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The current status and annotated checklist of fresh- and brackish-water amphipod species inhabiting the inland waters (streams, lakes, ponds, lagoons, subterranean waters, etc.) of Turkey is presented. Totally, 171 papers, 3 books, 3 book chapters, 5 conference papers, 2 projects, 3 PhD and 3 MSc thesis were examined in the present study. As the result of the previous records, 201 taxa comprising 121 amphipods (16 families, 31 genera), 27 isopods (9 families, 13 genera), 9 mysids (1 family, 5 genera), 4 tanaids (3 families, 4 genera) and 40 decapods (16 families, 18 genera) were compiled. All the previously recorded localities of each taxon were listed in detail. The endemic taxa and the doubtful records were indicated and discussed. Twenty maps showing the distribution of reported species were also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces and summarises the main outcomes of the 19th workshop of the International Association for Phytoplankton Taxonomy and Ecology held in Tiszafüred, Hungary, Tisza Balneum Hotel, from 23 to 30 September 2022. The selected theme of the workshop was "Trait-Based Approaches in Micro-Algal Ecology". The discussions presented during the workshop sessions resulted in the 18 articles contained in this Special Issue. There are 6 main thematic aspects developed by the participants: 1. Shape and size: are these traits easy to measure? 2. Spatial scales: when and where to look for microalgae? 3. Climate and extremes of ecological gradients: hot topics of this century. 4. Metaphyton and metaphytic habitats: life beyond plankton and benthos. 5. Microalgae in water management: phycology in practice. 6. Traditional and new methods: perspectives and comments. Trait-based approaches in microalgae ecology, although requiring further investigation and methodological development, represent a valid tool for refining the analysis of environmental variability in aquatic ecosystems. The papers presented in this Special Issue demonstrate that these approaches are extremely useful not only in the study of planktic algae but constitute a thoughtful method for the analysis of benthic and metaphytic microalgae in a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term monitoring projects are becoming more than ever crucial in assessing the effects of climate change on marine communities, especially in Antarctica, where these changes are expected to be particularly dramatic. Detailed studies of the Antarctic benthos are in fact particularly important for a better understanding of benthos dynamics and potential climate-driven shifts. Here, due to the extreme fragility of benthic communities, non-destructive techniques represent the best solution in long-term monitoring programs. In this paper we report new results from 2017, 2018, 2019 photogrammetric campaigns within the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). A new protocol of data acquisition and multi-temporal processing that provides co-registered 3D point clouds between the three years without control points nor direct georeferencing methods is presented. This is achieved by adding a level of image understanding leveraging semantic segmentation with convolutional neural network (CNN) of the benthic features. Slow growing (estimated less than a mm per year) organisms, such as Corallinales (Rhodophyta algae), represent a natural stable pattern, leveraged to automatically orient in the same reference system the photogrammetric surveys of different epochs. This approach is also proved to be effective in improving the orientation of adjacent strips acquired within the same campaign. Within the paper an in depth analysis of the achieved results shows the effectiveness of the implemented procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulated water bodies like lakes and reservoirs are increasingly becoming an object of attention due to the problems of greenhouse gas emissions, regional ecology, and the necessity to ensure safe environmental management. However, for some local tasks, it is important to assess the contribution of a hydroelectric power plant (HPP) to various parameters of the nearest water environment, for example, mortality of zooplankton, transfer of suspended matter and phytoplankton, formation of secondary deposits, methane emissions, spatial features of stratification, etc. An example of such studies is the present paper. It is based on unique data of complex measurements of hydrophysical, hydrooptical, hydrobiological, and hydrochemical water parameters, as well as methane fluxes, that were collected at the Gorky Reservoir nearby a HPP in the spring, summer, and autumn of 2022. Preliminary correlations between these parameters were obtained. The results are useful for the correct interpretation of satellite images of inland waters, quantitative description of HPPs' influence on the water environment, knowledge of the main patterns of transformation of aquatic organism communities under conditions of runoff regulation, determination of water quality by hydrobiological parameters, development of mechanisms for improving the ecological state of water bodies, and accounting spatial heterogeneity of methane flows from the surface of the reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Brachiopods have been thought to be in very low diversity in the Early Triassic for a long time. There are only several Olenekian brachiopod fauna reported worldwide, all of which are in very low diversity. This paper reports the most diverse Olenekian brachiopod fauna so far, containing 14 species with nine genera. Among them, three new species are proposed, and six genera are found in the Early Triassic for the first time. This diverse fauna indicates that the diversity of Olenekian brachiopod fauna has been underestimated. Based on precise age constrained by conodont biostratigraphy and quantitative data of brachiopod, it can be inferred that brachiopod recovery in the studied section occurred in the latest Spathian rather than the Smithian when the environment started to ameliorate. Global brachiopod data also indicates that the initial recovery of brachiopods happened in the Spathian. As one of the predominant benthic organisms in the Palaeozoic, brachiopod was largely eliminated in the Permian–Triassic boundary mass extinction, and then highly diversified in the Middle Triassic. Since fossil data from the Early Triassic are rarely reported, the recovery patterns of Early Triassic brachiopods remain unclear. This study documents a well-preserved fauna that is the most diverse Olenekian brachiopod fauna so far (age constrained by conodont biostratigraphy) from the Datuguan section of ramp facies in South China. This fauna is composed of 14 species within nine genera, including six genera (Hirsutella, Sulcatinella, Paradoxothyris, Dioristella, Neoretzia