Slavica Petović

3D chitinous scaffolds derived from cultivated marine demosponge Aplysina aerophoba for tissue engineering approaches based on human mesenchymal stromal cells

The recently discovered chitin-based scaffolds derived from poriferans have the necessary prosperities for potential use in tissue engineering. Among the various demosponges of the Verongida order, Aplysina aerophoba is an attractive target for more in-depth investigations, as it is a renewable source of unique 3D microporous chitinous scaffolds. We found these chitinous scaffolds were cytocompatible and supported attachment, growth and proliferation of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) in vitro. Cultivation of hMSCs on the scaffolds for 7days resulted in a two-fold increase in their metabolic activity, indicating increased cell numbers. Cells cultured onto chitin scaffolds in differentiation media were able to differentiate into the chondrogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic lineages, respectively. These results indicate A. aerophoba is a novel source of chitin scaffolds to futher hMSCs-based tissue engineering strategies.

Marine Invertebrates of Boka Kotorska Bay Unique Sources for Bioinspired Materials Science

Marine invertebrates from Boka Kotorska Bay represent a gold mine for both marine pharmacology and biotechnology as well as for bioinspired materials science. Especially sponges are highly perspective organisms due to their ability to grow under marine farming conditions and to synthetize biologically active secondary metabolites as well as diverse biopolymers. Their skeletal structures contain unique biocomposites made of organic templates and calcium carbonate, or silica phases. Studies on structural biopolymers like aminopolysaccharide chitin or proteinaceous keratin-like spongin are current topics of scientific interest today. Chitinous scaffolds of poriferan origin are discussed as unique templates for application in extreme biomimetics and tissue engineering.

Biological Invasions in Conservation Planning: A Global Systematic Review

Biological invasions threaten biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, requiring substantial conservation and management efforts. To examine how the conservation planning literature addresses biological invasions and if planning in the marine environment could benefit from experiences in the freshwater and terrestrial systems, we conducted a global systematic review. Out of 1149 scientific articles mentioning both ‘conservation planning’ and ‘alien’ or any of its alternative terms, 70 articles met our selection criteria. Most of the studies were related to the terrestrial environment, while only 10% focused on the marine one. The main conservation targets were species (mostly vertebrates) rather than habitats or ecosystems. Apart from being mentioned, alien species were considered of concern for conservation in only 46% of the cases, while mitigation measures were proposed in only 13% of the cases. The vast majority of the studies (73%) ignored alien species in conservation planning even if their negative impacts were recognized. In 20% of the studies, highly invaded areas were avoided in the planning, while in 6% of the cases such areas were prioritized for conservation. In the latter case, two opposing approaches led to the selection of invaded areas: either alien and native biodiversity were treated equally in setting conservation targets, i.e. alien species were also considered as ecological features requiring protection, or more commonly invaded sites were prioritized for the implementation of management actions to control or eradicate invasive alien species. When the ‘avoid’ approach was followed, in most of the cases highly impacted areas were either excluded or invasive alien species were included in the estimation of a cost function to be minimized. Most of the studies that followed a ‘protect’ or ‘avoid’ approach dealt with terrestrial or freshwater features but in most cases the followed approach could be transferred to the marine environment. Gaps and needs for further research are discussed and we propose an 11-step framework to account for biological invasions into the systematic conservation planning design.

Non-indigenous macrozoobenthic species on hard substrata of selected harbours in the adriatic sea

The intense shipping traffic characterising the Adriatic Sea favours the spread of marine organisms. Yet, a study of 12 Adriatic ports (4 on the western side and 8 on the eastern side of the basin) found that non-indigenous species (NIS) accounted for only 4% of the benthic communities settled on hard substrates. The cirripeds Amphibalanus amphitrite and Balanus trigonus, found in 8 harbours, were the most common invaders followed by Amphibalanus eburneus, the ascidian Styela plicata, and the bivalve Magallana gigas. The highest percentage of NIS was recorded in Venice and Ploče, the harbours with the least rich native communities; the lowest percentage was retrieved in Trieste, Koper, Pula, and Rijeka, the harbours hosting the highest species diversity. In contrast, the ports of Bari and Ancona showed both high NIS percentages and highly diversified communities.

Characteristics of the Zoobenthos in Boka Kotorska Bay

Description of the basic characteristics of the zoobenthos assemblages at the seafloor of the Boka Kotorska Bay was created by compiling available data from the scientific and gray literature, and they are a result of research on this area during the last 55 years. All data on the benthic fauna of the Boka Kotorska Bay, up until the middle of the last century, are very rare and can be found in publications resulting from the study of the Adriatic Sea by international scientists. With the establishment of the Institute for Marine Biology in Kotor, more intensive research of marine biodiversity of this particular area has started.

Occurrence and Distribution of Crustacean Decapoda in Boka Kotorska Bay

An annotated species of crustacean Decapoda list is provided for the area of Boka Kotorska Bay, based on the available literature. Review of the relevant literature showed that the number of the species known in this area is 62. Two of these species are recognized as Atlanto-tropical immigrants. All species were collected using trawl, dredge, grab bottom sampler, gillnets, as well as scuba-diving techniques. Description of each species gives the valid scientific name and vernacular, common names, literature, distribution and findings in Boka Kotorska Bay, Adriatic distribution, and some remarks as well as their potential commercial interest for fishery. Most of these species have a wide distribution range, including the whole Mediterranean Sea.