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Dr. Carlos Sanz-Lazaro
Department of Ecology, Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies (MIES), University of Alicante, PO Box 99, E-03080, Alicante, Spain

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0 Biogeochemistry
0 Climate Change
0 Ecotoxicology
0 Invasive Species
0 Extreme events

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Journal article
Published: 12 May 2021 in Science of The Total Environment
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Plastics are essential materials, but their extensive production poses a threat to the environment. Biobased plastics provide an alternative, that reduce, in many cases, their perdurability. The degradation of conventional (polyethylene (PE) / polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide (PA) / polypropylene (PP)- ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)-PP) and polylactic acid (PLA)-based materials was evaluated through an in situ manipulative experiment for one year simulating different soil scenarios. The degradation of the materials was evaluated by means of weight loss, differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy. Conventional materials showed values less than 2% of weight loss for all treatments after one year. The weight loss in PLA-based materials was notably enhanced at temperatures above 20°C and with high water availability, while soil texture showed a minor influence. The carbonyl and crystallization indices, as well as the enthalpy of fusion, detected early signs of degradation of biobased materials and confirmed the degradation detected by weight loss. This study highlights that the degradation of materials can be markedly different depending on the environmental conditions in terrestrial environmental compartments such as soil, where water availability and temperature can be more variable than in marine environments. Thus, the certification of material degradability needs to be linked to the specific environmental compartment and conditions in which the material has been tested.

ACS Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Alba Benito-Kaesbach; Natalia Sánchez-García; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Degradation of conventional and biobased plastics in soil under contrasting environmental conditions. Science of The Total Environment 2021, 787, 147678 .

AMA Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja, Alba Benito-Kaesbach, Natalia Sánchez-García, Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Degradation of conventional and biobased plastics in soil under contrasting environmental conditions. Science of The Total Environment. 2021; 787 ():147678.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Alba Benito-Kaesbach; Natalia Sánchez-García; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. 2021. "Degradation of conventional and biobased plastics in soil under contrasting environmental conditions." Science of The Total Environment 787, no. : 147678.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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The seabed constitutes a global sink for plastic debris, where they can remain for centuries. Biodegradable plastics offer the advantage of having less persistence in the environment than conventional ones. The seabed is responsible for key ecosystem functions related to the cycling of elements by decomposing the labile fraction of organic matter and fueling primary production, while storing the most recalcitrant part of this organic matter and limiting CO2 emissions. Although plastics are expected to affect these processes, knowledge on this matter is scarce. In controlled microcosms, we show that biodegradable plastics can stimulate the decomposition of marine-buried carbon and reduce the release of inorganic nitrogen. We found that conventional and biodegradable plastics promoted anaerobic sediment metabolic pathways. Biodegradable plastics produced a two-fold CO2 release to the water column, which suggests the decomposition of not only plastics, but also of buried organic carbon. The stimulation of sediment metabolism could be due to excessive carbon consumption by bacteria that derives from a rise in the carbon:nitrogen ratio. Accordingly, the NH4+ flux to the water column lowered. As NOx fluxes also lowered, biodegradable plastics might promote nitrification-denitrification coupling. If biodegradable plastics become a major component of marine pollution, then sediment biogeochemical cycles might be strongly influenced, which could affect the carbon sequestration of coastal ecosystems and compromise their mitigation capacity against climate change.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lázaro; Nuria Casado-Coy; Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja. Biodegradable plastics can alter carbon and nitrogen cycles to a greater extent than conventional plastics in marine sediment. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 756, 143978 .

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lázaro, Nuria Casado-Coy, Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja. Biodegradable plastics can alter carbon and nitrogen cycles to a greater extent than conventional plastics in marine sediment. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 756 ():143978.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lázaro; Nuria Casado-Coy; Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja. 2020. "Biodegradable plastics can alter carbon and nitrogen cycles to a greater extent than conventional plastics in marine sediment." Science of The Total Environment 756, no. : 143978.