and Isocrania) found in the Early Triassic for the first time and three new species, including Paradoxothyris flatus sp. nov., Hirsutella sulcata sp. nov. and Sulcatinella elongata sp. nov. The Datuguan fauna indicates that the diversity of Olenekian brachiopod fauna has been underestimated, which can be caused by a combination of reduced habitats (in geographic size and sedimentary type) compared with the end-Permian, great bed thickness making it difficult to find fossils and most species in the fauna having low abundance. Based on the faunal change in the Datuguan section and environmental changes in South China, it can be inferred that brachiopod recovery in the studied section occurred in the latest Spathian rather than the Smithian when the environment started to ameliorate. Global brachiopod data also indicates that the initial recovery of brachiopods happened in the Spathian, and many genera that widely occurred in the Middle or Late Triassic had originated in the Olenekian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menegotto and colleagues' (2019) commentary on our paper (Kinlock et al., 2018) does not negate our findings, but by recategorizing and reanalysing a portion of our data set, advances our knowledge of the latitudinal diversity gradients (LDGs) in marine ecosystems, particularly emphasizing different findings for benthic LDGs as a result of the recategorization of the data. Furthermore, we see the contribution by Menegotto et al. (2019) as highlighting the importance of scientific transparency; we believe that this insight into the nature of LDGs in marine systems would have been delayed, if not unobtainable, had we not provided fully transparent methods and complete data in our paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure-from-motion (SfM) has emerged as a popular method of characterizing marine benthos in tropical marine environments and could be of tremendous value to glass sponge monitoring and management efforts in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. However, temperate marine environments present a unique set of challenges to SfM workflows, and the combined impact that cold, dark, and turbid waters have on the veracity of SfM derived data must be critically evaluated in order for SfM to become a meaningful tool for ongoing glass sponge research. This paper discusses the design, development, testing, and deployment of an innovative underwater SfM workflow for generating high-resolution 3D models in temperate marine environments. This multi-phase research project (dry-lab, wet-lab, and field), while possibly seen as unconventional, was designed to innovate in two ways. First to build an operational data capture platform to support low-cost SfM-based seafloor surveys. And second, to enable systematic isolation and evaluation of SfM data capture parameters and their implications for representational veracity and data quality. This paper reports the challenges and outcomes from a series of field surveys conducted in Howe Sound, BC, one of which serves as the first of two data sets in a temporal analysis of 3D morphometric change. This research demonstrates that accurate, high-resolution morphometric characterization, of all benthic species and habitats, is dependent on a range of equipment, procedural, and environmental variables. It is also intended to share our applied problem-solving path to successful 3D capture, backed up by robust data science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing ecological assessment schemes is challenging when gradients are short and there are no sites with minimal anthropogenic alteration against which metrics can be calibrated. This is the situation for large rivers in Romania and this paper describes efforts to establish meaningful ecological status concepts. The intercalibration exercise, conducted as part of Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation, has provided a metric ("phytobenthos Intercalibration Common Metric", pICM) which allows ecological status in different countries to be expressed on a common scale. The average boundary positions of countries who participated in this exercise provided a "common view" of status and, together with pICM, offer an "off-the-shelf" solution for countries unable to develop independent methods. However, even when expressed as pICM, Romanian phytobenthos data have a weak relationship with nutrients. Analysis of chemical data and comparison with similar data from elsewhere in Europe confirm that there are few sites with significantly elevated nutrient concentrations. Incorporation of the Romanian data into the larger dataset produced a stronger relationship from which the status of phytobenthos in very large rivers in Romania could be confirmed. This paper shows how the consensus that emerged from the WFD intercalibration exercise supports those countries unable to participate in the initial exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the topic is to research ecological indices resulting from the analysis of zoo-benthos communities in order to use them combined as a method of diagnosing the water quality of the Bega River in the area of Timisoara. A major importance in achieving the strategy of conserving the biodiversity of benthic habitats is the study of benthos, especially for understanding the changes that occur in the qualitative parameters of zoo-benthic communities, but also their habitats under the influence of different types of anthropogenic pressures. The present study started in February 2014 and took place over a period of two years in which quantitative samples of benthos were taken seasonally. By locating the sampling stations at various representative points of the Bega River, upstream and downstream of the central area of Timisoara, it was possible to conduct a general analysis and investigation of benthic macro invertebrates communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This dataset relates to the biodiversity census carried out during the Belgica 121 (B121) expedition to the Western Antarctic Peninsula from February to March 2019. One of the aims of the campaign was to explore the surroundings of the Gerlache Strait and to carry out a detailed biodiversity census focusing on inter- and subtidal shallow-water areas using both classic descriptive marine ecology methods, as well as state-of-the art techniques (habitat mapping, genetics, trophic ecology). The biodiversity census was carried out onboard a nimble research vessel, RV Australis. This dataset will offer access to the raw data on biodiversity occurrences, obtained using a range of methods described in this data paper. New information: New raw biodiversity data for a poorly-sampled region (Western Antarctic Peninsula) with a special focus on shallow ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an approach to developing robust metadata