1,721,010 research outputs found
The coral-killing sponge Chalinula nematifera as a common substrate generalist in Komodo National Park, Indonesia
No full textChalinula nematifera is an encrusting sponge (Porifera: Haplosclerida), which can overgrow live corals. Originally described from the central Pacific (Marshall Islands), this coral-killing sponge is raising concerns due to its rapid range expansion in the Pacific. Its ability to overgrow various coral species was documented at Komodo National Park in October 2016. It was observed at six sites out of ten, where it was overgrowing and/or peripherally interacting with living corals belonging to 13 species, some of which represent new host records. It was also found on dead coral colonies previously covered by algae or sediment, and on encrusting coralline algae. Its habitat choice showed no obvious preferences regarding host corals and depth range
Manuale EcoDiver MAC: Guida al Monitoraggio dell’Ambiente Costiero Mediterraneo. Ver. 6.0
No full textLa conservazione e gestione dell'ambiente, sia terrestre sia marino, richiede una dettagliata conoscenza della distribuzione degli organismi presenti sul territorio, del loro valore ecologico, delle possibili azioni dell’uomo che possono minacciarli e dei cambiamenti climatici in corso. Queste conoscenze sono alla base di una corretta pianificazione degli interventi di tutela e protezione ma anche dei programmi di educazione e sensibilizzazione della popolazione, elemento chiave in qualunque politica di conservazione. Purtroppo, per quel che riguarda l'ambiente marino, i livelli di conoscenza del territorio e di sensibilizzazione delle persone sono spesso molto ridotti. Il protocollo di Monitoraggio dell'Ambiente Costiero (M.A.C.) coinvolge i subacquei nella tutela dei fondali marini sia attraverso l’opera di divulgazione e sensibilizzazione sia tramite la collaborazione con i ricercatori e i gestori delle coste. Il protocollo prevede il censimento e monitoraggio nel tempo di alcune specie marine, facilmente riconoscibili e scelte come indicatori dello stato di salute dei nostri mari, delle possibili minacce e dei cambiamenti in atto, sia a livello locale sia globale
The Reef Check Med Dataset on Key Mediterranean Marine Species 2001–2020
Full text linkSince 2001, trained snorkelers, freedivers, and scuba diver volunteers (collectively called EcoDivers) have been recording data on the distribution, abundance, and bathymetric range of 43 selected key marine species along the Mediterranean Sea coasts using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The taxa, including algae, invertebrates, and fishes, were selected by a combination of criteria, including ease of identification and being a key indicator of shifts in the Mediterranean subtidal habitats due to local pressures and climate change. The presence and abundance of gas bubbles leaching from the seabed are also recorded. The dataset collected using the RCMed U-CEM protocol is openly accessible across different platforms and allows for various uses. It has proven to be useful for several purposes, such as monitoring the ecological status of Mediterranean coastal environments, assessing the effects of human impacts and management interventions, as well as complementing scientific papers on species distribution and abundance, distribution modeling, and historical series. Also, volunteers’ commitment promotes marine stewardship and environmental awareness in marine conservation. Here, we describe the RCMed U-CEM protocol, from training volunteers to recording, delivery, and sharing data, including the quality assurance and control (QA/QC) procedures
From citizen sciences to environmental quality assessment: The Portofino mpa case study
No full textThe proposed Mediterranean Reef Check Species sensitivity (MRC-Ss) index, based on data provided by volunteer scuba divers, may represent a proxy of the mean sensitivity of the assemblages toward the natural and anthropic disturb agents indicated by the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Its application may represent the occasion to raise public awareness and enhance the collaboration between coastal management authorities (e.g., MPA managers) and dive centres, through a participatory approach
MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
Full text linkCitizen 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 UCEM) 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
MedSens data (Version 3.0.0, update February 24, 2022). Dataset maintained by Reef Check Italia
No full textMedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, collected by trained volunteers (EcoDivers, i.e. scuba-divers, freedivers and snorkelers) according to the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol, and maintained by the non-profit association Reef Check Italia onlus.
This dataset is a subset of 25 selected species from the Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species dataset, and it is specifically intended to calculate the MedSens 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)
The understorey of gorgonian forests in mesophotic temperate reefs
Full text link1. In the Mediterranean Sea, dense populations of the gorgonian Paramuricea clavata
shape marine animal forests, characterizing the seascapes of coralligenous habitats.
Despite concerns for its health, with several anthropogenic threats and recent mass
mortality events, mainly triggered by thermal anomalies, the understorey of its
forests and the ecological processes that they promote are still little known. Here,
the abundance and composition of epibenthic assemblages inside and outside
P. clavata forests were investigated across the central and western Mediterranean
Sea, by applying a multifactorial sampling design.
2. In spite of the large variability in the structures of epibenthic assemblages at local
and regional scales, the gorgonian understoreys share some common features, such
as higher abundances of calcareous builder organisms and reduced invasion by the
non‐indigenous alga Caulerpa cylindracea, compared with the adjacent unforested
rocky bottoms. Paramuricea clavata showed non‐linear density‐dependent relationships
with algal turfs and non‐encrusting algae belonging to the genus Peyssonnelia.
Moreover, by entrapping benthic mucilaginous aggregates with their branches,
these gorgonians risk topical necrotic lesions, but may reduce the suffocation risks
for understorey organisms.
3. Overall, P. clavata forests may enhance bioconstruction processes and increase
resistance and resilience of the benthic assemblages in the Mediterranean
coralligenous habitats. This species and its forests, together with their
understoreys, should be considered as essential elements of the ecology of the
Mediterranean Sea, and therefore worthy of specific and effective protection
measures.
4. Conservation strategies should reduce the risk of mechanical damage by regulating
fishing activities, anchorages, and scuba diving where gorgonian forests are
present. Moreover, when evident alterations are documented, restoration actions
should be implemented to recover the integrity of gorgonian forests
Manual EcoDiver MAC: Guía al Monitoreo del Ambiente Costero Mediterráneo Mediterraneo. Ver. 5.2 Español.
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Individuare e segnalare le specie marine aliene nell’Area Marina Protetta di Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo
No full textQuesto libro, rivolto a tutti gli appassionati di mare che hanno a cuore la salvaguardia del Mediterraneo, nasce nell’ambito del progetto “Together for Tavolara” sostenuto dalla Fondazione CON IL SUD (www.fondazioneconilsud.it) per il biennio 2016-2017. Il progetto è coordinato dall’associazione Mine Vaganti NGO e vi partecipano:
• Area Marina Protetta Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo
• Comune di Olbia
• Comune di Loiri Porto San Paolo
• Comune di San Teodoro
• Istituto scolastico ITCG DEFFENU
• Università degli studi di Sassari
• Centro Nautico di Levante
• SlowDive Associazione Culturale Sportiva Dilettantistica
• BeTheChange ASD di Diego Filippini
• Reef Check Italia onlus
Il libro è pubblicato dalla casa editrice Reef Check Italia onlus e realizzato in stretta
collaborazione con l’ Area Marina Protetta Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo
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