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Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species 2001-2020
No full textThe dataset consists of abundance records of 43 marine species in the Mediterranean Sea from 2001 to 2020. Selected species include some protected and non-indigenous species, ecosystem engineers, species sensitive to climate change, and/or threatened by human activities. Taken together, these taxa represent key ecological aspects of Mediterranean subtidal habitats (Cerrano et al., 2017) and can be used to calculate the MedSens, an index of the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats based on species sensitivity (Turicchia et al., 2021). Observations were carried out by the EcoDivers (trained scuba divers, freedivers and snorkelers) according to a rigorous protocol (RCMed U-CEM) developed by the association Reef Check Italia onlus. more Observations were carried out by the EcoDivers (trained scuba divers, freedivers and snorkelers) according to a rigorous protocol (RCMed U-CEM) developed by the association Reef Check Italia onlus. Records include geographic coordinates (decimal degrees, WGS84), site name, date, survey depth range (min and max, in metres), prevailing habitat (from an options list), the sampling size in term of searching time (minutes), taxon name, abundance category (coded from 0 to 6), occurrence depth range (min and max, in metres) and the name of the EcoDiver who made the identification. The Reef Check Med Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol is a Citizen Science initiative, developed by the Italian non-profit association Reef Check Italia onlus, aimed to assess the ecological status of the Mediterranean marine coastal habitats (Cerrano et al., 2017; Turicchia et al., 2021). Taxa were selected based on a combination of criteria including identification easiness and being key indicators of the shifts Mediterranean subtidal habitats may undergo under local pressures and climate change. When it is not easy to discriminate between species, genus level or higher was chosen, as in the case of the two protected Mediterranean seahorses. Before diving, each EcoDiver (i.e. the trained volunteer scuba divers, freedivers and snorkelers) chooses which and how many of the 43 taxa, included in the protocol, will be searched for, according to the expected habitat typology and personal motivations. Abundance (using numerical or descriptive classes according to the countability of organisms) and occurrence depth range (min and max, in metres) of searched taxa are recorded. Taxa actively searched for, but not encountered, are recorded as absent. Diving sites are localised by using global positioning system (GPS) receivers, nautical charts or known points (e.g., mooring buoys at MPAs). Geographical coordinates (WGS84) are recorded with ± 6 arc-second (i.e. about 200 m) accuracy, which is in the distance range usually explored by divers in a single dive. The adopted abundance categories are (in brackets the corresponding descriptive categories): Category 0: 0 specimens (absent) Category 1: 1 specimen (isolated specimen) Category 2: 2 specimens (some scattered specimens) Category 3: 3-5 specimens (several scattered specimens) Category 4: 6-10 specimens (a crowded area) Category 5: 11-50 specimens (some crowded areas) Category 6: > 50 specimens (several crowded areas) The prevailing habitat is identified according to the following categories: - Coastal rocks - Offshore rocks - Rocky cliff - Posidonia - Posidonia and sand - Posidonia and rocks - Cave - Metal wreck - Sand - Mud - Breakwaters and ports - River mouth - Coastal lagoo
MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
No full textCitizen science (CS) projects may provide community-based ecosystem monitoring, expanding our ability to collect data across space and time. However, the data from CS are often not effectively integrated into institutional monitoring programs and decision-making processes, especially in marine conservation. This limitation is partially due to difficulties in accessing the data and the lack of tools and indices for proper management at intended spatial and temporal scales. MedSens is a biotic index specifically developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, filling a gap between marine CS and coastal management in the Mediterranean Sea. The MedSens index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and open data on their distributions and abundances, collected by trained volunteers (scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The species sensitivities were assessed relative to their resistance and resilience against physical, chemical, and biological pressures, according to benchmark levels and a literature review. The MedSens index was calibrated on a dataset of 33,021 observations from 569 volunteers (2001–2019), along six countries’ coasts. A free and user-friendly QGIS plugin allows easy index calculation for areas and time frames of interest. The MedSens index was applied to Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) and the management and monitoring zones within Italian MPAs. In the studied cases, the MedSens index responds well to the local pressures documented by previous investigations. MedSens converts the data collected by trained volunteers into an effective monitoring tool for the Mediterranean subtidal rocky coastal habitats. MedSens can help conservationists and decision-makers identify the main pressures acting in these habitats, as required by the MSFD, supporting them in the implementation of appropriate marine biodiversity conservation measures and better communicate the results of their actions. By directly involving stakeholders, this approach increases public awareness and the acceptability of management decisions, enabling more participatory conservation tactics
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Sediment and bottom water eDNA metabarcoding to support coastal management
Full text linkOcean sprawl and climate change exacerbate coastal erosion and flooding, resulting in habitat loss and decreasing biodiversity. To counteract these threats, different coastal defence tools have been developed, with an increasing emphasis on nature-based solutions. However, tracking the impacts of these interventions on marine benthic organisms requires appropriate sampling designs and timely investigation methods due to the dynamic nature of coastal environments. Environmental DNA metabarcoding is a promising, non-invasive, and quick technique to monitor community changes. Here, environmental DNA COI-based metabarcoding data from sediment and bottom water samples were used to characterize benthic communities at three sites along the Emilia-Romagna coast differing in the topology of coastal defence actions (from no defences to groynes and low-crested barriers) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the two sampling matrices in detecting local biodiversity. The findings revealed significant differences in the structure of the benthic communities depending on site, sample type (i.e., sediment versus bottom water), and their interaction. The three sites differ in abiotic characteristic affecting the community composition. Lido di Dante and Riccione showed higher species diversity due to the new type of substrata provided by the hard defence structure, while Foce del Bevano showed the presence of species typical of low impacted areas. Bottom water, hosting more traces of pelagic and nektonic species, showed significantly different species composition compared to sediment samples, suggesting the need to consider both matrices in coastal monitoring
A spatially explicit food web model for supporting the management of a marine Natura 2000 site: ongoing efforts at the Tegnùe di Chioggia
No full textAs remarked by the recent European legislation (MSPD), plans managing the interaction between
conservation goals and maritime uses should consider the spatial dimension, to be effective and easily
applied. In such a context, food web modelling, considering both the structure and functioning of an
ecosystem, is increasingly perceived as an important resource informing sea planning, at the different
spatial scales. In this preliminary work, an existing food web model (based on Ecopath with Ecosim) of the
northern Adriatic Sea was spatialized and downscaled to the ‘Tegnùe di Chioggia’, for testing different
management measures. This area, characterised by the presence of biogenic rocky outcrops and proposed
as Site of Community Importance in 2011, is indeed still missing of a management plan. Trophic groups of
high naturalistic and socio-economic interest have been distributed by considering different habitats and
tolerance to environmental drivers. In the model, four main habitats have been defined (rocky habitat
simulating the tegnùe, sandy and muddy habitats and mussel farms) and the trophic groups assigned to
each one according to their preferences. Fishing activities are described considering 5 different fleets
(including different trawling gears, hydraulic dredge, artisanal and recreational fishery) and their fishing
effort have been spatialized based on AIS data. The tool provides output maps of group biomasses, catches,
and ecosystem functioning indicators. Preliminary results are discussed in relation to their potential use for
comparing the consequences of different management options (for instance the expansion of the current
SCI, partial artisanal/recreational fishing openings within the SCI area, and expansion/reallocation of mussel
farms and clam fishing areas)
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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