standards for specific applications that serves to ensure a high level of reliability and interoperability for a spectroscopy dataset. The challenges of designing a metadata standard that meets the unique requirements of specific user communities are examined, including in situ measurement of reflectance underwater, using coral as a case in point. Metadata schema mappings from seven existing metadata standards demonstrate that they consistently fail to meet the needs of field spectroscopy scientists for general and specific applications (μ = 22%, σ = 32% conformance with the core metadata requirements and μ = 19%, σ = 18% for the special case of a benthic (e.g., coral) reflectance metadataset). Issues such as field measurement methods, instrument calibration, and data representativeness for marine field spectroscopy campaigns are investigated within the context of submerged benthic measurements. The implication of semantics and syntax for a robust and flexible metadata standard are also considered. A hybrid standard that serves as a "best of breed" incorporating useful modules and parameters within the standards is proposed. This paper is Part 3 in a series of papers in this journal, examining the issues central to a metadata standard for field spectroscopy datasets. The results presented in this paper are an important step towards field spectroscopy metadata standards that address the specific needs of field spectroscopy data stakeholders while facilitating dataset documentation, quality assurance, discoverability and data exchange within large-scale information sharing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xu, H.; Liu, Z.; Zhu, J.; Lu, X., and Liu, Q., 2019. Classification of coral reef benthos around ganquan island using WorldView-2 satellite imagery. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 466–474. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Coral reefs are structures formed by animals known as stony corals, which have an important impact on the physical and ecological environment of their surroundings. Presently, coral reefs are severely damaged by a variety of human activities and by global climate change. This paper is intended to explore the potential of using WorldView-2 (WV2) satellite images for coral reef bottom types classification. The research area for this study is around Ganquan Island in the South China Sea. Sunny sky and cloudless WV2 satellite imagery is selected to reduce atmospheric impact and improve the accuracy of coral reef classification. For the preprocessed imagery data, training samples were manually established, and the seafloor reef bottom types in the sea near Ganquan Island were divided into five substratum categories: coral reef, sand, reef, spray and deep sea water. These are classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a Neural Network and the Maximum Likelihood method. The classification results were verified by comparing the satellite image visual interpretation classification results and the field seafloor image data. Confusion matrixes was compared and the classification accuracy was evaluated. The results show that the classification based on the SVM method is the best, with a total classification accuracy of 93.33% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.89. These results prove that high-resolution images can provide detailed and accurate information for coral reef bottom types classification and thus provide a scientific basis and reliable data for the establishment of a more complete coral reef ecological monitoring system and marine ecological environmental protection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coral reefs are structures formed by animals known as stony corals, which have an important impact on the physical and ecological environment of their surroundings. Presently, coral reefs are severely damaged by a variety of human activities and by global climate change. This paper is intended to explore the potential of using WorldView-2 (WV2) satellite images for coral reef bottom types classification. The research area for this study is around Ganquan Island in the South China Sea. Sunny sky and cloudless WV2 satellite imagery is selected to reduce atmospheric impact and improve the accuracy of coral reef classification. For the preprocessed imagery data, training samples were manually established, and the seafloor reef bottom types in the sea near Ganquan Island were divided into five substratum categories: coral reef, sand, reef, spray and deep sea water. These are classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM), a Neural Network and the Maximum Likelihood method. The classification results were verified by comparing the satellite image visual interpretation classification results and the field seafloor image data. Confusion matrixes was compared and the classification accuracy was evaluated. The results show that the classification based on the SVM method is the best, with a total classification accuracy of 93.33% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.89. These results prove that high-resolution images can provide detailed and accurate information for coral reef bottom types classification and thus provide a scientific basis and reliable data for the establishment of a more complete coral reef ecological monitoring system and marine ecological environmental protection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first systematic sediment survey by the icebreaker Shirase (AGB-5003) was conducted during the 61st Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-61). Sediment samples were obtained from a total of 28 sites in 3 areas of the Totten Glacier front–Dalton polynya, Lützow-Holm Bay and Cape Darnley polynya using a large-bore gravity corer and GSJ-type K-grab sampler. In this paper, details of the survey operation are described as a reference for the future experience. In addition, preliminary results of the obtained sediments are reported as a fundamental information for future analysis using these samples.

