During the past several decades, high abundances of jellyfish have been reported in many marine ecosystems. In response, the NCEAS (www.nceas.ucsb.edu) has established the working group (WG) with the overarching goal to provide a global synthesis on jellyfish blooms. WG was originally composed of 24 members from the USA, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, UK and Slovenia (our program collaborator A. Malej). WG analyzed available long-term datasets on changes in jellyfish abundance across multiple locations using linear and logistic mixed models, and revealed global oscillations of blooms. In some areas blooms appear to be increasing in both intensity and frequency due to multiple hypothesized anthropogenic stressors. WG proposed that the proliferation of artificial structures associated with the growth in shipping, aquaculture, and other coastal industries, and coastal protection (“ocean sprawl”) provided habitat for jellyfish polyps and may be an important driver of the global increase in jellyfish blooms. Educational information, public seminars and publications have promoted jellyfish investigations in different research fields what reflects also in numerous citations of WG papers (Scopus CI: 424 citations)
COBISS.SI-ID: 2703695
We have investigated the relationship between the giant colonial ciliate Zoothamnium niveum, which host on its outer surface the gammaproteobacterial thiotrophic ectosymbiont Cand. Thiobios zoothamnicoli. Cultivation experiments revealed maximal growth and survival under steady ?ow of high oxygen and low sul?de concentrations. We aimed at directly demonstrating the sulphur-oxidizing, chemoautotrophic nature of the symbionts and at investigating putative carbon transfer from the symbiont to the ciliate host. We performed pulse-chase incubations with 14C- and 13C-labeled bicarbonate under varying environmental conditions. The combination of tissue autoradiography and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) coupled with transmission electron microscopy was used to follow the fate of the radioactive and stable isotopes of carbon, respectively. We show that symbiont cells ?x substantial amounts of inorganic carbon in the presence of sul?de, but also to a lesser degree in the absence of sul?de by utilizing internally stored sulphur. Isotope labelling patterns point to translocation of organic carbon to the host through both release of these compounds and digestion of symbiont cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of freshly collected ciliates revealed that the vast majority of ingested microbial cells were ectosymbionts.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4610639
The marine icicles that form on coastal constructions, e.g. piers, railings, stairs, protective boulders are occasionally formed in the coastal zones of the Mediterranean Sea and occur in relation to cold-air outbreaks from the polar region, such as the one in the last decade of February 2018. The air temperatures over the northern Adriatic Sea, the northernmost part of the Mediterranean, dropped to –2.1°C, a necessary condition for seawater to freeze, with salinity around 37 PSU. The formation of icicles on the coastal structures was further enabled by the bora wind and related high seas along the coast. Measurements confirm that the icicles in the Bay of Piran in the Gulf of Trieste (45.55° N) were formed from the seawater. The measured salinity level of the melted icicles, around 9 PSU, is a typical value reported for marine icicles in polar regions. We have therefore acknowledged the enhanced weather variability, possibly enhanced by climatic changes, by pointing to a formation of marine icicles on coastal structures in the northern Adriatic during a period when in Greenland winter air temperature surpassed 5 °C. This indicates possible freezing of marine (sessile) organisms in a littoral zone in northern Adriatic Sea.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4973391
Ketoprofen is an important drug, which enters into the natural waters by wastewaters from sewage treatment plants and pharmaceutical industry. Results of the study of photochemical degradation of ketoprofen and its photoproducts contribute to the knowledge about degradation pathways of these compounds in natural waters. This is important, since quite often more toxic compounds are formed during degradation processes. At the same time, these results contribute to the knowledge about the use of photochemical processes for wastewater treatment.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4663119
Group of Marine Biology Station (MBS) researchers investigated the potential link between the microbial community dynamics and the environmental parameters in a semi enclosed and highly dynamic coastal marine ecosystem (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea). Over the two consecutive years, the physical, chemical and biological parameters were sampled with high temporal and vertical resolution. The statistical analysis of the time series data was employed to attribute some of the changes observed in the bacterial community to specific environmental conditions. This study emphasizes the prediction power based on association networks that are fed with longterm measurements of microbial and environmental parameters. These interaction maps offer valuable insights into the response of marine ecosystem to climate and anthropogenic driven stressors. Slovenian Research Agency (SRA) selected this work as the achievement of the 'Excellence in Science for 2015' in the field of natural science. The work was presented in the form of open public event in collaboration with the 'Science on the Street' popular lectures to promote the general enrichment of knowledge. Citations without autocitations: 21 (Scopus CI).