Journal article
Published: 10 October 2020 in Environmental Pollution
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Microplastics (MPs) are becoming an environmental growing concern, being the sewage sludge applied to agriculture fields one of the most important inputs to the environment. To date, there is no standardized protocol for their extraction and changes in vegetative growth and fruit maturation on cultivated plants induced by sludge containing MPs have not been studied yet. Sewage sludge from three different wastewater treatment plants located in Murcia, Spain, were studied. First, the microplastic concentration was estimated and, then, the effects of the sewage sludge in the development of tomato plants and fruit production was analyzed. The measured parameters in tomato plants were both, biomass and length, for shoot and root part, as well as, stem diameter and tomato production. The present work has developed and validated a protocol for the extraction and quantification of MPs comprising several shapes, materials and sizes from samples of sewage sludges, which offers a good compromise for the extraction of different types of microplastic. The protocol used for MPs extraction had a recovery efficiency of 80 ± 3 % (mean ± SE) and used bicarbonate, to maximize MPs extraction. The mean abundance of MPs in the studied sewage sludge samples was 30,940 ± 8,589 particles kg-1 dry weight. Soils with sludge containing MPs fostered the growth of tomato plants, while delaying and diminished fruit production. However, other factors or their interactions with MPs could have influenced the outcomes. Further studies are necessary to corroborate these findings and explain the mechanisms of possible effects of MPs on plants.

ACS Style

Ricardo Hernández-Arenas; Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Paula Navarro-Quirant; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. The effect of sewage sludge containing microplastics on growth and fruit development of tomato plants. Environmental Pollution 2020, 268, 115779 .

AMA Style

Ricardo Hernández-Arenas, Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja, Paula Navarro-Quirant, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. The effect of sewage sludge containing microplastics on growth and fruit development of tomato plants. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 268 ():115779.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricardo Hernández-Arenas; Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Paula Navarro-Quirant; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2020. "The effect of sewage sludge containing microplastics on growth and fruit development of tomato plants." Environmental Pollution 268, no. : 115779.

Review article
Published: 24 June 2020 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Aquaculture sustainability is restricted by environmental drawbacks such as the pollution derived from the released organic waste. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) aims to lower the input of this waste by culturing other species of low trophic level which feed on them. Despite the appealing idea of IMTA, its implementation is very limited in marine ecosystems. Focusing on marine fish farming, in general terms, fish farm waste is not expected to constitute a relevant food source for low-trophic level organisms cultured in the water column. We propose Regional Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (RIMTA) as a shift of paradigm in the way IMTA is used to sequester the dissolved exported waste and derived primary production generated by high trophic level cultures. RIMTA advocates for independent allocation of cultures of low and high trophic level species within the same water body. RIMTA implementation should be economically supported through tax benefits or nutrient quota trading schemes. Moving from IMTA to RIMTA should not only foster aquaculture sustainability but also the circular economy and the ecosystem services that the low trophic level cultures provide.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Regional Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (RIMTA): Spatially separated, ecologically linked. Journal of Environmental Management 2020, 271, 110921 .

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Regional Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (RIMTA): Spatially separated, ecologically linked. Journal of Environmental Management. 2020; 271 ():110921.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. 2020. "Regional Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (RIMTA): Spatially separated, ecologically linked." Journal of Environmental Management 271, no. : 110921.

Journal article
Published: 28 May 2020 in Scientia Marina
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The seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder is one of the most important invaders on Mediterranean rocky shores. However, many driving pressures affecting its spread are poorly understood and seem to involve the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors. We studied the invasiveness of C. Cylindracea on two shallow vermetid platforms with a con­trasting ecological status on which C. Cylindracea was first detected simultaneously 15 years ago. The cover values of C. Cylindracea and the other macroalgal species were assessed for one year, embracing the whole platform width. Caulerpa cylindracea cover was higher on the platform that had a low ecological status, especially during warmer months at the outer seaward margin. The ecological status of the overstory of native species seems to be a key point conditioning the success of C. Cylindracea invasiveness on these platforms.

ACS Style

Marc Terradas-Fernández; Miguel Valverde-Urrea; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. The ecological condition of vermetid platforms affects the cover of the alien seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea. Scientia Marina 2020, 84, 1 .