ABSTRACT Giménez-Casalduero, F.; Gomariz-Castillo, F.; Canales, R., and Calvín J. C., 2018. Identifying the conservation state of marine rocky habitats along the western Mediterranean using focal species. Marine management in Europe has progressed in implementing a European legal framework. The directives stand out among the legal instruments of such framework; their main objective is to conserve biodiversity in the marine environment in order to maintain a good ecological status. For the application of the directives, it is necessary to improve knowledge of the reef habitat by identifying its ecological value as a first step to define its conservation and ecological status. This study has identified the state of conservation in the rocky coastal habitat of the Region of Murcia (SE Spain) by using the presence of benthic focal species for each type of landscape as an indicator. To identify the landscape units, a hierarchical classification of rocky habitats was carried out. The existence of comparable units makes it possible to search for indicators of ecological status and compare the units within each category. After the definition of landscape units, the specific reference level for rock habitat, adapted to each of the “landscape types,” was defined, allowing its ecological value to be determined; the focus on focal species can help in defining conservation objectives. Of the rocky landscape units analysed, 94% have a high ecological value. In conclusion, with the methodology proposed in this paper, it is possible to easily define the specific reference level for rock habitat and determine its status in relation to it. This way it is possible to provide rapid information on the environmental status of rocky landscape units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological studies about marine benthic communities received a major leap from the application of a variety of non-destructive sampling and mapping techniques based on underwater image and video recording. The well-established scientific diving practice consists in the acquisition of single path or 'round-trip' over elongated transects, with the imaging device oriented in a nadir looking direction. As it may be expected, the application of automatic image processing procedures to data not specifically acquired for 3D modelling can be risky, especially if proper tools for assessing the quality of the produced results are not employed. This paper, born from an international cooperation, focuses on this topic, which is of great interest for ecological and monitoring benthic studies in Antarctica. Several video footages recorded from different scientific teams in different years are processed with an automatic photogrammetric procedure and salient statistical features are reported to critically analyse the derived results. As expected, the inclusion of oblique images from additional lateral strips may improve the expected accuracy in the object space, without altering too much the current video recording practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow water Antarctic marine macroepifaunal assemblages live in one of the most naturally disturbed marine environments due to the impact of icebergs scouring the seafloor. They are, however, amongst the least anthropogenically impacted assemblages and are afforded protection under the Antarctic Treaty system. When the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station wharf needed extending to accommodate the newly constructed UK polar research vessel, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, a Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) was conducted to assess the impact. The macroepifaunal likely to be impacted by the construction was surveyed through ROV videos of five transects, centered on the middle of the construction zone, from 10-100 m deep. A pre-construction survey was completed in March 2017, as part of the CEE impact assessment, and a post-build survey in 2022 (delayed from 2021, and reduced in scope, due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Sedimentation rates were also measured before and during construction and were high during the second summer when the wharf pilings were being back filled with crushed rock. The measured differences between pre- and post-construction assemblages were minor and were not reflected in the overall number of taxa (operational taxonomic units - OTU), or diversity, but there were subtle shifts in species composition. The largest differences in the macroepifauna were a reduction in the number of the common urchin, Sterechinus neumayeri, and seastar, Odontaster validus, and were within expected variability. The small changes detected in the macroepifauna indicate it was minimally impacted and/or recovered in the subsequent two years, therefore during wharf construction the accompanying mitigation measures were robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idunella spinifera (Dauvin and Gentil, 1983) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Liljeborgiidae) is reported for the first time after the original description that was based on one immature female. Specimens were collected in the Ría de Muros (NW Iberian Peninsula) during the course of a study on macrofauna diversity in shallow sublittoral biogenic sands along a one-year period. The male and the ovigerous female are fully described, and the data on ecology and temporal variation of abundance is provided as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroalgae populations are influenced by various factors that define their spatial and temporal distribution in different habitats and regions. In Mexico, studies addressing the abundance and diversity of macroalgae communities related to environmental factors are scarce. The objective is to determine the spatio-temporal variation of the structure of the community of seaweeds in Xpicob and Villamar, Campeche, during three climatic seasons. Sampling took place during each season using transects and quadrants; additionally, the type of substrate, water temperature, transparency, depth, salinity, and dissolved oxygen, were recorded. The total richness was 74 taxa, corresponding to three classes: Phaeophyceae (3), Florideophyceae (36), and Ulvophyceae (35). Filamentous algae dominate in species richness in the intertidal zone at low depths, while fleshy and calcareous algae predominate in number and biomass in the subtidal zone at higher depths (60–200 cm). Twenty-eight species were common to both sites; meanwhile, 46 taxa were exclusive of specific sites, including 13 found exclusively in Xpicob and 33 in Villamar. The most favorable climatic season for the macroalgae located in Xpicob was the winter rain. For the macroalgae community in Villamar, the most favorable climatic season was the dry. These differences are likely attributed to the predominant environmental and physicochemical characteristics of each site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Patterns of benthic biodiversity at the macroecological scale remain poorly characterised throughout the Chilean latitudinal gradient, in part due to the lack of integrated databases, uneven sampling effort, and the use of species richness alone to quantify biodiversity. Different diversity measures, encompassing taxonomic and functional components, may give us extra information on biodiversity relevant to conservation planning and management. Thus, evaluating the spatial complementarity of these measures is essential. Location: Coast and continental shelf of Chile. Methods: The latitudinal gradient of Chile was divided into five ecoregions according to the Marine Ecosystems of the World classification. Using a 55 × 55 km equal area