scholarly journals Citizens’ Eyes on Mnemiopsis: How to Multiply Sightings with a Click!

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Valentina Tirelli ◽  
Alenka Goruppi ◽  
Rodolfo Riccamboni ◽  
Milena Tempesta
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Mnemiopsis Leidyi ◽  
Pen Shell ◽  
Marine Invasive Species ◽  
Scyphozoan Jellyfish ◽  
Italian Coast

Monitoring the spreading of marine invasive species represents one of the most relevant challenges for marine scientists in order to understand their impact on the environment. In recent years, citizen science is becoming more and more involved in research programs, especially taking advantage of new digital technologies. Here, we present the results obtained in the first 20 months (from 12 July 2019 to 8 March 2021) since launching avvistAPP. This new app was conceived to track the spreading of the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Adriatic Sea; it was also designed to collect sightings of 18 additional marine taxa (ctenophores, jellyfish, sea turtles, dolphins, salps and noble pen shell). A total of 1224 sightings were recorded, of which 530 referred to Mnemiopsis, followed by the scyphozoan jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo (22%), Cotylorhiza tuberculata (11%) and Aurelia spp. (8%). avvistAPP produced data confirming the presence of Mnemiopsis (often in abundances > 20 individuals m−2) along almost the entire Italian coast in the summer of 2019 and 2020.

Marine invasive species: validation of citizen science and implications for national monitoring networks

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Delaney ◽  
Corinne D. Sperling ◽  
Christiaan S. Adams ◽  
Brian Leung
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Monitoring Networks ◽  
National Monitoring ◽  
Marine Invasive Species

scholarly journals Low-Cost Citizen Science Effectively Monitors the Rapid Expansion of a Marine Invasive Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Encarnação ◽  
Vânia Baptista ◽  
Maria Alexandra Teodósio ◽  
Pedro Morais
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Blue Crab ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Marine Invasive Species ◽  
Southern Portugal

Citizen science and informed citizens have become fundamental in providing the first records and accounts about the expansion of numerous non-indigenous species. However, implementing a successful citizen science campaign can be expensive and particularly difficult for aquatic species. Here, we demonstrate how a low-cost citizen science campaign and its outreach plan in social and traditional media enabled to track the expansion of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 along the coast of Algarve (southern Portugal, Europe). We describe the outreach strategy and a cost-benefit analysis of the first year of the citizen science campaign. Social media platforms allowed us to reach a significant number of citizens (over 31,500 clicks in Facebook publications), while traditional media gave national visibility to the citizen science campaign and biological invasions. In only 1 year, we documented the spread of the invasive Atlantic blue crab across the entire 140 km of the Algarve coast with 166 valid observations referring to 1747 specimens, submitted by 62 citizen scientists. We spent 0 € on the citizen science campaign, but considering the time invested in the campaign the cost would have summed up to 3,751 €, while the total minimum cost for one scientist to go to the field and retrieve the equivalent information would have exceeded 11,000 €. We used free online tools of communication to obtain the records about the Atlantic blue crab, instead of a dedicated web platform or mobile app, and handled social media accounts ourselves, which saved us at least 18,815 €. The citizen science campaign revealed that the Atlantic blue crab is unequivocally established in southern Portugal and that females appear to exhibit summer migrations to coastal areas to spawn as in the native area. Overall, our low-cost citizen science campaign effectively documented the rapid spread of a marine invasive species while providing some insights into its ecology. Our strategy can be easily replicated and implemented elsewhere in the world to tackle the ever-growing problem of biological invasions while increasing the scientific literacy of local populations.

scholarly journals Observations on the Feeding of Drymonema dalmatinum in the Gulf of Trieste

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Saul Ciriaco ◽  
Lisa Faresi ◽  
Marco Segarich
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Gulf Of Trieste ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Scyphozoan Jellyfish

The largest scyphozoan jellyfish of the Mediterranean Sea, Drymonema dalmatinum was first described by Haeckel [1] from material collected off the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea [...]

scholarly journals Scyphomedusae and Ctenophora of the Eastern Adriatic: Historical Overview and New Data

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Branka Pestorić ◽  
Davor Lučić ◽  
Natalia Bojanić ◽  
Martin Vodopivec ◽  
Tjaša Kogovšek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Mnemiopsis Leidyi ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Phenological Data ◽  
Pelagia Noctiluca ◽  
Regional Trends ◽  
Clear Seasonal Pattern

