Papers by Ferdinando Boero
Marine Biology Research, May 9, 2017
ZooKeys
We reply to the comments made by Benvenuti et al. (2022) about our paper on the Italian natural h... more We reply to the comments made by Benvenuti et al. (2022) about our paper on the Italian natural history museums and scientific collections and the need of a centralized hub and repository. While agreeing that digitization is a useful tool to valorize each museum and collection, we still believe that the suggestion of a centralized hub is valid and necessary. This would largely help in boosting coordination among museums, sharing personnel and resources, and in providing a place to deposit scientific collections that do not fit the scope of smaller museums.
Diversity
Biodiversity is a broad concept that encompasses the diversity of nature, from the genetic to the... more Biodiversity is a broad concept that encompasses the diversity of nature, from the genetic to the habitat scale, and ensures the proper functioning of ecosystems. The Mediterranean Sea, one of the world’s most biodiverse marine basins, faces major threats, such as overexploitation of resources, pollution and climate change. Here we provide the first multi-taxa inventory of marine organisms and coastal terrestrial flora recorded in southeastern Salento (Ionian Sea, Italy), realized during the project “Biodiversity MARE Tricase”, which provided the first baseline of species living in the area. Sampling was carried out by SCUBA and free diving, fishing gears, and citizen science from 0 to 70 m. Overall, 697 taxa were found between March 2016 and October 2017, 94% of which were identified to the species level. Of these, 19 taxa represented new records for the Ionian Sea (36 additional new records had been reported in previous publications on specific groups, namely Porifera and Mollusca...
ZooKeys
In Italy, differently from other countries, a national museum of natural history is not present. ... more In Italy, differently from other countries, a national museum of natural history is not present. This absence is due, among other reasons, to its historical political fragmentation up to 1870, which led to the establishment of medium-sized museums, mostly managed by local administrations or universities. Moreover, a change of paradigm in biological research, at the beginning of the 20th century, contributed to privilege experimental studies in universities and facilitated the dismissal of descriptive and exploratory biology, which formed the basis of the taxonomic research carried out by natural history museums. Consequently, only a few museums have a provision of curatorial staff, space and material resources adequate to maintain their original mission of discovering the natural world, by conducting a regular research activity accompanied by field campaigns. The creation of a national research centre for the study of biodiversity, facilitating interconnections among the existing na...
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España), Dec 1, 2000
do fieldwork during the course of the workshop. At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, we had a large t... more do fieldwork during the course of the workshop. At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, we had a large teaching laboratory with running seawater tables and microscopes in addition to a conference room, projectors, library, dormitories and cafeteria. It was all very convenient and comfortable. We were surrounded by abundant wildlife, with large numbers of deer, songbirds and shorebirds, sea lions and even skunks. The lab residents were always smiling, willing to help and to do something for the "Hydrozoan people". This meant that our work was intense as usual, against a background of a happy environment. Being serious while smiling is the Bodega Bay formula. People work hard, but they are having fun; this is also the philosophy of the Hydrozoan Society. We gather not only to exchange our results and ideas, we get together to exchange our feelings. So Bodega Bay turned out to be a perfect place from every point of view. The success of the workshop resided in the number and diversity of attendees (this was the largest meeting in our short history) and in the quality of presentations and discussions. We saw unusual new live hydroid material, and are only sorry to report that a bloom of the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta occurred within a few miles of the meeting, but we did not learn about this unusual happening until after everyone had gone home; many of the attendees have never seen this species alive. The Bodega Bay meeting occurred at a time of great change for international science, as the World Wide Web is coming into its own as a useful, authoritative venue. Within the last year, the essential and extensive hydrozoan bibliography compiled by Wim Vervoort 4 (who was bent over his computer working on this opus throughout our Third Workshop at Roscoff) has been made accessible over the Web (http://siba3.unile.it/ctle/mda/index.html) through the efforts of Cinzia Gravili and Ferdinando Boero and the expertise of the Library and Computer Services of the University of Lecce. The next step will be to scan these articles and put them up on the Web in their entirety, eventually leaving little excuse for nonfamiliarity with even the most obscure literature. Some of the discussions at the Fourth Workshop of the Hydrozoan Society centered around the need to try to standardize data across a large number of species for future comparative work, requiring the collaborative efforts of a wide variety of scientists, including natural his-brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
Abstract: Stinging jellyfish outbreaks represent a health hazard, causing contact dermatitis and ... more Abstract: Stinging jellyfish outbreaks represent a health hazard, causing contact dermatitis and systemic reactions. This study investigated the epidemiology, severity, and treatment protocols of jellyfish stings in a coastal area with high tourist development and frequent stinging jellyfish outbreaks of the central Mediterranean (Salento, Southern Italy), and the associated costs for the Italian National Health Service. In 2007–2011, 1,733 bathers (mostly children and females) sought medical assistance following jellyfish stings, the main cause of human pathologies due to contact with marine organisms. The majority of events were reported in the years 2007–2009, whereas the occurrence of cnidarian jellyfish outbreaks has been increasingly reported in the same area since summer 2010.
