Ten global harbours were assessed for sediment quality by quantifying the magnitude of anthropoge... more Ten global harbours were assessed for sediment quality by quantifying the magnitude of anthropogenic change and ecological risk. Anthropogenic change (enrichment) was high for Derwent River and Sydney estuary, moderate for Santander Harbour, Rio de Janeiro and Dublin Port, slight for Hong Kong, minimal for Darwin. All 10 enrichment indices used showed similar results. Derwent River sediment was rated at high ecological risk, followed by Sydney and Santander estuaries with moderate risk. Auckland and Darwin sediments exhibited minimal ecological risk and sediment in the remaining harbours (Dublin, Hong Kong, Ravenna, Ria de Vigo and Rio de Janeiro) were assessed at slight ecological risk. The extraordinary variety of environments and types/quantities/qualities of data investigated resulted in as much a critique and development of methodology, as an assessment of human impact, including unique techniques for elemental normalisation and contaminant classification. Recommendations for an improved technical framework for sediment quality assessment are provided.
MedSens is a biotic index developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtida... more MedSens is a biotic index developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, based on data collected by trained scuba diver volunteers using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed-UCEM) protocol. The index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and open data on their distributions and abundances. The large availability of data collected by volunteers using the RCMed-UCEM protocol offered the opportunity to assess the ecological status of the subtidal coastal rocky habitats, including the coralligenous reefs, in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. MedSens index was applied along the coasts of the National Park Islands' (Capraia, Elba, Giannutri, Giglio, Gorgona, Montecristo and Pianosa), providing the mean sensitivity of the assemblages to the physical, chemical, and biological pressures, as well as the overall mean sensitivity of the occurring assemblages. MedSens can help conservationists and decision-makers identify the main pressures acting in these coastal habitats, as required by the MSFD, supporting them in implementing appropriate marine biodiversity conservation measures and better communicating the results of their actions.
Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, northwestern Med... more Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, northwestern Mediterranean Sea) was included in a list of proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the early 90s. Since then, its benthic assemblages have been studied in detail and the main macrophytic communities have been mapped. A detailed assessment of its benthic macroalgal flora, however, has never been made. Gallinara was visited in the course of 5 consecutive years and its macroalgal flora was studied based on collections made by snorkelling and SCUBA diving. Overall, 141 macroalgal taxa were collected and identified (23 Chlorophyta, 94 Rhodophyta, 24 Ochrophyta); 91 of them represent new records for the island. One of the most notable new records is the non-indigenous red alga Womersleyella setacea, previously unreported from the island and widely distributed, particularly on the southeastern shore. Observations made in the course of the surveys confirm the rarefaction of some large-sized brown algae (particularly Sargassum vulgare) but indicate also that others previously reported as rare (Cystoseira compressa, Dictyopteris polypodioides) are still common on the island.
bioaccumulate Hg, As, Zn, Cd, Cu, Sn, and biota-sediment accumulation factors were higher in guts... more bioaccumulate Hg, As, Zn, Cd, Cu, Sn, and biota-sediment accumulation factors were higher in guts than in body walls. From an environmental and human health perspective, Hg is resulted the most concerning element in surface sediment and H. atra specimens. Based on this evidence, further studies are urgently needed to understand better the effect of mercury and other potentially toxic trace elements in marine ecosystems and food webs in mining areas both in North Sulawesi and in many still poorly investigated southeast Pacific areas.