One of the obstacles to detecting regional trends in jellyfish populations is the lack of a defined baseline. In the Adriatic Sea, the jellyfish fauna (Scyphozoa and Ctenophora) is poorly studied compared to other taxa. Therefore, our goal was to collect and systematize all available data and provide a baseline for future studies. Here we present phenological data and relative abundances of jellyfish based on 2010–2019 scientific surveys and a “citizen science” sighting program along the eastern Adriatic. Inter-annual variability, seasonality and spatial distribution patterns of Scyphomedusae and Ctenophore species were described and compared with existing historical literature. Mass occurrences with a clear seasonal pattern and related to the geographical location were observed for meroplanktonic Scyphomedusae Aurelia solida, Rhizostoma pulmo, and to a lesser extent Chrysaora hysoscella, Cotylorhiza tuberculata and Discomedusa lobata. Holoplanktonic Pelagia noctiluca also formed large aggregations, which were seasonally less predictable and restricted to the central and southern Adriatic. Four species of Ctenophora produced blooms limited to a few areas: Bolinopsis vitrea, Leucothea multicornis, Cestum veneris and the non-native Mnemiopsis leidyi. However, differences between Adriatic subregions have become less pronounced since 2014. Our results suggest that gelatinous organisms are assuming an increasingly important role in the Adriatic ecosystem, which may alter the balance of the food web and lead to harmful and undesirable effects.

scholarly journals ‘Caribbean Creep’ Chills Out: Climate Change and Marine Invasive Species

PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e29657 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Canning-Clode ◽  
Amy E. Fowler ◽  
James E. Byers ◽  
James T. Carlton ◽  
Gregory M. Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Marine Invasive Species

Risk assessment of marine invasive species in Chinese ports introduced by the global shipping network

2021 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 112950
Author(s):  
Zheng Wan ◽  
Zhuangfei Shi ◽  
Anwei Nie ◽  
Jihong Chen ◽  
Zhaojun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Marine Invasive Species

Scenarios of Earthquake-Generated Tsunamis for the Italian Coast of the Adriatic Sea

2008 ◽  
pp. 2117-2142
Author(s):  
Mara Monica Tiberti ◽  
Stefano Lorito ◽  
Roberto Basili ◽  
Vanja Kastelic ◽  
Alessio Piatanesi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Italian Coast

scholarly journals TrIAS, leveraging citizen science data to monitor invasive species in Belgium

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e24749
Author(s):  
Quentin Groom ◽  
Tim Adriaens ◽  
Damiano Oldoni ◽  
Lien Reyserhove ◽  
Diederik Strubbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Invasive Alien Species ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Common View ◽  
Indispensable Tool

Reducing the damage caused by invasive species requires a community approach informed by rapidly mobilized data. Even if local stakeholders work together, invasive species do not respect borders, and national, continental and global policies are required. Yet, in general, data on invasive species are slow to be mobilized, often of insufficient quality for their intended application and distributed among many stakeholders and their organizations, including scientists, land managers, and citizen scientists. The Belgian situation is typical. We struggle with the fragmentation of data sources and restrictions to data mobility. Nevertheless, there is a common view that the issue of invasive alien species needs to be addressed. In 2017 we launched the Tracking Invasive Alien Species (TrIAS) project, which envisages a future where alien species data are rapidly mobilized, the spread of exotic species is regularly monitored, and potential impacts and risks are rapidly evaluated in support of policy decisions (Vanderhoeven et al. 2017). TrIAS is building a seamless, data-driven workflow, from raw data to policy support documentation. TrIAS brings together 21 different stakeholder organizations that covering all organisms in the terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. These organizations also include those involved in citizen science, research and wildlife management. TrIAS is an Open Science project and all the software, data and documentation are being shared openly (Groom et al. 2018). This means that the workflow can be reused as a whole or in part, either after the project or in different countries. We hope to prove that rapid data workflows are not only an indispensable tool in the control of invasive species, but also for integrating and motivating the citizens and organizations involved.

Sea turtles bycatch in the Adriatic Sea set net fisheries and possible hot-spot identification

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1176-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lucchetti ◽  
Claudio Vasapollo ◽  
Massimo Virgili
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Sea Turtles

Teaching Citizen Science Skills Online: Implications for Invasive Species Training Programs

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 276-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Newman ◽  
Alycia Crall ◽  
Melinda Laituri ◽  
Jim Graham ◽  
Tom Stohlgren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Training Programs
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