AMA Style

Marc Terradas-Fernández, Miguel Valverde-Urrea, Nuria Casado-Coy, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. The ecological condition of vermetid platforms affects the cover of the alien seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea. Scientia Marina. 2020; 84 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marc Terradas-Fernández; Miguel Valverde-Urrea; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2020. "The ecological condition of vermetid platforms affects the cover of the alien seaweed Caulerpa cylindracea." Scientia Marina 84, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 11 May 2020 in Marine Environmental Research
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Climate change is introducing new stressors into already stressed ecosystems. Among these, extreme events such as heat waves play a crucial role in determining the structure of ecosystems. We tested single and combined effects of overgrazing, burial and heat waves on the seedlings of the habitat-forming species Posidonia oceanica. At current heat wave temperatures, overgrazing in isolation had more deleterious effects than seed burial, and effects were synergistic and additive when both factors co-occurred. The combined effect of overgrazing and seed burial with current heat waves could hamper P. oceanica seedling development, with similar or even higher levels than the sole effect of heat waves in the near future (29 °C). The effects of overgrazing and seed burial are expected to be overridden if heat waves temperatures exceed 29 °C. These results suggest that co-occurring environmental stressors, in combination with current heat waves, could compromise the sexual recruitment of this seagrass.

ACS Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Arnaldo Marín; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Heat wave intensity can vary the cumulative effects of multiple environmental stressors on Posidonia oceanica seedlings. Marine Environmental Research 2020, 159, 105001 .

AMA Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer, Arnaldo Marín, Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Heat wave intensity can vary the cumulative effects of multiple environmental stressors on Posidonia oceanica seedlings. Marine Environmental Research. 2020; 159 ():105001.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Arnaldo Marín; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. 2020. "Heat wave intensity can vary the cumulative effects of multiple environmental stressors on Posidonia oceanica seedlings." Marine Environmental Research 159, no. : 105001.

Article
Published: 05 March 2020 in Estuaries and Coasts
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Ocean acidification is thought to benefit seagrasses because of increased carbon dioxide (CO2) availability for photosynthesis. However, in order to truly assess ecological responses, effects of ocean acidification need to be investigated in a variety of coastal environments. We tested the hypothesis that ocean acidification would benefit seagrasses in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where the seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Ruppia maritima coexist in a fluctuating environment. To evaluate if benefits of ocean acidification could alter seagrass bed composition, cores of H. wrightii and R. maritima were placed alone or in combination into aquaria and maintained in an outdoor mesocosm. Half of the aquaria were exposed to either ambient (mean pH of 8.1 ± 0.04 SD on total scale) or high CO2 (mean pH 7.7 ± 0.05 SD on total scale) conditions. After 54 days of experimental exposure, the δ13C values were significantly lower in seagrass tissue in the high CO2 condition. This integration of a different carbon source (either: preferential use of CO2, gas from cylinder, or both) indicates that plants were not solely relying on stored energy reserves for growth. Yet, after 41 to 54 days, seagrass morphology, biomass, photo-physiology, metabolism, and carbon and nitrogen content in the high CO2 condition did not differ from those at ambient. There was also no indication of differences in traits between the homospecific or heterospecific beds. Findings support two plausible conclusions: (1) these seagrasses rely heavily on bicarbonate use and growth will not be stimulated by near future acidification conditions or (2) the mesohaline environment limited the beneficial impacts of increased CO2 availability.

ACS Style

L. Guerrero-Meseguer; T. E. Cox; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; S. Schmid; L. A. Enzor; K. Major; F. Gazeau; J. Cebrian. Does Ocean Acidification Benefit Seagrasses in a Mesohaline Environment? A Mesocosm Experiment in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts 2020, 43, 1377 -1393.

AMA Style

L. Guerrero-Meseguer, T. E. Cox, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, S. Schmid, L. A. Enzor, K. Major, F. Gazeau, J. Cebrian. Does Ocean Acidification Benefit Seagrasses in a Mesohaline Environment? A Mesocosm Experiment in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 2020; 43 (6):1377-1393.

