between sexes so that males are found more often than females on the light-coloured and exposed apical parts of the alga. we investigated how the requirements of avoiding visual predators and feeding were related to microhabitat choice in relation to diurnal and life-cycle stage in males and females. faced with a choice between an apical and a basal piece of the alga, females ...	2000	28308335