Le relazioni tra uso del suolo e gestione delle acque influenzano fortemente la eco-sostenibilit\... more Le relazioni tra uso del suolo e gestione delle acque influenzano fortemente la eco-sostenibilit\ue0 di un territorio. In particolare nella regione Emilia-Romagna il problema della gestione delle acque \ue8 complesso per la concomitante presenza sul territorio regionale di situazioni diverse e con problematiche coinvolgenti aspetti ambientali, economici e sociali con soluzioni spesso difficili e contrastanti. Si hanno infatti zone di pianura, fortemente agricole, densamente popolate con economia fiorente ma con problemi di eccessi idrici dovuti a falde freatiche superficiali, spesso con corpi d\u2019acqua inquinati; d\u2019altra parte si hanno zone di collina, con scarsa popolazione, dove il particolare assetto geomorfologico, il progressivo abbandono delle tecniche sistematorie, delle coperture vegetali naturali e rinaturalizzate, l\u2019intensivazione delle pratiche agricole favoriscono processi di perdita di suolo e di conseguenza di fertilit\ue0 e di qualit\ue0 delle acque. Vi sono poi le zone costiere ove sono presenti ambienti lagunari, che rappresentano acque di transizione dalla terra al mare, ma il cui grande pregio naturalistico \ue8 fortemente minacciato dalle attivit\ue0 antropiche dell\u2019entroterra e da insediamenti civili, industriali e portuali adiacenti. Lo scopo del progetto \ue8 quello di mettere in evidenza il diverso impatto sull\u2019ambiente (in particolare sulla qualit\ue0 delle acque) di quattro bacini che siano rappresentativi della pletora di scenari agronomici presenti nella nostra regione, monitorando dal punto di vista chimico-fisico (in particolare per i nitrati) ed ecologico le acque di drenaggio dai bacini stessi. I siti proposti sono quattro, di collina e di pianura, sia completamente agricoli che in parte naturali, in rappresentanza di situazioni tipiche: uno di collina (Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, BO, 300 ha), uno nella pianura bolognese (Argelato, 750 ha), uno nella pianura Ferrarese al di sotto del livello del mare (Valle Volta, circa 2000 ha) e uno rappresentativo delle aree umide prossime alla costa (Pialassa della Baiona, RA, 1100 ha). Si tratterebbe di caratterizzare le acque in ingresso/uscita dei vari siti dal punto di vista ecologico (es. sviluppo di alghe, indici tossicologici, etc.) in relazione all\u2019uso del territorio, alla gestione agricola ed in dettaglio ai quantitativi di prodotti chimici distribuiti sull\u2019intera superficie dei bacini scelti per la ricerca. Questo sarebbe possibile grazie all\u2019expertise apportato dai componenti del gruppo, alcuni dei quali (sottogruppo Agraria) sono pi\uf9 specializzati nell\u2019individuazione delle fonti agricole di inquinanti, altri (sottogruppo CIRSA) nella valutazione dell\u2019impatto antropico negli ambienti acquatici. Ambedue i sottogruppi, come testimoniato dalle passate attivit\ue0 e dai CV dei partecipanti, hanno grande interesse alla partecipazione al progetto, per l\u2019opportunit\ue0 che si verrebbe a realizzare di mettere in relazione tra loro risultati di studi svolti, con metodiche analoghe, su diversi ambienti caratterizzanti il territorio della nostra regione. L\u2019importanza di questo tipo di ricerche \ue8 legata alla definizione pi\uf9 precisa e pi\uf9 pragmatica di quei fattori che condizionano l\u2019impatto dell\u2019agricoltura sugli ambienti acquatici, mettendo in relazione il loro stato con il territorio in cui risiedono (Edwards et al., 2000)
Members of the order Comatulida (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) are widely distributed on Indo-Pacific... more Members of the order Comatulida (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) are widely distributed on Indo-Pacific reefs, where they host a highly diverse and understudied cryptofauna, which makes them a potential source of hidden biodiversity. In this study, shallow-water crinoid populations and their symbiotic communities from the Bangka Archipelago (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) were investigated. Presence and diversity of the symbionts, focusing on their host selectivity patterns, were assessed. A total of 39 comatulid species belonging to six families were found. Overall, symbiont fauna included 70 species belonging to 11 families within eight orders. The results showed variable host specificity among symbionts’ families, and patterns correlated with host size for some symbiont taxa. This study provides the first baseline dataset of crinoid assemblages and their symbiont diversity in the understudied region of North Sulawesi, within the Coral Triangle.
The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication ar... more The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication are entirely those of authors and should not be attributed to UNEP. Les informations et la présentation des données, qui figurant dans cette publication sont celles des auteurs et ne peuvent être attribuées au PNUE.
Il volume \ue8 una monografia completa sulla flora e la vegetazione di tutte le lagune italiane. ... more Il volume \ue8 una monografia completa sulla flora e la vegetazione di tutte le lagune italiane. Il contributo \ue8 stato finalizzato nell'ambito del network Lagunet - Italian Network for Ecological Research in Coastal Zone and Transitional Areas Il volume \ue8 stato realizzato in inglese per permettere la massima diffusione internazional
The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication ar... more The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication are entirely those of authors and should not be attributed to UNEP. Les informations et la présentation des données, qui figurent dans cette publication sont celles des auteurs et ne peuvent être attribuées au PNUE.
The northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) hosts numerous biogenic subtidal reefs that are considered biodiv... more The northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) hosts numerous biogenic subtidal reefs that are considered biodiversity hotspots. Several studies have already investigated the origin and biodiversity of these reefs. However, many of them are still unexplored and further knowledge is needed for their conservation. Here, the spatial variability, epibenthic community structure, and environmental features that characterize these habitats were investigated. Fifteen randomly selected reefs were sampled between 2013 and 2017, including some remote sites that have never been studied before. A fuzzy k-means clustering method and redundancy analysis were used to find similarities among sites in terms of epibenthic assemblages and to model relationships with abiotic variables. The results showed that these reefs are highly heterogeneous in terms of species composition and geomorphological features. The results were also consistent with previous studies and highlighted three main types of benthic assemblages d...
Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) a... more Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) and mass mortality events (MMEs) of marine organisms are one of their main ecological impacts. Here, we show that during the 2015–2019 period, the Mediterranean Sea has experienced exceptional thermal conditions resulting in the onset of five consecutive years of widespread MMEs across the basin. These MMEs affected thousands of kilometers of coastline from the surface to 45 m, across a range of marine habitats and taxa (50 taxa across 8 phyla). Significant relationships were found between the incidence of MMEs and the heat exposure associated with MHWs observed both at the surface and across depths. Our findings reveal that the Mediterranean Sea is experiencing an acceleration of the ecological impacts of MHWs which poses an unprecedented threat to its ecosystems' health and functioning. Overall, we show that increasing the resolution of empirical observation is critical to enhancing...
Healthy coralligenous habitats may host dense populations of gorgonians, like Paramuricea clavata... more Healthy coralligenous habitats may host dense populations of gorgonians, like Paramuricea clavata and Eunicella cavolini that build marine animal forests. According to recent studies, these forests appeared able to increase the resilience of coralligenous habitats and to enhance the structural complexity and bioconstruction processes. They are also able to increase species diversity and limit the invasion of alien species. The major limitation in the conservation of these forests is the lack of knowledge on their actual distribution and the extents of their ecological roles. Nowadays, by combining information from scientific literature, citizen science projects and the World Wide Web is possible to fill part of these gaps and draw a more comprehensive picture for the Mediterranean Sea. This knowledge represents the baseline to address effective conservation measures on gorgonian forests and coralligenous accretions
MedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, colle... more MedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, collected by trained volunteers (<strong>EcoDivers</strong>, i.e. scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) according to the <strong>Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring</strong> (<strong>RCMed U-CEM</strong>) protocol (Cerrano et al., 2017), and maintained by the non-profit association <strong>Reef Check Italia onlus</strong>. This dataset is a subset of 25 selected species from the <strong>Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species</strong> dataset, and it is specifically intended to calculate the <strong><em>MedSens </em></strong>index developed by Eva Turicchia, Carlo Cerrano, Matteo Ghetta, Marco Abbiati and Massimo Ponti. MedSens data is provided as ESRI shapefiles in WGS84 geographic coordinates (EPSG:4326). <strong><em>MedSens </em>abstract</str...
Recent studies have investigated spatial and temporal variability of coralligenous assemblages on... more Recent studies have investigated spatial and temporal variability of coralligenous assemblages on coastal rocky cliffs, while structure and variability of platform banks have been rarely investigated. In the northern Adriatic continental shelf, coralligenous biogenic reefs are scattered on sandy and muddy bottoms, and may be separated by a few tens of meters to tens of kilometres. Their benthic assemblages were investigated by photographic sampling in two main areas about 100 km away: off Chioggia-Venice and Grado-Trieste. Within each area six outcrops, 1-2 km away, were sampled. Assemblages on reefs closer to the coast were dominated by algal turfs and boring sponges, while offshore they were generally characterised by the richest and most diverse communities. Contributions to the total species richness increased with the investigated spatial scale up to areas, while variation in species diversity monotonically decreased by increasing distance. Dominant species, including the main reef builders (i.e. encrusting calcified Rhodophyta), spatially changed following a geographical pattern. Among others, coralline algae (e.g. Lithophyllum incrustans), sponges (e.g. Chondrosia reniformis) and colonial ascidians (e.g. Polycitor adriaticus) were the main species responsible for the observed spatial differences, in terms of species replacement (\u3b2 diversity)
Ten global harbours were assessed for sediment quality by quantifying the magnitude of anthropoge... more Ten global harbours were assessed for sediment quality by quantifying the magnitude of anthropogenic change and ecological risk. Anthropogenic change (enrichment) was high for Derwent River and Sydney estuary, moderate for Santander Harbour, Rio de Janeiro and Dublin Port, slight for Hong Kong, minimal for Darwin. All 10 enrichment indices used showed similar results. Derwent River sediment was rated at high ecological risk, followed by Sydney and Santander estuaries with moderate risk. Auckland and Darwin sediments exhibited minimal ecological risk and sediment in the remaining harbours (Dublin, Hong Kong, Ravenna, Ria de Vigo and Rio de Janeiro) were assessed at slight ecological risk. The extraordinary variety of environments and types/quantities/qualities of data investigated resulted in as much a critique and development of methodology, as an assessment of human impact, including unique techniques for elemental normalisation and contaminant classification. Recommendations for an improved technical framework for sediment quality assessment are provided.