COBISS.SI-ID: 3156559
In this research, sediments from the Sečovlje Salina (northern Adriatic, Slovenia) were geochemically investigated in order to decode the mobility of metal(oid)s in the hypersaline environment. The results demonstrated that the concentrations of As, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn were comparable to those detected in various similar coastal background areas, as well as in the Sečovlje saltmarsh core sample. The estimated mobility potential of metal(oid)s in sediment decreases in the following order: Mo ) As ) Cu ) Sb ) Sn ) Co ) Pb ) Ni ) Zn. Since the hypersaline sediment (e.g. healing mud) is used as a healing factor (it can be applied directly on human skin), the study of metal(oid) bioavailability in an interaction between the hypersaline sediments and the artificial sweat was also performed. It is significant that the metal(oid) contents are leached in very low concentrations and are treated as nontoxic for humans according to international norms for cosmetic products. The study provides important data for further application of the Sečovlje Salina sediments (e.g. healing mud) and offers possibilities of their use by the local economy (salt production) and in tourism (thermalism). Slovenian Research Agency awarded this work, together with the publication of Glavaš et al. (2018) [COBISS.SI-ID 4780623] the ‘Excellence in Science 2018 award’ in the field of interdisciplinary research.
COBISS.SI-ID: 1409630
The influence of offshore marine constructions on the moon jellyfish population in the Adriatic Sea, where the newly set up substrates enable the formation of a new population based in the formerly unpopulated open waters was studied. Our five-year long computer simulation uses a high resolution coupled bio-physical individual-based model to track the dispersal of the offspring from subpopulations originating from offshore and shore-based sources. According to our study, the platforms enhance connectivity between subpopulations of jellyfish polyps, help sustain existing shore-based subpopulations, contribute to jellyfish blooms in some areas, and play an important role in establishing connection with the rest of the Mediterranean. This is an aspect that is usually overlooked when evaluating the ecological impact of existing and future offshore wind farms, oil and gas platforms, etc. Article has been since its appearance in July 2017 downloaded 1591 times (in the top 5 % of all research outputs scored by Altmetric) and evoked many echoes in international popular science journals. It was presented in the New Scientist magazine, in the electronic journal Quarz, which has more than 19 million visitors a month (40 % from the US, 60 % from the other countries) and several other international media.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4346191
Canopy-forming algal species, like those of the genus Cystoseira, are known to play an important role as ecosystems- engineers. Under key anthropogenic stressors (e.g. nutrient enrichment and urbanization), these species are replaced by persistent and smaller taxa, defined as turf-forming algae. The scope of this work was to search for shifts from canopy-forming to turf-forming taxa, changes in macrophytes spatial and seasonal diversity, and trends in macrophytes biodiversity on the infralittoral rocky bottom of the northern Adriatic Sea, during the period from 2006 to 2016. At many sampling sites a decline in the proportion of canopy-forming algae (Cystoseira spp. and Halopithys incurva) was observed until 2012, followed by a slight recovery in 2016. Moreover, the Shannon diversity index calculated for all upper-infralittoral macrophytes increased from 2006 to 2012, then decreased in the following two years, with a new increase from 2015. Despite the assessed fluctuations in the status of macroalgae, we can conclude that there are no visible signs (yet) of degradation of the benthic vegetation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4549455
Rising sea levels will be more intense in the second half of this century because of human induced climate change. Coastal wetlands will be flooded with consequences perceptible on the flora and fauna of these specific ecosystems. We investigated flora and fauna from the perspective of habitat type-bird breeding interaction in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park. For four nesting birds (Little Tern, Common Tern, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover), all listed on the red list of endangered species, the future potential nesting area was estimates by considering sea level rise trends. The detected individualistic response of the studied bird species to the environmental pressure is an important added value for spatial planners and decision makers in protected areas who are obligated to prepare adequate mitigation measures against the negative impacts of climate change. The applicability of this research has been already implemented in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park. In 2018, some inundated abandoned saltpans were terestrialized and artificial islets on different elevation levels were designed in order to secure more suitable breading area for studied birds. The information about this good practice example is spreading among scientist and protected area managers, which makes this research far more then local. Slovenian Research Agency awarded the article ‘Excellence in Science 2017 award’ in the field of natural sciences. Results were also presented in a video footage entitled ‘Coastal squeeze as a result of climate change can be a threat to national biodiversity’ designed by the Slovenian Press Agency the STA (https://krog.sta.si/2466342/krcenje-obalnih-mokrisc-kot-posledica-podnebnih-sprememb-predstavlja-groznjo-nacionalni-biodiverziteti).
COBISS.SI-ID: 4117071
In this paper the results of a data base of more than 30 years of field observations on chlorophyll a concentrations combined with the last decade satellite data, are presented. Results demonstrate a global tendency towards chlorophyll a reduction, more marked in the eutrophic area under the influence of the Po River, but detectable also in the Gulf of Trieste. Results are consistent with evidenced decrease in nutrient concentrations in the Northern Adriatic. Results indicate the need to understand the underlying changes in the phytoplankton community. From its publication, the article has proven great scientific impact (95 citations without auto citations, Scopus CI), also because similar observations on decrease of phytoplankton biomass have been reported from coastal and offshore areas worldwide. The observed relationship between phytoplankton biomass and riverine discharges, which significantly influence the nutrient balance in the northern Adriatic, was further developed in the process of setting up the methodology for determining the ecological status according to the European WFD (2000/60/EC), as the relationship anthropogenic pressure/phytoplankton response was quantified.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2015055