Rossella Barone

A renewed interest in investigating the relationships existing between body size and environmental variables is pervading ecological studies. Phytoplankton has a long tradition as model system in studies of community ecology and several research concepts were developed using these organisms. In this paper we try to review the relevance of analyzing the morphological features of phytoplankton in ecology. Starting with a brief account of allometric relationships existing in phytoplankton, we i) examine the physical context in which phytoplankton grow, and ii) highlight the role of their size in nutrient uptake, and that of their shape in light harvesting. Moreover, the way in which the morphology of phytoplankton organisms cope with the hydrodynamical conditions of a given water-body are considered. In addition, we also included a paragraph on the role of grazing in moulding the size and the shape structure of phytoplankton assemblages. An account on the main research currents about the role of mor... Résumé Les relations qui existent entre la taille des organismes et les variables environnementales suscitent un intérêt croissant dans les études écologiques. Le phytoplancton a une longue tradition en tant que modèle pour les études écologiques des communautés et plusieurs concepts de recherche ont été développés à partir de ces organismes. Dans cet article, nous essayons d'examiner la pertinence des analyses des traits morphologiques dans l'écologie du phytoplancton. Après un bref exposé sur les relations allométriques au sein du phytoplancton, nous examinons le contexte physique dans lequel celui-ci croit et nous mettons l'accent sur le rôle de sa taille vis-à-vis de l'absorption des nutriments et de sa forme quant à la capture de la lumière. Nous évaluons aussi la manière dont les morphologies des organismes phytoplanctoniques font face aux conditions hydrodynamiques d'une masse d'eau. De plus, nous incluons un paragraphe décrivant comment le broutage façonne les structures de taille et de forme des ...

Sicilian reservoirs constitute the most important water resources available on the island. During summer 2001, the intense water utilization of Lake Arancio reservoir reduced the water level significantly, which coincided with the formation of intense blooms formed by the microcystin (MC)‐producing cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. During summer 2003, Lake Arancio was continuously filled and the vertical stratification of the water column was maintained resulting in five to sixfold lower cell numbers of M. aeruginosa. For both years, a significant relationship between MC net production and Microcysytis cell growth was observed, implying that Microcystis cell numbers can be used to infer MC concentrations in water. Unexpectedly, dense blooms of the MC‐producing cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens occurred during winter 2005/2006 in the reservoirs Lake Pozzillo, Prizzi, Nicoletti, and Garcia but have not been reported earlier. In this season, MC concentrations higher than those recorded in summer were measured, implying that monitoring of Mediterranean drinking water reservoirs needs to be intensified during winter, a season usually considered to be less prone to the formation of cyanobacterial blooms. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 22: 399–404, 2007.

(2006). Ecology and distribution of calanoid copepods in Sicilian inland waters (Italy) SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010: Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 2150-2156.

Temporary waters have been sporadically investigated in Sicily. These environments reflect the climatic features of the Mediterranean area with a winter ponding phase and a more or less prolonged dry period in summer. Their biota, especially those organisms strictly linked to aquatic environments and without any terrestrial life stage, have to exhibit special adaptations to survive the dry phases that are recurrent in such ecosystems. This study included more than 250 water bodies distributed on the whole Sicilian territory and on the small circum-Sicilian islands. This paper represents a first attempt to characterize Sicilian temporary waters from an ecological point of view and is mainly based on some of their limnological features and on the crustacean components of their communities. In particular, the groups which have been taken into consideration are those of cladocerans, calanoid copepods, and large branchiopods (notostracans, anostracans, and spinicaudatans).

(2006). Crustacean dynamics in two argillotrophic, temporary ponds (Northwestern Sicily, Italy) SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010: Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 1265-1270.