MedSens is a biotic index developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtida... more MedSens is a biotic index developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, based on data collected by trained scuba diver volunteers using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed-UCEM) protocol. The index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and open data on their distributions and abundances. The large availability of data collected by volunteers using the RCMed-UCEM protocol offered the opportunity to assess the ecological status of the subtidal coastal rocky habitats, including the coralligenous reefs, in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. MedSens index was applied along the coasts of the National Park Islands' (Capraia, Elba, Giannutri, Giglio, Gorgona, Montecristo and Pianosa), providing the mean sensitivity of the assemblages to the physical, chemical, and biological pressures, as well as the overall mean sensitivity of the occurring assemblages. MedSens can help conservationists and decision-makers identify the main pressures acting in these coastal habitats, as required by the MSFD, supporting them in implementing appropriate marine biodiversity conservation measures and better communicating the results of their actions.
Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, northwestern Med... more Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, northwestern Mediterranean Sea) was included in a list of proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the early 90s. Since then, its benthic assemblages have been studied in detail and the main macrophytic communities have been mapped. A detailed assessment of its benthic macroalgal flora, however, has never been made. Gallinara was visited in the course of 5 consecutive years and its macroalgal flora was studied based on collections made by snorkelling and SCUBA diving. Overall, 141 macroalgal taxa were collected and identified (23 Chlorophyta, 94 Rhodophyta, 24 Ochrophyta); 91 of them represent new records for the island. One of the most notable new records is the non-indigenous red alga Womersleyella setacea, previously unreported from the island and widely distributed, particularly on the southeastern shore. Observations made in the course of the surveys confirm the rarefaction of some large-sized brown algae (particularly Sargassum vulgare) but indicate also that others previously reported as rare (Cystoseira compressa, Dictyopteris polypodioides) are still common on the island.
bioaccumulate Hg, As, Zn, Cd, Cu, Sn, and biota-sediment accumulation factors were higher in guts... more bioaccumulate Hg, As, Zn, Cd, Cu, Sn, and biota-sediment accumulation factors were higher in guts than in body walls. From an environmental and human health perspective, Hg is resulted the most concerning element in surface sediment and H. atra specimens. Based on this evidence, further studies are urgently needed to understand better the effect of mercury and other potentially toxic trace elements in marine ecosystems and food webs in mining areas both in North Sulawesi and in many still poorly investigated southeast Pacific areas.