Cahiers De Biologie Marine, 1991
Deux nouvelles espèces cI ' hyclromécluses sont décrites, Cylaeis adh erel/s et Sa/maris qlladrar... more Deux nouvelles espèces cI ' hyclromécluses sont décrites, Cylaeis adh erel/s et Sa/maris qlladrara. Le genre Ocrocalll/oides est inclus dans une nouvelle famille cie Leptomécluses, les Octocunnoiclae. Les différentes espèces du genre Ma/ag az:ia sont précisées. Le cnidome de que lques Leptoméduses est analysé ; S/allroc/adia aCIIlI/ina/a et S. al/erna/a sont signalées pour la première fois en P.N.G., et l' appartenance systématique des S/om%ca a/ra de P.N.G. est définie.
Aurelia spp. are cosmopolitan scyphozoan species and probably the most studied jellyfish in the w... more Aurelia spp. are cosmopolitan scyphozoan species and probably the most studied jellyfish in the world. They inhabit nearshore waters, especially closed basins, such as coastal embayments, fjords and estuaries, occupying a great variety of habitats worldwide. Recent studies have addressed the biogeography of the genus Aurelia and reported that it constitutes a species-complex embracing numerous locally adapted species. The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot of biodiversity threatened by climate change, which is expected to have a significant influence on the biodiversity and biogeography of marine populations. Here we compiled a comprehensive data set on Aurelia spp. occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea and assessed the thermal niches as well as the phenology of the various populations. Our results indicate that the species biogeography is restricted to temperate areas of the Mediterranean basin, whereas the seasonal pattern generally displayed an unimodal peak that occurs earlier in warm...
L'histologie de diverses structures est analysee dans plusieurs familles d'Anthomedusae. ... more L'histologie de diverses structures est analysee dans plusieurs familles d'Anthomedusae. Description du cycle biologique de E.c.
Advances in Marine Biology, 2021
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the P... more This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein). Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature, 2018
In the present work, possible long-term changes in the planktonic cnidarian community were invest... more In the present work, possible long-term changes in the planktonic cnidarian community were investigated by analyzing (1) species and community spatial distribution patterns, (2) variations in abundance and (3) changes in species richness during three mesoscale surveys representative of the climatic and anthropogenic changes that have occurred during the last three decades (years: 1983, 2004 and 2011) in the NW Mediterranean. These surveys were conducted during the summer (June) along the Catalan coast. All surveys covered the same area, used the same sampling methodology, and taxonomic identification was conducted by the same team of experts. An increase in the abundance of total cnidaria was found from 1983 to 2011. The siphonophore Muggiaea atlantica and the hydromedusa Aglaura hemistoma were the most abundant species, while Muggiaea kochii presented the largest abundance increment over time. Temperature was the main environmental parameter driving significant differences in the cnidarian community composition, abundance and spatial distribution patterns among the surveys. Our results suggest that in the current climate change scenario, warm-water species abundances will be positively favored, and the community will suffer changes in their latitudinal distribution patterns. We consider it extremely important to study and monitor gelatinous zooplankton in mesoscale spatial areas to understand not only long-term changes in abundances but also changes in their spatial distributions since spatial changes are sensitive indicators of climate change.
Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature, 2018
Ontogeny reversal, as seen in some cnidarians, is an unprecedented phenomenon in the animal kingd... more Ontogeny reversal, as seen in some cnidarians, is an unprecedented phenomenon in the animal kingdom involving reversal of the ordinary life cycle. Three species of Turritopsis have been shown to be capable of inverted metamorphosis, a process in which the pelagic medusa transforms back into a juvenile benthic polyp stage when faced with adverse conditions. Turritopsis sp.5 is a species of Turritopsis collected from Xiamen, China which presents a similar ability, being able to reverse its life cycle if injured by mechanical stress. Phylogenetic analysis based on both 16S rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genetic barcodes shows that Turritopsis sp.5 is phylogenetically clustered in a clade separate from other species of Turritopsis. The genetic distance between T. sp.5 and the Japanese species T. sp.2 is the shortest, when measured by the Kimura 2-Parameter metric, and the distance to the New Zealand species T. rubra is the largest. An experimental assay on the induction of reverse development in this species was initiated by cutting medusae into upper and lower parts. We show, for the first time, that the two dissected parts have significantly different potentials to transform into polyps. Also, a series of morphological changes of the reversed life cycle can be recognised, including medusa stage, contraction stage I, contraction stage II, cyst, cyst with stolons, and polyp. The discovery of species capable of reverse ontogeny caused by unfavorable conditions adds to the available systems with which to study the cell types that contribute to the developmental reversal and the molecular mechanisms of the directional determination of ontogeny.
Invertebrate Zoology, 2008
The history of foundation and development of Hydrozoan Society is outlined. The informal referenc... more The history of foundation and development of Hydrozoan Society is outlined. The informal references to the most outstanding personalities in modern Hydrozoology are given.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019
Navigating the Future is a publication series produced by the European Marine Board providing fut... more Navigating the Future is a publication series produced by the European Marine Board providing future perspectives on marine science and technology in Europe. Navigating the Future V (NFV) highlights new knowledge obtained since Navigating the Future IV (2013). It is set within the framework of the 2015 Paris Agreement and builds on the scientific basis and recommendations of the IPCC reports. NFV gives recommendations on the science required during the next decade to deliver the ocean we need to support a sustainable future. This will be important for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030), the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European Commission’s next framework programme, Horizon Europe (2021 - 2027). There is a growing need to strengthen the links between marine science, society and policy since we cannot properly manage what we do not know. In recent years, the ocean and seas have received new prominence...