grid, we estimated the incidence coverage‐based estimator (ICE), taxonomic distinctness (Δ+) and three measures of functional diversity: functional richness (FRic), functional evenness (FEve) and functional divergence (FDiv). For each measure, we described spatial patterns, identified hotspots, evaluated hotspot congruence and evaluated complementarity between measures. Results: Diversity patterns varied between ecoregions and over the latitudinal gradient. ICE and Δ+ peaked in the Chiloense and Channels and Fjords ecoregions. Δ+ and FRic present a similar pattern at mid‐latitudes. FEve showed a contrary pattern, principally with FRic. Areas with high numbers of hotspots differed spatially according to each metric, and three latitudinal bands were observed. ICE, Δ+ and FRic were positively correlated, but the hotspot overlap at the grid cell level was more limited. Main Conclusions: The complementarity between taxonomic and functional diversity measures is limited when we observe the overlap between grid cells representing hotspots. However, some regions are consistently identified as highly diverse, with the Magellanic Province (Chiloense and Channels and Fjords ecoregions) being the most important for the richness, taxonomic and functional diversity of benthos. Confirmation of the importance of this region can help prioritise conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining activity contributes to energy security and employment occupation, but is associated with environmental deterioration. Coal combustion leads to GHG emissions, while coal mining results in the generation of saline effluents. These effluents are discharged in inland surface waters, applying significant pressure on their quality, with a negative impact on aquatic life and the economy of a region. This study includes water samples that were analyzed in order to investigate the organic compounds, heavy metals, and other physicochemical parameters. Biological monitoring was done according to the Water Framework Directive methodology. The results from an aquatic area in Southern Poland, which indirectly receives coal mine effluents, indicate elevated salinity with excessive chlorides, sulfates, and sodium ions. The water quality of another non-polluted aquatic area was also assessed to examine the impact of indirect coal mine wastewater discharge on this area. The high salinity levels hinder the use of river water for drinking, agricultural, or industrial purposes. The results obtained show high pressure on the ecological status of streams and rivers that receive mine effluents, and on the density and diversity of aquatic invertebrates. This pressure is clearly visible in the structure of benthic communities and in invertebrate diversity. It also contributes to the appearance of invasive species and increasing water salinity. Limiting discharges of mine water transporting large loads of saline substances would reduce the negative impact on the quality of river waters and biological life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine biological resources are abundant, and the reasonable development, research and protection of marine biological resources are of great significance to marine ecological health and economic development. At present, underwater object quantitative detection plays a very important role in marine biological science research, marine species richness survey, and rare species conservation. However, the problems of a large amount of noise in the underwater environment, small object scale, dense biological distribution, and occlusion all increase the detection difficulty. In this paper, a detection algorithm MAD-YOLO (Multiscale Feature Extraction and Attention Feature Fusion Reinforced YOLO for Marine Benthos Detection) is proposed, which is based on improved YOLOv5 is proposed to solve the above problems. To improve the adaptability of the network to the underwater environment, VOVDarkNet is designed as the feature extraction backbone. It uses the intermediate features with different receptive fields to reinforce the ability to extract feature. AFC-PAN is proposed as the feature fusion network so that the network can learn correct feature information and location information of objects at various scales, improving the network's ability to perceive small objects. Label assignment strategy SimOTA and decoupled head are introduced to help the model better handles occlusion and dense distribution problems. Experiments show the MAD-YOLO algorithm increases mAP 0.5:0.95 on the URPC2020 dataset from 49.8% to 53.4% compared to the original YOLOv5. Moreover, the advantages of the model are visualized and analyzed by the method of controlling variables in the experimental part. The experiments show that MAD-YOLO is suitable for detecting blurred, dense, and small-scale objects. The model performs well in marine benthos detection tasks and can effectively promote marine life science research and marine engineering implementation. The source code is publicly available at https://github.com/JoeNan1/MAD-YOLO. • The paper proposes a new quantitative detection for dense small-scale marine benthos. • A multiscale feature extraction backbone VOVDarkNet is proposed to reinforce the ability to extract features. • Applying the attention mechanism and Transformer to the feature fusion part, improving the network's ability to perceive small objects. • The label assignment strategy and decoupled head are introduced to improve the detection ability for dense objects. • MAD-YOLO provides a new idea for the research of underwater object detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents morphological and ecological characteristics of Prestauroneis tumida Levkov recorded for the first time in Poland. The diatom Prestauroneis tumida Levkov was found in the microbenthos of the Czarna Staszowska River (left tributary of the Vistula River, south-eastern Poland). This diatom species was present in the upper section of the river (sampling sites: 1 - Drogowle, 2 - Raków) where saprobic state varied from oligosaprobic to beta-mesosaprobic. Dimensions of the valve were as follows: length 30-44 µm, width 8-11 µm and 13-16 striae in 10 µm. Our research updates the morphological diversity data such as measurements of valves in terms of width and the number of striae. The accompanying species of Prestauroneis tumida belonged to the group of good water quality indicators, from oligo- to mesosaprobic ones. Some of the identified species were indicators of alkaline, calcium-rich waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) are a key component of Southern Ocean benthos, with 16% of the known sea star species living there. In temperate marine environments, sea stars commonly play an important role in food webs, acting as keystone species. However, trophic ecology and functional role of Southern Ocean sea stars are still