13 documents found, page 1 of 2

Nature conservation - A new dimension in open access publishing bridging scienc...

This Editorial presents the focus, scope and policies of the inaugural issue of Nature Conservation, a new open access, peer-reviewed journal bridging natural sciences, social sciences and hands-on applications in conservation management. The journal covers all aspects of nature conservation and aims particularly at facilitating better interaction between scientists and practitioners. The journal will impose no...

Factorial optimization of upstream process for Cyanobium sp. pigments production

Cyanobacteria-based pigments, such as carotenoids and phycobiliproteins, have emerged in the last few years as products with great economical interest. However, only the production of a few strains has been optimized for large-scale productions. As photosynthetic components, pigments have their synthesis modulated by abiotic factors, such as pH, temperature and salinity, which can lead to a huge impact on cyano...

Bioactive potential of Cyanobium sp. pigment-rich extracts

Cyanobacteria are able to synthesize high-value compounds, such as pigments, known for their bioactivities and several industrial uses. One of the key points for the extraction of pigments is solvent selection. Solvent interferes on pigments concentration, thus affecting the bioactive potential of the extracts. In this work, using frozen-dried biomass of Cyanobium sp. LEGE 06113, organic and aqueous pigment-ric...

Ecophysiological traits of highly mobile large marine predators inferred from n...

Nucleic acid-derived indices such as RNA/DNA ratios have been successfully applied as ecophysiological indicators to assess growth, nutritional condition and health status in marine organisms given that they provide a measure of tissue protein reserves, which is known to vary depending on changes in the environment. Yet, the use of these biochemical indices on highly mobile large predators is scarce. In this st...

Spatial and temporal variation of kelp forests and associated macroalgal assemb...

Kelp communities are in decline in many regions. Detecting and addressing population declines require knowledge of patterns of spatial and temporal variation in the distribution and abundance of kelps and their associated organisms. We quantified kelp and associated macroalgal assemblages three times over a period of 2 years, at three regions along a natural gradient in temperature and nutrient availability acr...

Status, trends and drivers of kelp forests in Europe: an expert assessment

A comprehensive expert consultation was conducted in order to assess the status, trends and the most important drivers of change in the abundance and geographical distribution of kelp forests in European waters. This consultation included an on-line questionnaire, results from a workshop and data provided by a selected group of experts working on kelp forest mapping and eco-evolutionary research. Differences in...

Effect of pre-extraction alkali treatment on the chemical structure and gelling...

to investigate the effect of alkali type, concentration and treatment duration on the chemical structure and the gelling properties of extracted hybrid carrageenan (HK). In both seaweeds, increasing the KOH content and the pre-treatment duration gives HK with lower amounts of n-carrageenan units, which have a direct impact on the improved gelling properties. Nevertheless, HK with smaller molecular mass and depr...

Evaluation of IMTA-produced seaweeds (Gracilaria, Porphyra, and Ulva) as dietar...

What is the impact of kelp forest density and/or area on fisheries?

Background Kelp forests are highly productive ecosystem engineers of rocky cold-water marine coastlines, providing shelter, habitat and food for a variety of associated organisms. Several factors have been related with an observed trend of kelp deforestation in some regions of the globe. The effect of this trend on fisheries has been poorly studied. The European directives addressing the conservation of marine ...

The role of disturbance in differential regulation of co-occurring brown algae ...

Disturbance is an important structuring factor in intertidal communities. This study aimed at experimentally testing the effects of three important sources of disturbance to intertidal rocky habitats (abrasion, sediment deposition and herbivory) on the survivorship and growth of embryos of canopy forming fucoid species (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus serratus). Natural levels of sediment deposition and herbivore d...