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali, 2018
The marine biodiversity of the Tricase coastal area (Ionian Sea, Italy) was investigated at the M... more The marine biodiversity of the Tricase coastal area (Ionian Sea, Italy) was investigated at the MARE Outpost (Avamposto MARE) between 2016 and 2017, with the help of citizen scientists and trained taxonomists. Among the most interesting groups encountered, heterobranch molluscs deserve a special mention. Altogether, 268 specimens were ascribed to this group and referred to 49 taxa. Notwithstanding the extensive literature on Mediterranean heterobranchs, two species proved to be new to the Italian coasts, the records of eight species represented their easternmost sightings in the Mediterranean Sea, and 13 taxa represented new records for the Ionian Sea. In addition, several feeding habits and phenological events were new to science. Although the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive lists "Biodiversity is maintained" as the first descriptor in achieving "Good Environmental Status", our results highlighted the presence of conspicuous gaps in the knowledge of species distribution, taxonomy and ecology of heterobranch molluscs, indicating the necessity of even smallscale species checklists to understand biodiversity changes in worldwide biota.
F1000 - Post-publication peer review of the biomedical literature, 2016
Jellyfishes represent a group of species that play an important role in oceans, particularly as a... more Jellyfishes represent a group of species that play an important role in oceans, particularly as a food source for different taxa and as a predator of fish larvae and planktonic prey. The massive introduction of artificial sound sources in the oceans has become a concern to science and society. While we are only beginning to understand that non-hearing specialists like cephalopods can be affected by anthropogenic noises and regulation is underway to measure European water noise levels, we still don't know yet if the impact of sound may be extended to other lower level taxa of the food web. Here we exposed two species of Mediterranean Scyphozoan medusa, Cotylorhiza tuberculata and Rhizostoma pulmo to a sweep of low frequency sounds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed injuries in the statocyst sensory epithelium of both species after exposure to sound, that are consistent with the manifestation of a massive acoustic trauma observed in other species. The presence of acoustic trauma in marine species that are not hearing specialists, like medusa, shows the magnitude of the problem of noise pollution and the complexity of the task to determine threshold values that would help building up regulation to prevent permanent damage of the ecosystems.
Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, 2017
Raymond (1999) proposed the metaphor 'cathedral vs. bazaar' to distinguish centralized and projec... more Raymond (1999) proposed the metaphor 'cathedral vs. bazaar' to distinguish centralized and projectbased ways of conducting research (the cathedral) from open-source approaches (the bazaar) that involve the collaboration of innumerable persons who work while making their own results available to the rest of the community. Raymond (1999) compared the development of the open-source Linux software as opposed to the software developed by 'closed' companies. Linux is developed as a 'bazaar': all users have their little shop, they openly interact with their customers and with each other, the information spreads through a network of relationships, and the business grows as a real web. In contrast, the 'cathedral' has a single brain (the architect) who uses a multitude of collaborators aimed at realizing a single, monumental project. It is not by chance that real bazaars are horizontal, whereas real cathedrals are vertical. Raymond (1999) obviously prefers bazaars, an opinion shared by Woelfle et al. (2011) who argued that 'Open science is a research accelerator' while examining the development of a drug by a consortium involving industry and academia, both working on an open source basis. However, if open science has lots of advantages, why is science still so 'closed'? WHO OWNS THE DATA? Reasons for data sequestration The recognition of intellectual property, and eventually the obtainment of revenue from it (in either monetary or reputational terms), is the main obstacle
Web Ecology, 2016
The development of offshore wind farms (OWFs) and the establishment of marine protected areas (MP... more The development of offshore wind farms (OWFs) and the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) comprise two main elements for the production of clean energy, and the simultaneous maintenance and protection of biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black seas. Successful, efficient, and sustainable coupling of these two aspects presumes that the criteria for selecting suitable locations for the deployment of OWFs should not only include technical-engineering terms (e.g. high wind energy efficiency, bottom suitability, inland infrastructures) but also ecological-environmental considerations (e.g. the least possible impact on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning) and socioeconomic aspects (e.g. effects on coastal and marine activities, development of marine spatial planning). In the context of the FP7 CoCoNet project, the integration between OWFs and MPAs is based on four main steps: (i) the identification of existing (networks of) MPAs focusing on the biodiversity distribution patterns and current legislation, (ii) the coupling of offshore wind potential within networks of MPAs, (iii) the evaluation of the knowledge gained up to date and the theoretical approaches at the two pilot sites of the Mediterranean and Black sea basins, and (iv) the development of the "Smart Wind Chart", a convenient and rational tool addressed to scientists and policy makers for the evaluation of maritime policy management schemes. The latter step comprises the core of this work.
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Papers by Ferdinando Boero