Chicago/Turabian Style

L. Guerrero-Meseguer; T. E. Cox; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; S. Schmid; L. A. Enzor; K. Major; F. Gazeau; J. Cebrian. 2020. "Does Ocean Acidification Benefit Seagrasses in a Mesohaline Environment? A Mesocosm Experiment in the Northern Gulf of Mexico." Estuaries and Coasts 43, no. 6: 1377-1393.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2020 in Environmental Pollution
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In this study, we assessed plastic accumulation in marine sediments due to finfish aquaculture using floating net-pens. We studied plastic concentrations around three fish farms located at the Mediterranean coastline of Spain. The macroplastic categories and abundances were determined by video monitoring, detecting the majority of elements (78%), including ropes, nets and fibres, a basket trap and a cable tie, close to the facilities, which were not exclusively linked to fish farming but also to fishing activities. Concentrations of microplastics (<5 mm) ranged from 0 to 213 particles/kg dry weight sediment with higher values in sites directly under the influence of the fish farms. Most particles (27.8%) were within the size fraction from 1.1 to 2.0 mm and fibre was the most common shape with 62.2%. The Infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that PE and PP were the predominant types of polymers analysed. In addition, changes in the enthalpy of melting (ΔHm (J/g)) and the degree of crystallinity indicate degradation of the microplastics analysed. This study shows that, in the studied fish farms, levels of microplastic pollution can be one order of magnitude lower compared to other areas suffering other anthropogenic pressures from the same or similar regions. Nevertheless, more research effort is needed to get concluding results.

ACS Style

Lotte Krüger; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Valle; Marina Ramos; Pablo Sánchez-Jerez; Jesús Gago; Olga Carretero; Ana Beltran-Sanahuja; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Plastic debris accumulation in the seabed derived from coastal fish farming. Environmental Pollution 2020, 257, 113336 .

AMA Style

Lotte Krüger, Nuria Casado-Coy, Carlos Valle, Marina Ramos, Pablo Sánchez-Jerez, Jesús Gago, Olga Carretero, Ana Beltran-Sanahuja, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Plastic debris accumulation in the seabed derived from coastal fish farming. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 257 ():113336.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lotte Krüger; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Valle; Marina Ramos; Pablo Sánchez-Jerez; Jesús Gago; Olga Carretero; Ana Beltran-Sanahuja; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2020. "Plastic debris accumulation in the seabed derived from coastal fish farming." Environmental Pollution 257, no. : 113336.

Journal article
Published: 21 January 2020 in Marine Environmental Research
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Marine sediments are a major sink of organic matter, playing a crucial role in the global cycling of major elements. Macrofauna, through the reworking of particles and movement of solutes (bioturbation), enhances oxic conditions and the sediment metabolic capacity. Increases in the inputs of organic matter can lead to profound changes in the seabed and impact benthic ecological functions. Through a microcosm experiment, the effect of bioturbation of the polychaete Lumbrineris latreilli on biogeochemical fluxes under scenarios of increasing loads of organic matter was quantified. We found that bioturbation can buffer the negative consequences of anoxic conditions produced by organic enrichment, preventing the build-up of toxic by-products derived from anaerobic metabolic pathways by maintaining oxic conditions. However, the maintenance of oxic conditions by bioturbation is at the expense of limiting the sediment metabolic capacity. The maintenance of oxic conditions may limit anaerobic metabolic pathways, and consequently, the metabolic capacity of sediment. Thus, under organic matter pollution conditions, bioturbation may lessen the metabolic capacity of the sediment.

ACS Style

Nuria Casado-Coy; Pablo Sánchez-Jerez; Marianne Holmer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Bioturbation may not always enhance the metabolic capacity of organic polluted sediments. Marine Environmental Research 2020, 155, 104882 .

AMA Style

Nuria Casado-Coy, Pablo Sánchez-Jerez, Marianne Holmer, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Bioturbation may not always enhance the metabolic capacity of organic polluted sediments. Marine Environmental Research. 2020; 155 ():104882.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nuria Casado-Coy; Pablo Sánchez-Jerez; Marianne Holmer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2020. "Bioturbation may not always enhance the metabolic capacity of organic polluted sediments." Marine Environmental Research 155, no. : 104882.

Journal article
Published: 19 December 2019 in Environmental Pollution
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The perdurability of plastics in the environment is one of the major concerns of plastic pollution and, as a consequence, oceans are accumulating large amounts of plastic. The degradation of conventional and biobased materials was evaluated through a laboratory experiment for a year simulating four different conditions in the marine environment. The water column environmental compartment was simulated under euphotic and aphotic (with and without light availability) conditions. The seafloor environmental compartment was simulated with sediment under non-polluted and polluted conditions. By combining weight loss (%), spectroscopic and thermal analyses, the degradation patterns regarding the polymer structure were assessed. The studied biobased materials were polylactic acid (PLA) based materials and showed higher degradability than conventional ones. The weight loss of conventional materials was not influenced by the water column or sediment, while in PLA-based materials, the degradation rates were ca. 5 times greater in the sediment than in the water column. The absorbance (Abs) value at 3400 cm−1 for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and carbonyl (CO) index for PET and PLA could be useful to detect early signs of degradation. The crystallization index could be a useful parameter to discriminate degradation stages. The obtained results highlight the different degradability rates of materials depending on the specific environmental marine conditions.

