Anna Maria Miglietta

Morphological convergence of resting stages of planktonic organisms: a review

In temperate seas, many plankters avoid unfavourable periods by producing resting stages which accumulate in the sediments to form biodiversity banks from which plankton communities are seasonally restored. Most resting stages have typical spiny coverings. This morphology is common across phyla, and even kingdoms, and favours flotation, passive transport, and sensory activity, also opposing both predation and burial into the sediments. Spiny coverings are considered a convergence allowing survival of resting forms.

A Summative Evaluation of Science Learning: A Case Study of the Marine Biology Museum “Pietro Parenzan” (South East Italy)

ABSTRACT The Basking Shark Hall was recently inaugurated in the Marine Biology Museum “Pietro Parenzan” (University of Salento). This provided opportunities to address subjects such as plankton or filter feeding, which are usually disregarded in Marine Biology displays. A questionnaire was administered to visitors (537 students, 9–18 years old) at 3 different times: before the visit to the Basking Shark Hall, immediately after, and after 3 months. Apart from the general trend of positive results emerging from the questionnaires, and a typical progressive diminishing of the acquired information over time, the results highlighted a lack of previous information, the different learning behaviors of males and females, and a different receptivity according to age. The data obtained will be used in elaborating strategies for future didactic proposals in the Marine Biology Museum.

Arylsulphatase in echinoderm immunocompetent cells

SummaryTwo peaks of arylsulphatase activity were detected biochemically in coelomocyte lysate preparations of seven different Echinodermata species. Both peaks were inactivated by sulphite and sulphate ions, indicating that Type II arylsulphatase is present in the coelomocytes of the species tested. Arylsulphatase was localized histochemically in the granules of spherula cells, suggesting that in echinoderms a common cell type with granulocyte-like functions is present. The enzyme was also localized in the amoebocytes of echinoid species.

Evaluating students' comprehension of messages on panels.

ABSTRACT In science museums, teaching panels are an important means of cultural mediation and communication. This study focused on the use and features of panels in museums and we tested panels’ efficacy in conveying information. We assessed the understandability of their messages by verifying the acquisition of information over the short term (quantitative aspect) and identifying difficulties in reading (qualitative aspects). Two panels in the Museo di Biologia Marina “Pietro Parenzan” in Porto Cesareo (Province of Lecce, Italy) were evaluated. The panels had the same content but were different from linguistic and graphic points of view. The study was carried out by interviewing 1,898 middle and secondary-school students of the Province of Lecce (their ages ranging between 11 and 19 years).

I visitatori del museo di Biologia Marina "Pietro Parenzan": censimento conoscitivo

EN The number of visitors of the Marine Biology Museum Pietro Parenzan has been studied from 05 June 1999 to 31 December 2012, obtaining data from the visitors register. Comparing data with those obtained in the precedent period (Fanelli et al. 2000) a remarkable increase is evident. This has been attributed to the strategy to add and/or renew the exhibitions every 2-3 years. As regarding the subdivision of visits along one year, during Winter and Spring the bulk of visits are due to schools; during Summer, on the contrary, the visits are mainly due to beach tourists who in great numbers crowd the town of Porto Cesareo (where the Museum is). Months of lowest visit flows are generally June and November. Generally local visitors (considered as those of the Province of Lecce) are the majority, but some year they have been surpassed by extra-regional visitors. The number of visitors per year varied around 10,000 – 12,000 in the last 8 years, suggesting that this could be considered the carrying capacity of the Museum at its present capability of attraction and/or visitors management. It is however evident that a margin to amelioration exists (e.g. recruiting visitors from extra-region territories or in non crowded parts of the year) due to the fact that visitors are mostly coming from the surroundings, and that minimum presences have been recorded for many months, each year. The growth of the numbers of visitors, up to the present sustained simply by a public side demand, should rely in an enhanced Museum side offer IT Il 05 Giugno 1999 il Museo di Biologia Marina viene inaugurato nella nuova sede e da questa data sino al 31 Dicembre del 2012 viene studiato il flusso dei visitatori, sia singoli che in gruppi organizzati, analizzando la provenienza, i periodi dell’anno e gli eventi che piu hanno portato i turisti o le scuole a visitarlo. Nel confronto con gli anni precedenti al 1999 si ottiene un netto aumento del numero medio dei visitatori, volta per volta sostenuto dalle novita e dai riallestimenti proposti ogni 2-3 anni. Riguardo al periodo, quello inverno-primaverile gode delle visite delle scolaresche, mentre quello estivo si avvale della forte affluenza turistica alla localita di Porto Cesareo che accoglie il museo. In genere i visitatori locali sono sempre in numero preponderante, ma in alcuni anni sono stati superati da quelli provenienti da oltre regione