Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study

Pinna, Stefania; Piazzi, Luigi; Ceccherelli, Giulia; Castelli, Alberto; Costa, Gabriele; Curini‐Galletti, Marco; Gianguzza, Paola; Langeneck, Joachim; Manconi, Renata; Montefalcone, Monica; Pipitone, Carlo; Rosso, Antonietta; Bonaviri, Chiara

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104955

Cited by 20 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 75 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sea urchins can thrive at very high population densities (Lawrence, 1975;Alves et al, 2001;Gizzi et al, 2020), possess limited mobility and a powerful excavating mouth providing them the ability to regulate the distribution, abundance, and diversity of benthic marine algae communities, influencing the establishment, spread and persistence of algal species (e.g., Steneck, 2013;Filbee-Dexter and Scheibling, 2014;Friedlander et al, 2017;Melis et al, 2019). Numerous studies have unequivocally demonstrated an inverse relationship between urchin density and algal biomass as well as their role in promoting a shift of habitats with complex macroalgae forests into urchin barrens (e.g., Filbee-Dexter and Scheibling, 2014;Ling et al, 2015;Hernández, 2017;Melis et al, 2019;Pinna et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease Outbreak in a Keystone Grazer Population Brings Hope to the Recovery of Macroalgal Forests in a Barren Dominated Island

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Macroalgal forests play a key role in shallow temperate rocky reefs worldwide, supporting communities with high productivity and providing several ecosystem services. Sea urchin grazing has been increasingly influencing spatial and temporal variation in algae distributions and it has become the main cause for the loss of these habitats in many coastal areas, causing a phase shift from macroalgae habitats to barren grounds. The low productive barrens often establish as alternative stable states and only a major reduction in sea urchin density can trigger the recovery of macroalgal forests. The present study aims to assess if the 2018 disease outbreak, responsible for a strong reduction in the sea urchin Diadema africanum densities in Madeira Island, was able to trigger a reverse shift from barren grounds into macroalgae-dominated state. By assessing the diversity and abundance of benthic sessile organisms, macroinvertebrates and fishes before, during and after that particular mass mortality event, we evaluate changes in benthic assemblages and relate them to variations in grazer and herbivore densities. Our results revealed a clear shift from barren state to a macroalgae habitat, with barrens characterized by bare substrate, sessile invertebrate and Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) disappearing after the mortality event. Overall variations in benthic assemblages was best explained by four taxa (among grazers and herbivores species). However, it was the 2018 demise of D. africanum and its density reduction that most contributed to the reverse shift from a long stable barren state to a richer benthic assemblage with higher abundance of macroalgae. Despite this recent increase in macroalgae dominated habitats, their stability and persistence in Madeira Island is fragile, since it was triggered by an unpredictable disease outbreak and depends on how D. africanum populations will recover. With no control mechanisms, local urchin populations can easily reach the tipping point needed to promote a new shift into barren states. New conservation measures and active restoration are likely required to maintain and promote the local stability of macroalgal forests.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease Outbreak in a Keystone Grazer Population Brings Hope to the Recovery of Macroalgal Forests in a Barren Dominated Island

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…forests is accelerated by multiple stressors (e.g., urbanization, eutrophication and increasing sediment loads), including climate change. Our findings demonstrate that the habitat loss might have multiple impacts on different levels of biological organization 54,71 . Table 3.…”

Section: Meiofaunal Biomass/ Prokaryotic Biomassmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Such changes were associated, in some areas, with a significantly lower richness of nematode species 36 . The loss of biodiversity of macro-and megabenthic components as a result of the transition from macroalgal forests into barren grounds (dominated by sea urchins) was reported both in the Mediterranean and in other oceanic regions 53,54 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…forests and the presence of extended (Croatia and Montenegro) or patchy barren grounds (i.e., areas where was visually evident the loss of Cystoseira (i.e., Minorca, Sardinia, Tuscany and Sicily) 36 , 54 . In all of these areas, barren grounds were dominated by encrusting coralline algae and sea urchins, which typically characterise the rocks previously covered by algal forests 21 , 34 , 36 , 40 , 54 , 67 .