poorly known, notably due to the scarcity of large‐scale studies. Here, we report 24,332 trophic marker (stable isotopes and elemental contents of C, N, and S of tegument and/or tube feet) and biometric (arm length, disk radius, arm to disk ratio) measurements in 2,456 specimens of sea stars. Samples were collected between 12 January 1985 and 8 October 2017 in numerous locations along the Antarctic littoral and subantarctic islands. The spatial scope of the data set covers a significant portion of the Southern Ocean (47.717° S to 86.273° S; 127.767° W to 162.201° E; depth, 6–5,338 m). The data set contains 133 distinct taxa, including 72 currently accepted species spanning 51 genera, 20 families, and multiple feeding guilds/functional groups (suspension feeders, sediment feeders, omnivores, predators of mobile or sessile prey). For 505 specimens, mitochondrial CO1 genes were sequenced to confirm and/or refine taxonomic identifications, and those sequences are already publicly available through the Barcode of Life Data System. This number will grow in the future, as molecular analyses are still in progress. Overall, thanks to its large taxonomic, spatial, and temporal extent, as well as its integrative nature (combining genetic, morphological, and ecological data), this data set can be of wide interest to Southern Ocean ecologists, invertebrate zoologists, benthic ecologists, and environmental managers dealing with associated areas. Please cite this data paper in research products derived from the data set, which is freely available without copyright restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanobacteria are harmful algae that are monitored worldwide to prevent the effects of the toxins that they can produce. Most research efforts have focused on direct or indirect effects on human populations, with a view to gain easy accurate detection and quantification methods, mainly in planktic communities, but with increasing interest shown in benthos. However, cyanobacteria have played a fundamental role from the very beginning in both the development of our planet's biodiversity and the construction of new habitats. These organisms have colonized almost every possible planktic or benthic environment on earth, including the most extreme ones, and display a vast number of adaptations. All this explains why they are the most important or the only phototrophs in some habitats. The negative effects of cyanotoxins on macroinvertebrates have been demonstrated, but usually under conditions that are far from natural, and on forms of exposure, toxin concentration, or composition. The cohabitation of cyanobacteria with most invertebrate groups is long-standing and has probably contributed to the development of detoxification means, which would explain the survival of some species inside cyanobacteria colonies. This review focuses on benthic cyanobacteria, their capacity to produce several types of toxins, and their relationships with benthic macroinvertebrates beyond toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine bioconstructions are complex habitats that represent a hotspot of biodiversity. Among Mediterranean bioconstructions, those thriving on mesophotic bottoms on southeastern Italian coasts are of particular interest due to their horizontal and vertical extension. In general, the communities that develop in the Mediterranean twilight zone encompassed within the first 30 m of depth are better known, while relatively few data are available on those at greater depths. By further investigating the diversity and structure of mesophotic bioconstructions in the southern Adriatic, we can improve our understanding of Mediterranean biodiversity while developing effective conservation strategies to preserve these habitats of particular interest. The dataset reported here comprises records of benthic marine taxa from algae and invertebrate mesophotic bioconstructions investigated at six sites along the southern Adriatic coast of Italy, at depths between approximately 25 and 65 m. The dataset contains a total of 1718 records, covering 11 phyla and 648 benthic taxa, of which 580 were recognized at the species level. These data could provide a reference point for further investigations with descriptive or management purposes, including the possible assessment of mesophotic bioconstructions as refuges for shallow-water species. Dataset: The dataset is submitted as a Supplementary File. Dataset License: CC-BY [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthos has long been recognized as an important factor influencing local sediment stability, deposition, and erosion rates. However, its role in long-term (annual to decadal scale) and large-scale coastal morphological change remains largely speculative. This study aims to derive a quantitative understanding of the importance of benthos in the morphological development of a tidal embayment (Jade Bay) as representative of tidal coastal regions. To achieve this, we first applied a machine-learning-aided species abundance model to derive a complete map of benthos (functional groups, abundance, and biomass) in the study area, based on abundance and biomass measurements. The derived data were used to parameterize the benthos effect on sediment stability, erosion rates and deposition rates, erosion and hydrodynamics in a 3-dimensional hydro-eco-morphodynamic model, which was then applied to Jade Bay to hindcast the morphological and sediment change for 2000–2009. Simulation results indicate significantly improved performance with the benthos effect included. Simulations including benthos show consistency with measurements regarding morphological and sediment changes, while abiotic drivers (tides, storm surges) alone result in a reversed pattern in terms of erosion and deposition contrary to measurement. Based on comparisons among scenarios with various combinations of abiotic and biotic factors, we further investigated the level of complexity of the hydro-eco-morphodynamic models that is needed to capture long-term and large-scale coastal morphological development. The accuracy in the parameterization data was crucial for increasing model complexity. When the parameterization uncertainties were high, the increased model complexity decreased the model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submarine channels are key features for the transport of flow and nutrients into deep water. Previous studies of their morphology and channel evolution have treated these systems as abiotic, and therefore assume that physical processes are solely responsible for morphological development. Here, a unique dataset is utilised that includes spatial measurements around a channel bend that hosts active sediment gravity flows. The data include flow velocity and density, alongside bed grain size and channel‐floor benthic macrofauna. Analysis of these parameters demonstrate