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Apr 2024 • Journal Article • Marine Environmental Research
A matter of choice: Understanding the interactions between epiphytic foraminifera and their seagrass host Halophila stipulacea
AbstractIn sub/tropical waters, benthic foraminifera are among the most abundant epiphytic organisms inhabiting seagrass meadows. This study explored the nature of the association between foraminifera and the tropical seagrass species H. stipulacea, aiming to determine whether these interactions are facilitative or random. For this, we performed a "choice" experiment, where
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22 Mar 2024 • Journal Article • Environmental Science & Technology
Impacts of Desalination Brine Discharge on Benthic Ecosystems
AbstractSeawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination facilities produce freshwater and, at the same time, discharge hypersaline brine that often includes various chemical additives such as antiscalants and coagulants. This dense brine can sink to the sea bottom and creep over the seabed, reaching up to 5 km from the discharge point. Previous reviews have discussed the effects
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1 Feb 2024 • Journal Article • Science of The Total Environment
Climate change and the presence of invasive species will threaten the persistence of the Mediterranean seagrass community
AbstractThe Mediterranean Sea has been experiencing rapid increases in temperature and salinity triggering its tropicalization. Additionally, its connection with the Red Sea has been favouring the establishment of non-native species. In this study, we investigated the effects of predicted climate change and the introduction of invasive seagrass species (Halophila stipulacea)
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1 Nov 2023 • Journal Article • Frontiers in Marine Science
The effect of anaerobic remineralization of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea on porewater biogeochemistry in the Gulf of Aqaba
AbstractSeagrasses form oxidizing microenvironments around their roots, creating complex and strong redox gradients, thus affecting the rates of microbial carbon mineralization in their surrounding sediments. Since seagrasses are continuously being lost worldwide, a deeper understanding of the changes that occur within different seagrass sediments following the disappearance
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Sep 2023 • Journal Article • Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Undisturbed Posidonia oceanica meadows maintain the epiphytic bacterial community in different environments
AbstractSeagrasses harbour different and rich epiphytic bacterial communities. These microbes may establish intimate and symbiotic relationships with the seagrass plants and change according to host species, environmental conditions, and/or ecophysiological status of their seagrass host. Although Posidonia oceanica is one of the most studied seagrasses in the world, and bacteria
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Jul 2023 • Journal Article • Marine Environmental Research
Effects of anthropogenic pressures on the seagrass Halophila stipulacea and its associated macrozoobenthic communities in the northern Gulf of Aqaba
AbstractHalophila stipulacea is a tropical seagrass species, native to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean, while invasive to the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. The benthic fauna assemblages associated with H. stipulacea in its native habitats and the potential effects of anthropogenic stressors on these assemblages remain unknown. We compared meadow characteristics, associated fauna assemblages and trophic niche structures of
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5 Jun 2023 • Journal Article • Frontiers in Plant Science
Responses of two Acacia species to drought suggest different water-use strategies, reflecting their topographic distribution
AbstractIntroduction Soil water availability is a key factor in the growth of trees. In arid deserts, tree growth is limited by very dry soil and atmosphere conditions.
Acacia tree species are distributed in the most arid deserts of the globe, therefore they are well adapted to heat and long droughts. Understanding why some plants do better than others in some environments is a key question in plant science. -
1 May 2023 • Journal Article • Urban Climate
Do urban tree hydraulics limit their transpirational cooling? A comparison between temperate and hot arid climates
AbstractEvaporative cooling due to transpiration of urban trees in two contrasting climates is the subject of this study. Transpiration was studied experimentally on local tree species at ‘tree lab’ sites in Munich, Germany (temperate climate) and in Beer Sheva, Israel (hot arid climate), within various settings (park, street, square) with natural and sealed surface conditions
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19 Apr 2023 • Journal Article • Biological Invasions
Superior growth traits of invaded (Caribbean) versus native (Red sea) populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea
AbstractThe seagrass Halophila stipulacea is native to the Red Sea. It invaded the Mediterranean over the past century and most of the Caribbean over the last two decades. Understanding the main drivers behind the successful invasiveness of H. stipulacea has become crucial. We performed a comprehensive study including field measurements, a mesocosm experiment, and a literature
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Apr 2023 • Journal Article • Trees
Peak photosynthesis at summer midday in Acacia trees growing in a hyper-arid habitat
AbstractKey message
Desert Acacia trees photosynthesize during the hot dry summer, and use stored carbon for summer growth.
Trees that grow in hyper-arid environments can provide important insight into the role of carbon use and carbon storage for tree survival and growth in extreme conditions. Acacia trees, in particular, experience some of the most arid conditions in which
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