Figure 5 Location of the study areas in the Mediterranean Sea.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impairment of microbial and meiofaunal ecosystem functions linked to algal forest loss

Bianchelli

Danovaro

2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Habitat loss is jeopardizing marine biodiversity. In the Mediterranean Sea, the algal forests of Cystoseira spp. form one of the most complex, productive and vulnerable shallow-water habitats. These forests are rapidly regressing with negative impact on the associated biodiversity, and potential consequences in terms of ecosystem functioning. Here, by comparing healthy Cystoseira forests and barren grounds (i.e., habitats where the macroalgal forests disappeared), we assessed the effects of habitat loss on meiofaunal and nematode biodiversity, and on some ecosystem functions (here measured in terms of prokaryotic and meiofaunal biomass). Overall, our results suggest that the loss of Cystoseira forests and the consequent barren formation is associated with the loss of meiofaunal higher taxa and a decrease of nematode biodiversity, leading to the collapse of the microbial and meiofaunal variables of ecosystem functions. We conclude that, given the very limited resilience of these ecosystems, active restoration of these vulnerable habitats is needed, in order to recover their biodiversity, ecosystem functions and associated services.

show abstract

“…This is known to impact algal growth rates by reducing both their photosynthetic rates and the flexibility of their thalli, resulting in possible fragmentation ( Niermann, 1986 ; Coelho-Souza et al, 2013 ). Macroalgal morphology, in addition to size and abundance, is considered an essential structural component in their habitat complexity, directly related to the species richness, abundance and diversity of associated invertebrate species assemblages ( Hansen et al, 2011 ; Cunha, Maruyama & Jacobucci, 2018 ; Teagle et al, 2017 ; Pinna et al, 2020 ). Moreover, these attributes are also expressed in the distribution patterns of several epibiont species found in marine habitats ( Heck & Wetstone, 1977 ; Tano et al, 2016 ) and their potential dispersion routes ( Abé et al, 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epibiont hydroids on beachcast Sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean

Mendoza‐Becerril¹,

Servière‐Zaragoza²,

Mazariegos-Villarreal³

et al. 2020

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Massive accumulations of pelagic species of Sargassum have generated recent social, economic and ecological problems along Caribbean shores. In the Mexican Caribbean, these events have prompted the study of diverse biological and ecological aspects of these macroalgae. However, studies on their associated biota, including Hydrozoa, remain scarce. This research provides important species observations in an area where data is lacking. The occurrence and percent cover of hydroids on Sargassum thalli collected on the beach at Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico from April 2018 to March 2019 was studied. Three pelagic species and morphotypes of Sargassum from this area were analyzed: Sargassum fluitans III, S. natans I and S. natans VIII, as well as a benthic species, S. polyceratium var. ovatum. A total of 14 taxa of hydroids, belonging to the superorders “Anthoathecata” and Leptothecata, were identified. In our study, more hydroid taxa were observed on axes of the different species of Sargassum than on leaves or aerocysts. In general, the greatest species richness of hydroids was observed from February to April. Results show that live hydrozoans attached to pelagic Sargassum are transported into the area. This should be considered in future management measures that address the recurring coastal abundance of Sargassum and its associated biota in the Caribbean region.

show abstract

Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study

Cited by 20 publications

References 75 publications

Disease Outbreak in a Keystone Grazer Population Brings Hope to the Recovery of Macroalgal Forests in a Barren Dominated Island

Disease Outbreak in a Keystone Grazer Population Brings Hope to the Recovery of Macroalgal Forests in a Barren Dominated Island

Impairment of microbial and meiofaunal ecosystem functions linked to algal forest loss

Epibiont hydroids on beachcast Sargassum in the Mexican Caribbean

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About