Le relazioni tra uso del suolo e gestione delle acque influenzano fortemente la eco-sostenibilit\... more Le relazioni tra uso del suolo e gestione delle acque influenzano fortemente la eco-sostenibilit\ue0 di un territorio. In particolare nella regione Emilia-Romagna il problema della gestione delle acque \ue8 complesso per la concomitante presenza sul territorio regionale di situazioni diverse e con problematiche coinvolgenti aspetti ambientali, economici e sociali con soluzioni spesso difficili e contrastanti. Si hanno infatti zone di pianura, fortemente agricole, densamente popolate con economia fiorente ma con problemi di eccessi idrici dovuti a falde freatiche superficiali, spesso con corpi d\u2019acqua inquinati; d\u2019altra parte si hanno zone di collina, con scarsa popolazione, dove il particolare assetto geomorfologico, il progressivo abbandono delle tecniche sistematorie, delle coperture vegetali naturali e rinaturalizzate, l\u2019intensivazione delle pratiche agricole favoriscono processi di perdita di suolo e di conseguenza di fertilit\ue0 e di qualit\ue0 delle acque. Vi sono poi le zone costiere ove sono presenti ambienti lagunari, che rappresentano acque di transizione dalla terra al mare, ma il cui grande pregio naturalistico \ue8 fortemente minacciato dalle attivit\ue0 antropiche dell\u2019entroterra e da insediamenti civili, industriali e portuali adiacenti. Lo scopo del progetto \ue8 quello di mettere in evidenza il diverso impatto sull\u2019ambiente (in particolare sulla qualit\ue0 delle acque) di quattro bacini che siano rappresentativi della pletora di scenari agronomici presenti nella nostra regione, monitorando dal punto di vista chimico-fisico (in particolare per i nitrati) ed ecologico le acque di drenaggio dai bacini stessi. I siti proposti sono quattro, di collina e di pianura, sia completamente agricoli che in parte naturali, in rappresentanza di situazioni tipiche: uno di collina (Ozzano dell\u2019Emilia, BO, 300 ha), uno nella pianura bolognese (Argelato, 750 ha), uno nella pianura Ferrarese al di sotto del livello del mare (Valle Volta, circa 2000 ha) e uno rappresentativo delle aree umide prossime alla costa (Pialassa della Baiona, RA, 1100 ha). Si tratterebbe di caratterizzare le acque in ingresso/uscita dei vari siti dal punto di vista ecologico (es. sviluppo di alghe, indici tossicologici, etc.) in relazione all\u2019uso del territorio, alla gestione agricola ed in dettaglio ai quantitativi di prodotti chimici distribuiti sull\u2019intera superficie dei bacini scelti per la ricerca. Questo sarebbe possibile grazie all\u2019expertise apportato dai componenti del gruppo, alcuni dei quali (sottogruppo Agraria) sono pi\uf9 specializzati nell\u2019individuazione delle fonti agricole di inquinanti, altri (sottogruppo CIRSA) nella valutazione dell\u2019impatto antropico negli ambienti acquatici. Ambedue i sottogruppi, come testimoniato dalle passate attivit\ue0 e dai CV dei partecipanti, hanno grande interesse alla partecipazione al progetto, per l\u2019opportunit\ue0 che si verrebbe a realizzare di mettere in relazione tra loro risultati di studi svolti, con metodiche analoghe, su diversi ambienti caratterizzanti il territorio della nostra regione. L\u2019importanza di questo tipo di ricerche \ue8 legata alla definizione pi\uf9 precisa e pi\uf9 pragmatica di quei fattori che condizionano l\u2019impatto dell\u2019agricoltura sugli ambienti acquatici, mettendo in relazione il loro stato con il territorio in cui risiedono (Edwards et al., 2000)
Members of the order Comatulida (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) are widely distributed on Indo-Pacific... more Members of the order Comatulida (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) are widely distributed on Indo-Pacific reefs, where they host a highly diverse and understudied cryptofauna, which makes them a potential source of hidden biodiversity. In this study, shallow-water crinoid populations and their symbiotic communities from the Bangka Archipelago (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) were investigated. Presence and diversity of the symbionts, focusing on their host selectivity patterns, were assessed. A total of 39 comatulid species belonging to six families were found. Overall, symbiont fauna included 70 species belonging to 11 families within eight orders. The results showed variable host specificity among symbionts’ families, and patterns correlated with host size for some symbiont taxa. This study provides the first baseline dataset of crinoid assemblages and their symbiont diversity in the understudied region of North Sulawesi, within the Coral Triangle.
The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication ar... more The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication are entirely those of authors and should not be attributed to UNEP. Les informations et la présentation des données, qui figurant dans cette publication sont celles des auteurs et ne peuvent être attribuées au PNUE.
Il volume \ue8 una monografia completa sulla flora e la vegetazione di tutte le lagune italiane. ... more Il volume \ue8 una monografia completa sulla flora e la vegetazione di tutte le lagune italiane. Il contributo \ue8 stato finalizzato nell'ambito del network Lagunet - Italian Network for Ecological Research in Coastal Zone and Transitional Areas Il volume \ue8 stato realizzato in inglese per permettere la massima diffusione internazional
The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication ar... more The finding interpretation and the presentation of the material, expressed in this publication are entirely those of authors and should not be attributed to UNEP. Les informations et la présentation des données, qui figurent dans cette publication sont celles des auteurs et ne peuvent être attribuées au PNUE.
The northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) hosts numerous biogenic subtidal reefs that are considered biodiv... more The northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) hosts numerous biogenic subtidal reefs that are considered biodiversity hotspots. Several studies have already investigated the origin and biodiversity of these reefs. However, many of them are still unexplored and further knowledge is needed for their conservation. Here, the spatial variability, epibenthic community structure, and environmental features that characterize these habitats were investigated. Fifteen randomly selected reefs were sampled between 2013 and 2017, including some remote sites that have never been studied before. A fuzzy k-means clustering method and redundancy analysis were used to find similarities among sites in terms of epibenthic assemblages and to model relationships with abiotic variables. The results showed that these reefs are highly heterogeneous in terms of species composition and geomorphological features. The results were also consistent with previous studies and highlighted three main types of benthic assemblages d...
Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) a... more Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) and mass mortality events (MMEs) of marine organisms are one of their main ecological impacts. Here, we show that during the 2015–2019 period, the Mediterranean Sea has experienced exceptional thermal conditions resulting in the onset of five consecutive years of widespread MMEs across the basin. These MMEs affected thousands of kilometers of coastline from the surface to 45 m, across a range of marine habitats and taxa (50 taxa across 8 phyla). Significant relationships were found between the incidence of MMEs and the heat exposure associated with MHWs observed both at the surface and across depths. Our findings reveal that the Mediterranean Sea is experiencing an acceleration of the ecological impacts of MHWs which poses an unprecedented threat to its ecosystems' health and functioning. Overall, we show that increasing the resolution of empirical observation is critical to enhancing...
Healthy coralligenous habitats may host dense populations of gorgonians, like Paramuricea clavata... more Healthy coralligenous habitats may host dense populations of gorgonians, like Paramuricea clavata and Eunicella cavolini that build marine animal forests. According to recent studies, these forests appeared able to increase the resilience of coralligenous habitats and to enhance the structural complexity and bioconstruction processes. They are also able to increase species diversity and limit the invasion of alien species. The major limitation in the conservation of these forests is the lack of knowledge on their actual distribution and the extents of their ecological roles. Nowadays, by combining information from scientific literature, citizen science projects and the World Wide Web is possible to fill part of these gaps and draw a more comprehensive picture for the Mediterranean Sea. This knowledge represents the baseline to address effective conservation measures on gorgonian forests and coralligenous accretions
MedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, colle... more MedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, collected by trained volunteers (<strong>EcoDivers</strong>, i.e. scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) according to the <strong>Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring</strong> (<strong>RCMed U-CEM</strong>) protocol (Cerrano et al., 2017), and maintained by the non-profit association <strong>Reef Check Italia onlus</strong>. This dataset is a subset of 25 selected species from the <strong>Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species</strong> dataset, and it is specifically intended to calculate the <strong><em>MedSens </em></strong>index developed by Eva Turicchia, Carlo Cerrano, Matteo Ghetta, Marco Abbiati and Massimo Ponti. MedSens data is provided as ESRI shapefiles in WGS84 geographic coordinates (EPSG:4326). <strong><em>MedSens </em>abstract</str...
Recent studies have investigated spatial and temporal variability of coralligenous assemblages on... more Recent studies have investigated spatial and temporal variability of coralligenous assemblages on coastal rocky cliffs, while structure and variability of platform banks have been rarely investigated. In the northern Adriatic continental shelf, coralligenous biogenic reefs are scattered on sandy and muddy bottoms, and may be separated by a few tens of meters to tens of kilometres. Their benthic assemblages were investigated by photographic sampling in two main areas about 100 km away: off Chioggia-Venice and Grado-Trieste. Within each area six outcrops, 1-2 km away, were sampled. Assemblages on reefs closer to the coast were dominated by algal turfs and boring sponges, while offshore they were generally characterised by the richest and most diverse communities. Contributions to the total species richness increased with the investigated spatial scale up to areas, while variation in species diversity monotonically decreased by increasing distance. Dominant species, including the main reef builders (i.e. encrusting calcified Rhodophyta), spatially changed following a geographical pattern. Among others, coralline algae (e.g. Lithophyllum incrustans), sponges (e.g. Chondrosia reniformis) and colonial ascidians (e.g. Polycitor adriaticus) were the main species responsible for the observed spatial differences, in terms of species replacement (\u3b2 diversity)
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