that while physical processes control the broadest scale variations in sedimentation around and across the channel, benthic biology plays a critical role in stabilising sediment and trapping fines. This leads to much broader mixed grain sizes than would be expected from purely abiotic sedimentation, and the maintenance of sediment beds in positions where all the sediment should be actively migrating. Given that previous work has also shown that submarine channels can be biological hotspots, then the present study suggests that benthic biology probably plays a key role in channel morphology and evolution, and that these need to be considered both in the modern and when considering examples preserved in the rock record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of the studies of ciliate assemblage in benthos of lowland river influenced by sewage discharged from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. During the presented research the 47 ciliate species, including 45 species from the benthos of the river and 18 from the activated sludge of aeration chamber were identified. Only two species registered in the activated sludge were not observed in the river. Against the background of the lowest number of species in the point located in the distance of 50 m below the discharge of sewage the maximum amount and biomass of these species were observed. Whereas, 200 m below the discharge the decrease in number and biomass of ciliate to the level noted for location before the discharge was observed. Thus, generalizing, one may state that influence of municipal WWTP sewage discharge for ciliate assemblage in the river's benthos was clearly visible but local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic organic matter microbial oxidation is the basic process by which oxidants such as oxygen, nitrate and sulphate are consumed in sediments, while ammonium and phosphate are released. Although these processes play a crucial role in river biogeochemistry, their modelling remains a difficult challenge. Thouvenot et al. [J. Hydrol., 341, 55-78, 2007; 379, 239-250, 2009] have proposed a model of the processes involved in organic matter degradation in a vertical gradient of oxic to anoxic conditions, considering one upper fluid, erodable sediment layer, with transient behaviour, overlaying a compacted sediment layer assumed to be at steady state. In this paper, we present a thorough analysis of the response of Thouvenot's model to the various constraints affecting benthic processes, according to a conceptual interpretative framework relating the nutrient fluxes across the sediment-water interface to the depth-integrated value of certain sediment properties, such as their oxidant demand and their total ammonification rate. Based on this analysis, we propose a new alternative algorithm simplifying the calculation of the benthic fluxes. This algorithm is designed to be suitable for inclusion in any model of in-stream biogeochemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep sea bacterial communities demonstrate remarkable adaptability to high-pressure environments coupled with low temperatures which has sparked curiosity about their diversity and exceptional metabolic pathways. Additionally, bacteria in the deep sea exert a substantial influence over various biogeochemical processes. To date, we have relatively very little information about the deep-sea bacterial communities and, they remain largely unexplored. We investigated the variability in the physicochemical conditions, heavy metals and their influence on deep-sea bacterial community structure across three different depths in the Bay of Bengal. The structural and metabolic diversity of deep-sea sediment microbial communities were examined through culture-based sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, ecto-enzymatic studies, and community-level physiological profiling. Bacillota was the most dominant phylum representing 61% of the cultured bacterial isolates, while the remaining belonged to Actinomycetota and Pseudomonodata. Five potential novel species belonging to the genera Fictibacillus, Lysinibacillus, Salinicola, Robertmurraya and Blastococcus were identified. The extracellular enzymatic activity was positive for >50% of the bacterial isolates, wherein the genera Bacillus and Micromonospora exhibited versatile profiles. High metabolic diversity was recorded through the carbon substrate utilization profiles indicating that microbial communities are active participants in biogeochemical cycles in the deep sea. The most prominently utilized carbon substrates were a-cyclodextrin, glucose-1-phosphate, D-xylose, glycogen, and 2-hydroxy benzoic acid which serve as organic substrates for microbial metabolism, facilitating the decomposition of organic matter and, recycling carbon in deep-sea ecosystems. Multivariate statistical analyses confirmed that the environmental variables had a profound influence on the bacterial community. The findings shed light on spatial variability in the bacterial community structure, enzyme activity and metabolic profiles, and enhance our understanding of Bay of Bengal deep-sea sedimentary microbial ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrotricha are microscopic benthic animals found in almost all water bodies. To date, over 890 species distributed in 71 genera, 18 families, and two orders are known. There are 376 freshwater species, and several are also found in Italy; however, a compendium of the studies carried out so far, and a georeferenced distribution of the species, still need to be provided. This project summarizes information about the diversity and geographic distribution of Italian gastrotrichs. Diversity data, acquired over 239 years, were reviewed and corrected based on taxonomic and nomenclatural updates and, in addition to distribution information, were organized into a data matrix valuable for statistical analysis. The data were fed into geographic information system software to understand the overall figures more easily. The results indicated that Italy is one of the best-known countries regarding freshwater gastrotrichs. With 92 species in 17 genera and three families from 61 investigated localities, Italy counts 17 type localities and 19 endemic species. Despite this high biodiversity, many Italian regions still need to be investigated, and should, therefore, be the focus of future research. The implementation of a web-mapping plugin enabled the creation of interactive maps for an easy and modern method for sharing the work done, and the information acquired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace fossils and palaeopascichnids have been studied in the Basa Formation of the Vendian Asha Group of the South Urals (southwestern periphery of the Suleiman Anticline, Shubino quarry in Ust'-Katav, Chelyabinsk Region of Russia). The general morphology and preservation of ichnofossils have been shown to be similar to the Late Vendian–Early Cambrian subhorizontal bilobate burrows of Didymaulichnus. The paleontological remains have been found to be confined to extremely shallow deposition settings and located stratigraphically below the volcanic tuff layer with a zircon U–Pb isotopic age of 578 ± 7 Ma. Until now, the first occurrence of ichnofossils and the associated "Agronomic Revolution" were dated at ~560–550 Ma. According to our study results, mobile benthos and biological mixing of sediments could have occurred 20–30 Ma earlier. The hypothesis that the onset of the "First Agronomic Revolution" and the "Cambrian Explosion" were far from being close in time was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lake Baikal is ranked first among the world's lakes in terms of freshwater reserves (23,000 km3). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its biota is represented by unique fauna and flora, with endemics accounting for more than 60%. What is happening in the Baikal ecosystem in recent decades due to global climate change and anthropogenic impacts? In this paper, we studied this issue on the example of one of the few open bays on the western shore of Lake Baikal, as well as of some remote areas. It has been found that the plankton composition is dominated by thermophilic species; the role of endemic species in the formation of total biomass is decreasing, which confirms the ecosystem's response to climate warming. As a result of human activity, filamentous algae bloom suppresses endemic algae species and reduces mollusk proportion. The coastal zone of Lake Baikal is taking on the features of common shallow freshwater lakes due to the predominance of cosmopolitan and widespread Palearctic species. It is necessary to monitor the Baikal ecosystem in the changing climate and to strengthen control over human activities on the shores of the lake. Recent studies have revealed how the freshwater biota of Lake Baikal responds to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. We studied phyto- and zooplankton, as well as phyto- and zoobenthos, in the open coastal waters of the southern basin of the lake and of Listvennichny Bay. A total of 180 aquatic organism taxa were recorded. The response of the Baikal ecosystem to climate change can be traced by changes in the species composition of planktonic communities of the lake's open coasts in summer. The key species were thermophilic the Anabaena lemmermannii P. Richt. (Fij = +0.7) blue-green algae, the Asplanchna priodonta Gosse (Fij = +0.6) rotifers in 2016, the Rhodomonas pusilla (Bachm.) Javorn. (Fij = +0.5) cold-loving algae, and the Cyclops kolensis Lilljeborg (Fij = +0.9) copepods in the past century. The proportion of Chlorophyta decreased from 63% to 17%; the Cyanophyta increased from 3% to 11% in the total biomass of phytoplankton; and the proportion of Cladocera and Rotifera increased to 26% and 11% in the biomass of zooplankton, respectively. Human activity makes an additional contribution to the eutrophication of coastal waters. The Dinobryon species, the cosmopolitan Asterionella formosa Hass. and Fragilaria radians Kütz., dominated phytoplankton, and filamentous algae, Spirogyra, dominated at the bottom in the area with anthropogenic impact. The trophic level was higher than at the unaffected background site: the saprobity index varied from 1.45 to 2.17; the ratio of eutrophic species to oligotrophic species ranged from 1:2 to 3:1, and the ratio of mesosaprobiont biomass to endemics biomass ranged from 2:1 to 7:1. Currently, the boundaries of eutrophication zones of shallow waters in Lake Baikal are expanding, and its coastal zone has acquired features typical of freshwater bodies of the eutrophic type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cybium: International Journal of Ichthyology is the property of Societe Francaise d'Ichtyologie (SFI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cybium: International Journal of Ichthyology is the property of Societe Francaise d'Ichtyologie (SFI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background The characteristics of the Strait of Magellan promote the formation of unique environments, with diverse habitats and marine organisms. This fragmentation of the landscape generates diverse little-explored ecological associations, especially in the zone of subAntarctic islands of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. One way to address this lack of knowledge is through the biotope characterization methodology, with ecological units composed of the habitat and the communities associated with these environments, obtaining data and information on the dominant and incidental taxonomic groups. This is a good research model to conduct baseline studies in coastal benthic marine environments. New information A data set in Darwin Core standard is presented of the species that make up the intertidal biotopes of Clarence Island (Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, south of the Strait of Magellan). This includes 50 identified species and the specific coordinates for each sampled location, with a total of 1400 georeferenced records. Mollusks were the most diverse taxon with 21 species, followed by algae (14 species). Sessile organisms such as the barnacles Elminius kingii and Austromegabalanus psittacus predominate in these ecosystems, followed by bivalve mollusks such as Choromytilus chorus and Mytilus chilensis, which together with Nacella magellanica and the alga Hildenbrandia sp. make up more than 50% of the total records. The inclusion of biotope patterns in this study complements the information on benthic marine flora and fauna in the intertidal zone, including new records for the coast in the Clarence Island area, which is within the boundary of the Kawésqar National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most tedious and hectic job is to identify the tiny benthic animals by spending thousands of hour under the microscope, since all the fauna need to be counted, sorted, picked and permanently mounted on glass slides for taxonomic identification. All faunal identifications need a lot of preprocessing and it consumes a lot of time to identify a single specimen. Therefore, to reduce the complexity of many such procedures, combined with the desire to identify larger datasets, we came up with new software based on artificial intelligence which can automatically identify the benthic fauna through the microscopic images. In this paper, we propose a machine learning method for automatic visual identification through the images of the benthic fauna. To this end, we propose a neural network model, where we demonstrate that the proposed approach differentiates the fauna based on images. However, it works well with vast amounts of image data and significant computational resources.