Small Mediterranean islands are biodiversity hotspots hosting many endemic and specialized species but remain highly vulnerable to habitat loss, biological invasions, tourism, and climate change. Coastal dunes are among the most fragile habitats, providing key ecological functions and supporting diverse plant communities. Monitoring long-term vegetation dynamics is therefore essential to detect biodiversity loss, community shi...

Our study focuses on bacterial communities associated with two benthic, epiphytic dinoflagellates, Gambierdiscus australes and Ostreopsis cf. ovata , isolated from coastal waters of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and grown in clonal cultures. The goal was to characterize the stable bacterial consortia found within the phycosphere of each dinoflagellate species and establish into which functional group they fell. High‐throughput seq...

The nesting activity of the loggerhead turtle along the coast of Calabria during five reproductive seasons (2016-2020) is presented. From May to August, survey methods were conducted using traditional observations on foot and utilizing additional innovative technologies, including electric fat bikes and drones. Monitoring was intensively focused on a key nesting area of approximately 40 km located on the southernmost Ionian co...

Summary There is little information on how different strategies for the bioremediation of marine oil spills influence the key indigenous hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria (hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria, HCB), and hence their remediation efficacy. Therefore, we have used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to analyse changes in concentrations of HCB in response to intervention strategies applied to experimental microcosms. Biost...

Summary Hydrocarbon‐contaminated superficial sediments collected from the Harbor of Milazzo (Tirrenean Sea, northern Sicily), a zone strongly affected by anthropogenic activities, were examined for in situ biodegradative capacities. A culture‐independent molecular phylogenetic approach was used to study the influence of hydrocarbon and nutrient addition on the activity and diversity of the indigenous microbiota during a microc...