ACS Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Nuria Casado-Coy; Lorena Simó-Cabrera; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Monitoring polymer degradation under different conditions in the marine environment. Environmental Pollution 2019, 259, 113836 .

AMA Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja, Nuria Casado-Coy, Lorena Simó-Cabrera, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Monitoring polymer degradation under different conditions in the marine environment. Environmental Pollution. 2019; 259 ():113836.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Beltrán-Sanahuja; Nuria Casado-Coy; Lorena Simó-Cabrera; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2019. "Monitoring polymer degradation under different conditions in the marine environment." Environmental Pollution 259, no. : 113836.

Review
Published: 25 October 2019 in Sustainability
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Climate change is modifying disturbance regimes, affecting the severity and occurrence of extreme events. Current experiments investigating extreme events have a large diversity of experimental approaches and key aspects such as the interaction with other disturbances, the timing, and long-term effects are not usually incorporated in a standardized way. This lack of comparability among studies limits advances in this field of research. This study presents a framework that is comprised of two experimental approaches designed to test expected changes on disturbance regime due to climate change. These approaches test the effects of disturbances becoming more clustered and more extreme. They use common descriptor variables regardless of the type of disturbance and ecosystem. This framework is completed with a compilation of procedures that increase the realism of experiments in the aforementioned key aspects. The proposed framework favours comparability among studies and increases our understanding of extreme events. Examples to implement this framework are given using rocky shores as a case study. Far from being perfect, the purpose of this framework is to act as a starting point that triggers the comparability and refinement of these types of experiments needed to advance our understanding of the ecological effects of extreme events.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. A Framework to Advance the Understanding of the Ecological Effects of Extreme Climate Events. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5954 .

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. A Framework to Advance the Understanding of the Ecological Effects of Extreme Climate Events. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (21):5954.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2019. "A Framework to Advance the Understanding of the Ecological Effects of Extreme Climate Events." Sustainability 11, no. 21: 5954.

Journal article
Published: 25 September 2019 in Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
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Fish farm facilities become colonized by biofouling, and in situ cleaning activities may increase the accumulation of biofouling, mostly shell-hash, on the sediment. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the effect of fish farming on this process. We evaluated the effect of fish farming on shell-hash accumulation on sediments in three fish farms in the Western Mediterranean in Spain. On the one hand, coverage of non-degraded shell on the seabed was estimated using an underwater camera attached to a frame of 1 × 1 m. On the other hand, superficial sediment samples were taken by a Van-Veen grab, and from a subsample, shell-hash was sorted at the laboratory, dried, and weighted. A significant increase of shells on sediment was detected under fish farms compared with the other treatments, with average values of 53 g kg-1, and 1.12% of cover. Shell-hash at zones close to the fish farm cages (Zone of Influence located between 40 to 60 m from the closest cage) did not show statistical differences compared to the reference zones, 300–500 m away from the concession limits, but the shell cover showed statistical differences. Fish farming activities produce a local increase in the sedimentation rate of shells under the cages. The derived ecological consequences of this accumulation need to be further studied.

ACS Style

Pablo Sanchez-Jerez; Lotte Krüger; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Valle; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Mollusk Shell Debris Accumulation in the Seabed Derived from Coastal Fish Farming. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2019, 7, 335 .

AMA Style

Pablo Sanchez-Jerez, Lotte Krüger, Nuria Casado-Coy, Carlos Valle, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Mollusk Shell Debris Accumulation in the Seabed Derived from Coastal Fish Farming. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2019; 7 (10):335.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pablo Sanchez-Jerez; Lotte Krüger; Nuria Casado-Coy; Carlos Valle; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2019. "Mollusk Shell Debris Accumulation in the Seabed Derived from Coastal Fish Farming." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 7, no. 10: 335.

