Megafauna distribution along active submarine canyons of the central Mediterranean: Relationships with environmental variables

Pierdomenico, Martina; Cardone, Frine; Carluccio, Angela; Casalbore, Daniele; Chiocci, Francesco Latino; Maiorano, Porzia; D’Onghia, Gianfranco

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2018.12.015

Cited by 30 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 116 publications

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“…The recent development of marine technology allows direct observation of deep-sea ecosystems with great detail, providing invaluable data on their composition and main structuring species. In the Mediterranean basin, local or sub-regional studies characterizing the diversity of invertebrate megafauna based on video images have recently become popular [56,57,65,66], but investigations providing quantitative data over large geographical extents are still scarce, with only a few exceptions [56,57,65]. Our work represents one of the largest studies of mesophotic megabenthic communities identified using multivariate community-based analysis for the Mediterranean Sea, covering over 62 km of continental shelf and shelf break.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large percentage of the Ligurian species is represented by canopy-forming organisms, like massive/erect sponges, large hydroids, gorgonians and black corals, as well as species of smaller sizes, including bryozoans, alcyonaceans and sabellids. Most of the identified species are suspension feeders, a functional group that typically dominates at these depths in the Mediterranean Sea [56,57,65,66,67] and in all the communities herein described (with the only exception of Community 4, occurring on hard bottoms in all the investigated areas, and characterized by the complete absence of large structuring species). These complex, three-dimensional communities play a key role in the maintenance of the overall benthic diversity of the area and must be considered a fundamental link for energy transfer between the pelagic and the benthic ecosystem [30,33,34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Megabenthic communities of the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break (NW Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2019

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The Ligurian Sea is one of the most studied Mediterranean basins. Since the beginning of the last century, many research expeditions have characterized its benthic and pelagic fauna through scuba diving and trawl surveys. However, a large knowledge gap exists about the composition of benthic communities extending into the so-called mesophotic or twilight depth range, currently under intense pressure from commercial and recreational fishing. A series of visual surveys, carried out by means of remotely operated vehicles between 2012 and 2018, were conducted along the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break, between 30 and 210 m depth, in order to characterize the main benthic biocoenoses dwelling at this depth range and to determine the most relevant environmental factors that explain their spatial distribution. Deep circalittoral communities of the Ligurian Sea were represented by a mixture of species belonging to the deepest extension of shallow-water habitats and deep circalittoral ones. Twelve major biocoenoses were identified, each one characterized by specific preferences in depth range, substrate type and seabed slope. Those biocoenoses included gorgonian and hydrozoan forests, dense keratose sponge grounds, Dendrophyllia cornigera gardens, bryozoan beds and soft-bottom meadows of sabellid polychaetes and soft-corals. Other less common aggregations included six forests of black corals and two populations of Paramuricea macrospina. A georeferenced database has been created in order to provide information to managers and stakeholders about the location of the identified communities and high-diversity areas, aiming to facilitate sustainable long-term conservation of the Ligurian benthic ecosystem.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megabenthic communities of the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break (NW Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2019

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“…was found hidden in lost fishing gear (Pierdomenico et al, 2018), while some individuals of the shrimp Plesionika spp. were found aggregated on litter accumulations (Pierdomenico et al, 2019).…”

Section: Behavioralmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…We found evidence of 8 fish species using general waste and one species using fishing gears to hide from predators in Mediterranean reefs ( Supplementary Table S1). Several authors observed the crab Paromola cuvieri (Angiolillo and Pisapia, 2015;Taviani et al, 2017;Mecho et al, 2018;Angiolillo, 2019;Pierdomenico et al, 2019) to use unusual camouflage shelters carrying on plastic on its exoskeleton, instead of usual sponges or gorgonians ( Figure 6C). The high availability of marine litter may indeed result in its use by reef species instead of natural materials, with unknown ecological implications (de Carvalho-Souza et al, 2018).…”

Section: Behavioralmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters

Angiolillo

Fortibuoni

2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea. The multiple impacts (e.g., entanglement, ghost-fishing, coverage, etc.) of litter on reef systems, the list of species impacted, and the main litter categories were identified, and a map of the knowledge available so far on this topic was provided. Seventy-eight taxa resulted impacted by marine litter on Mediterranean reefs, and the majority belonged to the phylum Cnidaria (41%), including endangered species like the red coral (Corallium rubrum) and the madrepora coral (Madrepora oculata). Entanglement, caused mainly by abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), was the most frequent impact, playing a detrimental effect mainly on coralligenous arborescent species and cold-water corals (CWCs). The information was spatially heterogeneous, with some areas almost uncovered by scientific studies (e.g., the Aegean-Levantine Sea and the Southern Mediterranean Sea). Although many legal and policy frameworks have been established to tackle this issue [e.g., marine strategy framework directive (MSFD) and the Barcelona Convention], several gaps still exist concerning the assessment of the impact of marine litter on marine organisms, and in particular on reefs. There is a need for harmonized and standardized monitoring protocols for the collection of quantitative data to assess the impact of litter on reefs and animal forests. At the same time, urgent management measures limiting, for instance, the impact of ALDFG and other marine litter are needed to preserve these valuable and vulnerable marine ecosystems.

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“…Even though several studies reported data about the assemblages in the Gioia canyon system for the megafauna (Pierdomenico et al 2016(Pierdomenico et al , 2018(Pierdomenico et al , 2019, the meiofauna (Gambi et al 2019) and foraminifera (Di Bella et al 2017) a gap regarding the macrofaunal compartment is still present. The aim of this study is the description of the macrofaunal assemblages collected inside and outside the Gioia Canyon system (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) during the Tyrrhenian Gravity Flows cruise (TyGraF) with the purpose of producing a first baseline for future analyses of the communities in this area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrofaunal communities in the Gioia Canyon (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Pola

Cerrano

Pica

et al. 2020

The European Zoological Journal

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Submarine canyons play pivotal roles in the physical, biological and ecological processes of coastal areas, especially in closed or semi-closed basins as the Mediterranean Sea, influencing the biodiversity and the abundance of the benthic fauna. On February 2013, during the Tyrrhenian Gravity Flows (TyGraF) campaign, samples have been collected along the Gioia Canyon Basin (Italy) with the aim to describe the taxonomical composition and the abundances of the macrobenthic assemblages, filling the gap of knowledge in this area. A total of 93 taxa were identified, and the Annelida was the phylum with the highest number of specimens and most diversified (46 taxa). The polychaetes Sternaspis scutata, Prionospio cirrifera and Monticellina sp., the bivalves Thyasira sp.1 and Saccella commutata and the amphipods belonging to the genera Ampelisca and Harpinia showed the highest densities in the studied area; however, results suggest low values of the abundances of the macrobenthos if compared with those generally reported for other canyons, both inside and outside the Mediterranean Sea. The marine biotic index (AMBI) highlights that the canyon system and the surrounded area were slightly disturbed and characterized by a high percentage of tolerant taxa. This study is the first baseline for future analyses of the macrobenthic communities of this area.

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Megafauna distribution along active submarine canyons of the central Mediterranean: Relationships with environmental variables

Cited by 30 publications

References 116 publications

Megabenthic communities of the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Megabenthic communities of the Ligurian deep continental shelf and shelf break (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters

Macrofaunal communities in the Gioia Canyon (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

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