A.Monteleone,M.Sanfilippo,G.Capillo,A.Manganaro
Supported By PON INNOVAQUA PON02_00451_3362185
University of Messina.Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
EFFECTS
OF
TEMPERATURE
ON
THE
DENSI
TY
OF
GRACI
LARI
A
GRACI
LI
S
I
N
THE
SALTED
POND
OF
GANZI
RRI
(NE
SI
CI
LY)
:
GLOBAL
CHANGES?
The natural population of Gracilaria gracilis found in the salted pond of Ganzirri (NE Sicily) is an important economic resource in relation to the quantity and quality of the agar product. With the support of the INNOVAQUA project is being tested a cultivation of
of G. gracilis in Ganzirri’s pond, with excellent results. For this reason the study of the life cycle of this alga and its growing conditions have a crucial role.
Since several years the population of this alga is constantly monitored, in particular, by analyzing the chemical and physical parameters of the water.The most important of these is the temperature.In factGracilaria graciis normally shows a particular line of growth; the optimal period is in the winter
winter season with a peak of growth in the month of February. During the summer we cannot found thalli of alga, but when the temperatures goes under 18 °C the alga begin growht and increases his density.
During the last years the increase of the temperature caused a staggered growth curve with a strong retard to the start and with an early collapsing of the algae. This it can be easly seen by comparing the three graphs that are the result of the analysis made fro
from 2006 to 2014. It is observed as a small overall increase in temperature correspond to a drastic contraction
of the growth period of the algae.