Research article
Published: 16 November 2018 in PLOS ONE
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The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is considered one of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Notwithstanding, given the difficulty of monitoring its fruits and seeds in the field, the development of P. oceanica during its sexual recruitment is not completely understood. We studied the stages of development of P. oceanica seeds from their dispersion in the fruit interior to their settlement in sediment through histological, ultrastructural and mesocosm experiments. P. oceanica sexual recruitment can be divided into three main stages that focus on maximising photosynthesis and anchoring the seedlings to the sediment. In the first stage (fruit dispersion), seeds perform photosynthesis while being transported inside the fruit along the sea surface. In the second stage (seed adhesion), seeds develop adhesive microscopic hairs that cover the primary and secondary roots and favour seed adhesion to the substrate. In the last stage (seedling anchorage), roots attach the seedlings to the substrate by orienting them towards the direction of light to maximise photosynthesis. The adaptations observed in P. oceanica are similar to those in other seagrasses with non-dormant seeds and fruits with membranous pericarps, such as Thalassia sp. and Enhalus sp. These common strategies suggest a convergent evolution in such seagrasses in terms of sexual recruitment. Understanding the sexual recruitment of habitat-forming species such as seagrasses is necessary to adequately manage the ecosystems that they inhabit.

ACS Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Arnaldo Marín. Understanding the sexual recruitment of one of the oldest and largest organisms on Earth, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. PLOS ONE 2018, 13, e0207345 .

AMA Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Arnaldo Marín. Understanding the sexual recruitment of one of the oldest and largest organisms on Earth, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. PLOS ONE. 2018; 13 (11):e0207345.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Arnaldo Marín. 2018. "Understanding the sexual recruitment of one of the oldest and largest organisms on Earth, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica." PLOS ONE 13, no. 11: e0207345.

Article
Published: 24 May 2018 in Aquaculture International
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Bivalve cultivation, in single cultivation or in polyculture (including integrated multitrophic aquaculture; IMTA), is generally limited to eutrophic waters. We carried out a modeling study to test if, under meso- and oligotrophic conditions, depth could be a key factor for bivalve productivity associated to IMTA and other polyculture strategies. We applied the model Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM) at three strata of the water column in two coastal fish farm areas in the Mediterranean Sea, using water column variables sampled seasonally to estimate the potential mussel production. According to FARM, mussel production was high in both areas and, in some cases, almost doubled when mussels were cultured below 25-m depth compared to shallower levels. Phytoplankton abundance is expected to notably influence mussel production compared to particulate organic matter. Thus, in meso- and oligotrophic stratified waters, where chlorophyll maximum is relatively deep, depth can be a key factor for the productivity of mussel cultivation. The obtained results could help to maximize the production of suspension-feeding bivalve cultivation and, therefore, the expansion and development of sustainable aquaculture in non-eutrophic marine waters.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Victoria Fernandez-Gonzalez; Pablo Arechavala-Lopez; David Izquierdo-Gomez; Elena Martinez-Garcia; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Depth matters for bivalve culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and other polyculture strategies under non-eutrophic conditions. Aquaculture International 2018, 26, 1161 -1170.

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Victoria Fernandez-Gonzalez, Pablo Arechavala-Lopez, David Izquierdo-Gomez, Elena Martinez-Garcia, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Depth matters for bivalve culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and other polyculture strategies under non-eutrophic conditions. Aquaculture International. 2018; 26 (5):1161-1170.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Victoria Fernandez-Gonzalez; Pablo Arechavala-Lopez; David Izquierdo-Gomez; Elena Martinez-Garcia; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. 2018. "Depth matters for bivalve culture in integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) and other polyculture strategies under non-eutrophic conditions." Aquaculture International 26, no. 5: 1161-1170.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2017 in Environmental Pollution
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Extreme weather events are major drivers of ecological change, and their occurrence is likely to increase due to climate change. The transient increases in atmospheric temperatures are leading to a greater occurrence of heat waves, extreme events that can produce a substantial warming of water, especially in enclosed basins such as the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we tested the effects of current and predicted heat waves on the early stages of development of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Temperatures above 27 °C limited the growth of the plant by inhibiting its photosynthetic system. It suffered a reduction in leaf growth and faster leaf senescence, and in some cases mortality. This study demonstrates that the greater frequency of heat waves, along with anticipated temperature rises in coming decades, are expected to negatively affect the germination of P. oceanica seedlings.

ACS Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Arnaldo Marín; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Future heat waves due to climate change threaten the survival of Posidonia oceanica seedlings. Environmental Pollution 2017, 230, 40 -45.

