Bathymetric distribution and growth rates of &lt;i&gt;Eunicella verrucosa&lt;/i&gt; (Cnidaria: Gorgoniidae) populationsalong the Marseilles coast (France)

Sartoretto, Stéphane; Francour, Patrice

doi:10.3989/scimar.03262.16b

Cited by 21 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Relationships between growth rates and environmental factors in U. encrinus might also be secondary, with intrinsic factors potentially contributing more than environmental factors to the growth rates of this species. This pattern of colony growth rates changing with colony size has been observed in several other marine invertebrates including corals (Grigg 1974;Mistri and Ceccherelli 1993;Cordes et al 2001;Matsumoto 2004;Sartoretto and Francour 2012).…”

Section: Growth Rates In Relation To Environmental Factorssupporting

confidence: 68%

Size metrics, longevity, and growth rates in Umbellula encrinus (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea) from the eastern Canadian Arctic.

et al. 2018

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Umbellula encrinus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a deep-water sea pen commonly found in the eastern Canadian Arctic. It can reach heights of >2 m, and it has often been caught as fishing bycatch. Here, we characterized abundance/density, size metrics, longevity, and growth rates of U. encrinus colonies from Baffin Bay (between Greenland and Canada). No prevalent size classes were identified at most locations, except for Jones Sound and Cape Dyer, where small-size colonies dominated. Average number of growth rings in the internal skeleton (axis) of the examined colonies ranged between 2 and 68, with a maximum of 75. A bomb-14C analysis yielded 14C curves comparable with those of other deep-water octocorals with annual ring formation. A trace element analysis of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, Ba/Ca, and Na/Ca yielded values oscillating along the axis radius, with the number of peaks and growth rings being comparable. Growth rates averaged 0.067 ± 0.015 mm year−1 (radial extension) and 4.5 ± 1.2 cm year−1 (linear extension), considering rings to be formed annually. Relationships between radial growth rates, depth, and surface salinity were weak but statistically significant. Umbellula encrinus is a long-lived species, vulnerable to various types of fishing gear, with a skeleton that stores biological and environmental information.

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Section: Growth Rates In Relation To Environmental Factorssupporting

confidence: 68%

Size metrics, longevity, and growth rates in Umbellula encrinus (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea) from the eastern Canadian Arctic.

et al. 2018

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“…Due to the general cyclonic surface circulation in the Ligurian Sea, the waters around Mesco Point are affected by the sediment load coming from the Magra River, whose mouth is located about 30 km eastward [ 71 ]: consistently, Mesco waters have always been turbid [ 38 ]. Coastal works since the late 1960s through the 1990s caused further reduction of water transparency [ 28 ],[ 33 ], which first allowed for the development of sciaphilic species (such as Parazoanthus axinellae and Leptopsammia pruvoti ) in shallow water to the detriment of algae [ 49 ], and then for an increase of Eunicella verrucosa and Leptogorgia sarmentosa , two species considered as indicators of turbidity and fine sedimentation [ 72 – 73 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Change, Sliding Baselines and the Importance of Historical Data: Lessons from Combing Observational and Quantitative Data on a Temperate Reef Over 70 Years

et al. 2015

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Understanding the effects of environmental change on ecosystems requires the identification of baselines that may act as reference conditions. However, the continuous change of these references challenges our ability to define the true natural status of ecosystems. The so-called sliding baseline syndrome can be overcome through the analysis of quantitative time series, which are, however, extremely rare. Here we show how combining historical quantitative data with descriptive ‘naturalistic’ information arranged in a chronological chain allows highlighting long-term trends and can be used to inform present conservation schemes. We analysed the long-term change of a coralligenous reef, a marine habitat endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. The coralligenous assemblages of Mesco Reef (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean) have been studied, although discontinuously, since 1937 thus making available both detailed descriptive information and scanty quantitative data: while the former was useful to understand the natural history of the ecosystem, the analysis of the latter was of paramount importance to provide a formal measure of change over time. Epibenthic assemblages remained comparatively stable until the 1990s, when species replacement, invasion by alien algae, and biotic homogenisation occurred within few years, leading to a new and completely different ecosystem state. The shift experienced by the coralligenous assemblages of Mesco Reef was probably induced by a combination of seawater warming and local human pressures, the latter mainly resulting in increased water turbidity; in turn, cumulative stress may have favoured the establishment of alien species. This study showed that the combined analysis of quantitative and descriptive historical data represent a precious knowledge to understand ecosystem trends over time and provide help to identify baselines for ecological management.

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“…This has been linked to reduced dispersal abilities of the larval stage in Mediterranean octocorals (Martínez-Quintana et al, 2015). In E. verrucosa, the lecithotrophic larvae are supposed to have a short, but unknown life span (Sartoretto & Francour, 2011). In E. singularis, experimental results indicated that in the presence of favorable substrates, settlement could take place in less than 30 hr (Weinberg & Weinberg, 1979).…”

Section: Genetic Structure At Regional and Local Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasted levels of genetic diversity in a benthic Mediterranean octocoral: Consequences of different demographic histories?

Masmoudi

Chaoui

Topçu

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding the factors explaining the observed patterns of genetic diversity is an important question in evolutionary biology. We provide the first data on the genetic structure of a Mediterranean octocoral, the yellow gorgonian Eunicella cavolini, along with insights into the demographic history of this species. We sampled populations in four areas of the Mediterranean Sea: continental France, Algeria, Turkey, and the Balearic and Corsica islands. Along French coasts, three sites were sampled at two depths (20 and 40 m). We demonstrated a high genetic structure in this species (overall FST = 0.13), and most pairwise differentiation tests were significant. We did not detect any difference between depths at the same site. Clustering analyses revealed four differentiated groups corresponding to the main geographical areas. The levels of allelic richness and heterozygosity were significantly different between regions, with highest diversity in Algeria and lowest levels in Turkey. The highest levels of private allelic richness were observed in Algeria followed by Turkey. Such contrasted patterns of genetic diversity were not observed in other Mediterranean octocorals and could be the result of different evolutionary histories. We also provide new empirical evidence of contrasting results between tests and model‐based studies of demographic history. Our results have important consequences for the management of this species.

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Bathymetric distribution and growth rates of <i>Eunicella verrucosa</i> (Cnidaria: Gorgoniidae) populationsalong the Marseilles coast (France)

Cited by 21 publications

References 32 publications

Size metrics, longevity, and growth rates in Umbellula encrinus (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea) from the eastern Canadian Arctic.

Size metrics, longevity, and growth rates in Umbellula encrinus (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea) from the eastern Canadian Arctic.

Ecological Change, Sliding Baselines and the Importance of Historical Data: Lessons from Combing Observational and Quantitative Data on a Temperate Reef Over 70 Years

Contrasted levels of genetic diversity in a benthic Mediterranean octocoral: Consequences of different demographic histories?

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