scholarly journals The Natural Capital Value of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the North-Western Mediterranean

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 499
Author(s):  
Ilaria Rigo ◽  
Chiara Paoli ◽  
Giulia Dapueto ◽  
Christine Pergent-Martini ◽  
Gerard Pergent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Capital ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Emergy Analysis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
Biophysical Approach ◽  
Marine Planning ◽  
Capital Value

Posidonia oceanica is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass used as a ‘biological quality element’ in monitoring programmes of the EU Water Framework Directive, providing information about coastal ecosystems status. The regression of P. oceanica meadows caused a growing interest among policy makers to assess the value of seagrasses and to increase their protection. An evaluation of P. oceanica meadows located in the Ligurian-Provençal basin (NW Mediterranean) through a biophysical approach is here developed. Six meadows located in Liguria (Italy) and Corsica (France) were investigated by applying the emergy analysis to assess the natural capital (NC) stocked by leaves and rhizomes components. Results highlighted the importance of carrying out an analysis of the variations in the NC value in both components: rhizomes defined the growth stage and the capacity to store NC over time; leaves provided information on the variability due to disturbances in the water column. Emergy analysis allows defining the NC, in terms of resources needed to maintain the meadows and to provide services to coastal communities. This research is inserted into the effort of incorporating the NC evaluation into marine planning and decision making to achieve nature conservation goals, while ensuring the sustainable exploitation of marine resources.

scholarly journals Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Di Iorio ◽  
Manon Audax ◽  
Julie Deter ◽  
Florian Holon ◽  
Julie Lossent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

scholarly journals Thalassobaculum salexigens sp. nov., a new member of the family Rhodospirillaceae from the NW Mediterranean Sea, and emended description of the genus Thalassobaculum

2010 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Urios ◽  
Valérie Michotey ◽  
Laurent Intertaglia ◽  
Françoise Lesongeur ◽  
Philippe Lebaron
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Reductase Activity ◽  
Fatty Acid Content ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Family ◽  
Emended Description ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

A novel Gram-negative bacteria, named CZ41_10aT, was isolated from coastal surface waters of the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Cells were motile, pleomorphic rods, 1.6 μm long and 0.7 μm wide and formed cream colonies on marine agar medium. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 65 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences placed the new isolate in the genus Thalassobaculum, a member of the family Rhodospirillaceae, class Alphaproteobacteria. Unlike Thalassobaculum litoreum CL-GR58T, its closest relative, strain CZ41_10aT was unable to grow anaerobically and did not exhibit nitrate reductase activity. On the basis of DNA–DNA hybridization, fatty acid content and physiological and biochemical characteristics, this isolate represents a novel species for which the name Thalassobaculum salexigens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CZ41_10aT (=DSM 19539T=CIP 109064T=MOLA 84T). An emended description of the genus Thalassobaculum is also given.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Chemically Characterized Microplastics within the Protected Area of Pelagos Sanctuary (NW Mediterranean Sea): Focus on Natural and Urban Beaches

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3389
Author(s):  
Silvia Merlino ◽  
Marina Locritani ◽  
Gabriele Bernardi ◽  
Carlotta Como ◽  
Stefano Legnaioli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Expanded Polystyrene ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Polymeric Nature ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

Data on the abundance and distribution of Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) on the coastal areas of the northern Tyrrhenian coast are still scarce. The objective of this study is to characterize, in terms of size, color, morphology and polymeric nature, the Large Microplastics (LMPs), i.e., plastic objects within 1 and 5 mm, sampled on three beaches located within the coastal macro-area of the Pelagos Sanctuary, an international protected zone in the north-western Mediterranean. The beaches have similar morphological characteristics but different degrees of urbanization. LMPs were sampled seasonally for one year. The polymeric nature of a representative subsample of the collected LMPs was investigated using a portable Raman instrument, to assess the feasibility of in situ characterization. In this study, 26,486 items were sorted by typology (Expanded Polystyrene-EPS, fragments, and resin pellets), size, and for fragments and resin pellets, also by color and chemical nature. Statistical data on the quantity, density, type, spatial distribution, and seasonality of the sampled LMPs are presented. Differences in LMP abundance and composition were detected among sites. A seasonality trend emerges from our statistical analysis, depending on both LMP typology and urbanization degrees of the beaches. Our data do not show the existence of a relationship between the size of the investigated MPs and their color, while they suggest that the type of polymer influences the degree of fragmentation. This underlines the need to further investigate the mechanisms leading to the production and dispersion of MPs in coastal areas, taking into account both the urbanization of the beach, and therefore the possible sources of input, and the different types of MPs. Finally, a Raman portable instrument proved to be a valuable aid in performing in situ polymeric characterization of LMPs.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Variability of Phytoplankton Blooms in the NW Mediterranean Sea with the Robust Satellite Techniques (RST)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 5151
Author(s):  
Emanuele Ciancia ◽  
Teodosio Lacava ◽  
Nicola Pergola ◽  
Vincenzo Vellucci ◽  
David Antoine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Phytoplankton Blooms ◽  
Chl A ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