AMA Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer, Arnaldo Marín, Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. Future heat waves due to climate change threaten the survival of Posidonia oceanica seedlings. Environmental Pollution. 2017; 230 ():40-45.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Arnaldo Marín; Carlos Sanz-Lázaro. 2017. "Future heat waves due to climate change threaten the survival of Posidonia oceanica seedlings." Environmental Pollution 230, no. : 40-45.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2017 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Pollution is one of the most significant issues that is currently impeding the development of fish farming. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) has the potential to reduce the accumulation of organic wastes in the environment by using taxa of lower trophic levels such as filter feeders. However, the capacity of filter feeders to assimilate significant quantities of fish farm wastes has not yet been fully tested in situ. We analyzed the stable isotopes δ(13)C and δ(15)N in mussels from six fish farms and from six other areas that were not influenced by fish farming, at two water strata (surface and mid-water) across a marked gradient of eutrophication along more than 900 km of coastline in the Western Mediterranean. We found that the mussels did not directly assimilate fish farming wastes. Consequently, fish farming wastes did not constitute a major component of mussel diet, irrespective of local productivity and depth in the water column. These outcomes do not necessarily mean that IMTA is not suitable in other cases, but rather that there should be a shift in the rationale of IMTA by modifying the concept of direct assimilation of wastes to a more general approach of IMTA based on regional budgets of nutrients.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Mussels do not directly assimilate fish farm wastes: Shifting the rationale of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture to a broader scale. Journal of Environmental Management 2017, 201, 82 -88.

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. Mussels do not directly assimilate fish farm wastes: Shifting the rationale of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture to a broader scale. Journal of Environmental Management. 2017; 201 ():82-88.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez. 2017. "Mussels do not directly assimilate fish farm wastes: Shifting the rationale of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture to a broader scale." Journal of Environmental Management 201, no. : 82-88.

Journal article
Published: 25 September 2016 in Restoration Ecology
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Posidonia oceanica is one of the few seagrasses that can colonize hard and soft substrates. To test whether substrate could affect root development of the seedlings, with a legacy effect upon transplantation to sand, we germinated seeds on hard (glass slide) versus soft (sand) substrates in microcosms. We found that sand favored root system development, with a compensatory slowing of leaf development, while glass had the opposite effect. After 4 months, we transplanted all seedlings to sand and tested for a legacy effect of initial substrate type. Leaves of seedlings germinated on sand and glass slides reached approximately the same length, but roots from seedlings germinated on glass did not develop fully. Seed burial (0–1.5 cm) did not affect seedling development. These results suggest that the culture of P. oceanica on sand prior to transplantation could enhance seedlings survival in restoration programs.

ACS Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Krittawit Suk-Ueng; Arnaldo Marín. Influence of substrate and burial on the development of Posidonia oceanica : implications for restoration. Restoration Ecology 2016, 25, 453 -458.

AMA Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Krittawit Suk-Ueng, Arnaldo Marín. Influence of substrate and burial on the development of Posidonia oceanica : implications for restoration. Restoration Ecology. 2016; 25 (3):453-458.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laura Guerrero-Meseguer; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; Krittawit Suk-Ueng; Arnaldo Marín. 2016. "Influence of substrate and burial on the development of Posidonia oceanica : implications for restoration." Restoration Ecology 25, no. 3: 453-458.

Comparative study
Published: 16 August 2016 in Scientific Reports
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Extreme climatic events have a major role in the structuring of biological communities, and their occurrence is expected to increase due to climate change. Here I use a manipulative approach to test the effects of extreme storm events on rocky mid-shore assemblages. This study shows that an extreme storm can cause more negative effects than several mild storms, primarily by bringing the biological assemblages towards early stages of succession. This finding contrasts with the effects of clustering of climatic events due to climate change, which are expected to mitigate its ecological impacts. Thus, the ecological consequences of climatic events that are influenced by climate change may have contrasting effects depending on the features that are considered. These results have relevant implications in the forecasting of the ecological consequences of climate change and should be considered when designing measures to mitigate its effects.

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Climate extremes can drive biological assemblages to early successional stages compared to several mild disturbances. Scientific Reports 2016, 6, 30607 .

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Climate extremes can drive biological assemblages to early successional stages compared to several mild disturbances. Scientific Reports. 2016; 6 (1):30607.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2016. "Climate extremes can drive biological assemblages to early successional stages compared to several mild disturbances." Scientific Reports 6, no. 1: 30607.

