Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study was conducted in the sea system of Taranto (south Italy) to explore the consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown of all human activities on zooplankton abundance and composition. Copepoda were selected as the best indicators and four different dates were taken to represent the annual variabi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/13/2449 |
| _version_ | 1797590737722802176 |
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| author | Genuario Belmonte Giuseppe Denti Fernando Rubino |
| author_facet | Genuario Belmonte Giuseppe Denti Fernando Rubino |
| author_sort | Genuario Belmonte |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study was conducted in the sea system of Taranto (south Italy) to explore the consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown of all human activities on zooplankton abundance and composition. Copepoda were selected as the best indicators and four different dates were taken to represent the annual variability. The availability of samples from past collections (15 and 30 years ago) allowed comparison with previous situations. The Copepoda community in the most confined part of the system (stations MPI and MPII) was dominated by small-sized species and showed new arrivals, including <i>Acartia tonsa</i>, <i>Centropages hamatus,</i> and <i>Pseudodiaptomus</i> sp. The first inlet of Mar Piccolo (MPI) showed an unusually high number of species in the summer of 2020, just at the end of the lockdown period (March–May 2020). The evident growth of species richness at station MPI, and only during the summer of 2020, suggests a role of the lockdown period on the zooplankton composition. The high species richness in the post-lockdown period was probably the result of ceasing the disturbance caused by ship/boat traffic at the MPI site, which is heavily affected by daily human activities at sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:25:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-afb68626ad4149d5a3338403c4e5383b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:25:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-afb68626ad4149d5a3338403c4e5383b2023-11-18T17:48:25ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-07-011513244910.3390/w15132449Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 PandemicGenuario Belmonte0Giuseppe Denti1Fernando Rubino2Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, ItalyUnit of Taranto, CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), 74123 Taranto, ItalyUnit of Taranto, CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), 74123 Taranto, ItalyThis study was conducted in the sea system of Taranto (south Italy) to explore the consequences of the COVID-19 lockdown of all human activities on zooplankton abundance and composition. Copepoda were selected as the best indicators and four different dates were taken to represent the annual variability. The availability of samples from past collections (15 and 30 years ago) allowed comparison with previous situations. The Copepoda community in the most confined part of the system (stations MPI and MPII) was dominated by small-sized species and showed new arrivals, including <i>Acartia tonsa</i>, <i>Centropages hamatus,</i> and <i>Pseudodiaptomus</i> sp. The first inlet of Mar Piccolo (MPI) showed an unusually high number of species in the summer of 2020, just at the end of the lockdown period (March–May 2020). The evident growth of species richness at station MPI, and only during the summer of 2020, suggests a role of the lockdown period on the zooplankton composition. The high species richness in the post-lockdown period was probably the result of ceasing the disturbance caused by ship/boat traffic at the MPI site, which is heavily affected by daily human activities at sea.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/13/2449zooplanktonCopepodaconfined environmentCOVID-19 lockdown<i>Acartia tonsa</i><i>Centropages hamatus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Genuario Belmonte Giuseppe Denti Fernando Rubino Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Water zooplankton Copepoda confined environment COVID-19 lockdown <i>Acartia tonsa</i> <i>Centropages hamatus</i> |
| title | Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Planktonic Copepoda along the Confinement Gradient of the Taranto Sea System (Southern Italy) after Lockdown of Human Activities Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | planktonic copepoda along the confinement gradient of the taranto sea system southern italy after lockdown of human activities due to the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | zooplankton Copepoda confined environment COVID-19 lockdown <i>Acartia tonsa</i> <i>Centropages hamatus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/13/2449 |
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