Investigating the variability of phytoplankton phenology plays a key role in regions characterized by cyclonic circulation regimes or convective events, like the north-western Mediterranean Sea (NWM). The main goal of this study is to assess the potential of the robust satellite techniques (RST) in identifying anomalous phytoplankton blooms in the NWM by using 9 years (2008–2017) of multi-sensor chlorophyll-a (chl-a) products from the CMEMS and OC-CCI datasets. Further application of the RST approach on a corresponding time-series of in situ chl-a measurements acquired at the BOUSSOLE site allows evaluation ofthe accuracy of the satellite-based change detection indices and selecting the best indicator. The OC-CCI derived chl-a anomaly index shows the best performances when compared to in situ data (R2 and RMSE of 0.75 and 0.48, respectively). Thus, it has been used to characterize an anomalous chl-a bloom that occurred in March 2012 at regional scale. Results show positive chl-a anomalies between the BOUSSOLE site and the Center of Convection Zone (CCZ) as a possible consequence of an intense convection episode that occurred in February 2012.

Heavy metals in Posidonia oceanica and Paracentrotus lividus from seagrass beds of the north-western Mediterranean

1995 ◽  
Vol 171 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 95-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Warnau ◽  
Gilles Ledent ◽  
Ali Temara ◽  
Jean-Marie Bouquegneau ◽  
Michel Jangoux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Paracentrotus Lividus ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Seagrass Beds ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

Multiple environmental descriptors to assess ecological status of sensitive habitats in the area affected by the Costa Concordia shipwreck (Giglio Island, Italy)

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Penna ◽  
Paola Gennaro ◽  
Tiziano Bacci ◽  
Benedetta Trabucco ◽  
Enrico Cecchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Ecological Indices ◽  
Ecological Quality ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Concurrent Use

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of multiple environmental descriptors through an asymmetrical sampling design to detect possible impacts related to the Costa Concordia event on the coastal marine environment. The Costa Concordia shipwreck occurred on a submerged rocky reef in the north-western Mediterranean Sea and the wreck was removed 2 years later. To achieve the proposed objective two main coastal ecosystems, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica and coralligenous assemblages were studied using two ecological indices, PREI and ESCA, respectively. Both indices show a lower ecological quality in the disturbed sites compared with the control ones. Differences between the disturbed and control sites observed in both studied ecosystems would seem to indicate an increase of turbidity around the shipwreck as the most plausible cause of impact. The concurrent use of different ecological indices and asymmetrical sampling designs allowed detection of differences in ecological quality of the disturbed sites compared with the controls. This approach may represent an interesting tool to be employed in impact evaluation studies.

scholarly journals A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Rafel MATAMALES-ANDREU ◽  
Francesc X. ROIG-MUNAR ◽  
Oriol OMS ◽  
Àngel GALOBART ◽  
Josep FORTUNY
Keyword(s):  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Balearic Islands ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Lower Permian ◽  
Incertae Sedis ◽  
The North ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
High Fibre ◽  
Successful Group ◽  
Neighbouring Island

ABSTRACT Moradisaurine captorhinid eureptiles were a successful group of high-fibre herbivores that lived in the arid low latitudes of Pangaea during the Permian. Here we describe a palaeoassemblage from the Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean), consisting of ichnites of small captorhinomorph eureptiles, probably moradisaurines (Hyloidichnus), and parareptiles (cf. Erpetopus), and bones of two different taxa of moradisaurines. The smallest of the two is not diagnostic beyond Moradisaurinae incertae sedis. The largest one, on the other hand, shows characters that are not present in any other known species of moradisaurine (densely ornamented maxillar teeth), and it is therefore described as Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov. Other remains found in the same outcrop are identified as cf. Balearosaurus bombardensis gen. et sp. nov., as they could also belong to the newly described taxon. This species is sister to the moradisaurine from the lower Permian of the neighbouring island of Mallorca, and is also closely related to the North American genus Rothianiscus. This makes it possible to suggest the hypothesis that the Variscan mountains, which separated North America from southern Europe during the Permian, were not a very important palaeobiogeographical barrier to the dispersion of moradisaurines. In fact, mapping all moradisaurine occurrences known so far, it is shown that their distribution area encompassed both sides of the Variscan mountains, essentially being restricted to the arid belt of palaeoequatorial Pangaea, where they probably outcompeted other herbivorous clades until they died out in the late Permian.

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