Journal article
Published: 29 July 2016 in Journal of Applied Ecology
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1.Organic pollution is widespread in coastal areas and can have profound impacts on the seabed. Coastal sediments play an important role at a global scale in the recycling of organic matter, and this process is influenced by the habitat complexity of the sediments, among other factors. Mollusc shells are produced as a waste product from a range of anthropogenic activities, but we demonstrate that they can be used to increase the habitat complexity of sediments. 2.We studied the effect of mussel-shell debris (shell-hash) on the biogeochemical processes of marine sediments affected by organic pollution, using a mesocosm experiment simulating the bioturbation effects of macrofauna. 3.We found that shell-hash improved the ecological status of organically-polluted sediments by reducing the accumulation of sulphide from anaerobic metabolic pathways. 4.Additionally, when shell-hash was present in an organically-polluted sediment, there was a decrease in ammonium release to the water column, thus preventing the negative ecological consequences of eutrophication. 5.Synthesis and applications. Our study indicates that shell-hash debris can be used as a potential tool to mitigate the effects of organic enrichment on marine sediments. A density of shell-hash debris of 1900 g m−2 in the sediment can diminish toxic by-products (sulphides and ammonium) derived from the stimulation of anaerobic metabolic pathways by organic pollution, at levels that are biologically relevant. The mitigation effect of shell-hash is more pronounced in sediments where macrofauna is not present. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ACS Style

Nuria Casado-Coy; Elena Martínez-García; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Mollusc-shell debris can mitigate the deleterious effects of organic pollution on marine sediments. Journal of Applied Ecology 2016, 54, 547 -556.

AMA Style

Nuria Casado-Coy, Elena Martínez-García, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. Mollusc-shell debris can mitigate the deleterious effects of organic pollution on marine sediments. Journal of Applied Ecology. 2016; 54 (2):547-556.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nuria Casado-Coy; Elena Martínez-García; Pablo Sanchez-Jerez; Carlos Sanz-Lazaro. 2016. "Mollusc-shell debris can mitigate the deleterious effects of organic pollution on marine sediments." Journal of Applied Ecology 54, no. 2: 547-556.

Journal article
Published: 26 November 2015 in Marine Ecology Progress Series
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Species loss is one of the most striking problems related to human-driven environmental changes. Nevertheless, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning experiments have mainly focused on primary producers, paying less attention to the consequences of changing diversity at higher trophic levels. We performed a field experiment using cage enclosures to test the effects of species richness, identity and density of gastropod grazers on the photosynthetic efficiency and biomass of intertidal biofilm on an exposed rocky shore in the northwest Mediterranean. The diversity and composition of intertidal grazers affected the photosynthetic efficiency of biofilm with only negligible effects on biomass. Individual species showed strong identity effects. In assemblages of 2 or more species, positive or negative complementarity effects occurred. The magnitude of the ecosystem response is expected to depend on the particular species assemblage and its density, which will determine whether niche partitioning or competition is the prevailing process. Grazer preference in specific components of biofilm, characterized by different photosynthetic efficiency and competitive abilities, might explain concomitant changes in photosynthetic efficiency and comparable levels in biomass among treatments. The effects of grazers declined following the natural trend of decreasing biomass of biofilm during the study period, highlighting the importance of considering temporal variability in the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. This work emphasizes the key role of species identity to predict effects on their resources and ecosystem functioning.This work was partially supported by the University of Pisa

ACS Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; L Rindi; E Maggi; M Dal Bello; L Benedetti-Cecchi. Effects of grazer diversity on marine microphytobenthic biofilm: a ‘tug of war’ between complementarity and competition. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2015, 540, 145 -155.

AMA Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, L Rindi, E Maggi, M Dal Bello, L Benedetti-Cecchi. Effects of grazer diversity on marine microphytobenthic biofilm: a ‘tug of war’ between complementarity and competition. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 2015; 540 ():145-155.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carlos Sanz-Lazaro; L Rindi; E Maggi; M Dal Bello; L Benedetti-Cecchi. 2015. "Effects of grazer diversity on marine microphytobenthic biofilm: a ‘tug of war’ between complementarity and competition." Marine Ecology Progress Series 540, no. : 145-155.