The blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) is one of the most invasive species in Mediterranean Sea. Understand how populations are maintained and environment driving areas invaded key to an effective future management. This current study presenting a monthly long-term monitoring crabs’ population structure, body size, sexual maturity, reproduction periods fecundity, their relationships with environmental factors saltmarshes system Italy. During winter, high densities (15 ± 8 ind m -2...

Organismal abundance tends to decline with increasing body size. Metabolic theory links this size structure energy use and productivity across levels of biological organization, predicting a size-abundance slope -0.75 that is invariant environments. We tested whether the relationship robust gradient protist species richness (1 6 species), temperature (15 25 C), time. Our results support expected for relationship, but we found interactive effects indicating not invariant. In high-richness...

According to the metabolic theory of ecology, rate, an important indicator pace life, varies with body mass and temperature due internal physical constraints. However, various ecological factors may also affect rate its scaling mass. Although reports such effects on usually focus single factors, possibility significant interactive between multiple requires further study. In this study, we show that effect ontogenetic resting freshwater amphipod Gammarus minus depends critically habitat...

Metabolism drives various biological processes, potentially influencing the ecological success and evolutionary fitness of species. Understanding diverse metabolic rates is fundamental in biology. Mechanisms underlying adaptation to factors like temperature predation pressure remain unclear. Our study explored role shaping scaling an invasive mussel species ( Brachidontes pharaonis ). Specifically, we performed laboratory-based experiments assess effects phenotypic plasticity on by exposing...

Abstract Aim Communities contain more individuals of small species and fewer large species. According to the ‘metabolic theory ecology’, relationship log mean abundance with body size across communities should exhibit a slope −3/4 that is invariant environmental conditions. Here, we investigate whether this indeed or changes systematically gradients in temperature, resource availability predation pressure. Location 1048 lakes USA. Time Period 2012. Major Taxa Studied Phytoplankton. Results...

A common belief is that body mass scaling of metabolic rate results chiefly from intrinsic body-design constraints. However, several studies have shown multiple ecological factors affect scaling. The mechanistic basis these effects largely unknown. Here, we explore whether abiotic and biotic environmental interactive on To address this question, studied the simultaneous temperature predator cues ontogenetic amphipod crustaceans inhabiting two different aquatic ecosystems, a freshwater spring...

Abstract Individual body size distributions (ISD) within communities are remarkably consistent across habitats and spatiotemporal scales can be represented by spectra, which described a power law. The focus of spectra analysis is to estimate the exponent () A common application studies detect anthropogenic pressures. Many methods have been proposed for estimating most involve binning data, counting abundance bins, then fitting an ordinary least squares regression in log–log space. However,...

Abstract A fundamental pattern in ecology is that smaller organisms are more abundant than larger organisms. This known as the individual size distribution (ISD), which frequency of all body sizes an ecosystem. The ISD described by a power law and major goal spectra analyses to estimate exponent law, λ . However, while numerous methods have been developed do this, they focused almost exclusively on estimating from single samples. Here, we develop extension truncated Pareto within...

Abstract Individual space and resource use are central issues in ecology conservation. Recent technological advances such as automated tracking techniques boosting ecological research this field. However, the development of a robust method to track is still challenging for at least one important ecosystem component: motile aquatic macroinvertebrates. The challenges mostly related small body size rapid movement many macroinvertebrate species light scattering wave signal interference habitats....

Abstract. Standard metabolic rate is a major functional trait with large inter-individual variability in many groups of aquatic species. Here we present results an experimental study to address variation standard rates, over different scales organisation and environments, within specific group macro-invertebrates (i.e. gammarid amphipods) that represent the primary consumers detritus food webs. The was carried out using flow-through microrespirometric techniques on male specimens three...

1 - The phytoplankton from Eastern Mediterranean coastal lagoons is analysed using a multi-scale approach, with the aim of testing if variations follow hierarchical scheme based on eco-geographical location. scale similarity examined by taxonomic metric Kullback-Leibler divergence and related index. 2 A sampling design was used to investigate in composition richness assemblages. Data analyzed collected during summer season 3 Eco-region: two are located Turkey (Akgol Paradeniz) one Greece...

Abstract A fundamental pattern in ecology is that smaller organisms are more abundant than larger organisms. This known as the individual size distribution (ISD), which frequency of all body sizes an ecosystem. The ISD described by a power law and major goal spectra analyses to estimate exponent law, λ. However, while numerous methods have been developed do this, they focused almost exclusively on estimating λ from single samples. Here, we develop extension truncated Pareto within...

The study explores the individual size distribution (ISD) pattern in ecological communities, characterized by a negative correlation between body and abundance (N ∼ M λ ). parameter denotes rate of decline relative from small to large individuals. Despite known influences temperature resource availability on size, their effects remain diverse. Leveraging data 2.4 million sizes continental freshwater streams, research hypothesis that varies as function supply. Surprisingly, despite varied...

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) expresses concern over global proliferation of non-native species (NIS) driven by increasing temperatures. In 2023, invasive blue crab Portunus segnis in Mediterranean experienced a significant range expansion due to warmer waters northern western regions. Recognizing thermal tolerance as crucial for conservation, this study, using model, emphasized importance considering metabolic...

Individual energy requirements are tightly related to individual resource use and by extension of space‐use patterns other traits at higher levels the ecological hierarchy. However, there is still little experimental evidence linking energetics behaviour. scale mainly with body size temperature, but these do not explain all variation. Therefore, studies focused on inter variation in space behaviour can be used frame foraging dynamics an perspective. We empirically tested hypothesis a...

Recently, several studies have reported relationships between the abundance of organisms in an ecological community and their mean body size (called cross-community scaling relationships: CCSRs) that can be described by simple power functions. A primary focus these has been on exponent (slope) whether it approximates −3/4, as predicted Damuth’s rule metabolic theory ecology. However, some CCSR exponents significantly different from theoretical value −3/4. Why this variation occurs is still...

This study is focused on investigating the variation patterns of macroinvertebrate guilds functional structure, in relation to taxonomic one, across aquatic ecosystem types along salinity gradient from freshwater marine and resulting implications guild organization energy flows. Synoptic samplings have been carried out using leaf-pack technique at 30 sites ecosystems Corfu Island (Greece), including freshwater, lagoon, sites. Here, we analyzed river, ecosystems, as: i. composition population...

Body size is a key trait of species, populations, and organisms; it relates to abundance, home range, metabolic rates, stressors. As reported by Damuth’s law, the relationship between body abundance negative with slope value −0.75. In aquatic ecosystems, particularly for benthic macroinvertebrates, deviates from expected This variation may depend on abiotic biotic factors as well methods that are used sample macroinvertebrates. “Leaf-bags” “Surber-net” most they provide different data about...