FAST, NOT FURIOUS - ADAPTATION OF THE SPECIES LIST AND FISH SIZE CLASSES FOR FISH ASSEMBLAGE SURVEY TECHNIQUE (FAST) FOR THE ADRIATIC SEA

Morska zaštićena područja i druga morska područja kojima se upravlja koriste se za poboljšanje statusa priobalnih zajednica riba, kao i za zaštitu vrijednih staništa. Učinkovito upravljanje počiva na podacima prikupljenim kroz aktivnosti praćenja stanja (monitoringa). Monitoring riba standardnim nedestruktivnim metodama zahtijeva značajna financijska sredstva i vrijeme, stoga se nova, brža i jeftinija metoda praćenja zajednica riba u priobalnim područjima od nedavno primijenjuje u Sredozemnom moru. U metodi FAST (Fish Assemblage Survey Technique), obučeni ronioci volonteri prikupljaju podatke o opažanju ribljih vrsta prema unaprijed utvrđenom protokolu. S obzirom na razlike u prisutnosti/odsutnosti vrsta i u njihovim veličinama između Sredozemnog i Jadranskog mora, bilo je potrebno modificirati metodu. Ovdje predstavljamo 23 vrste riba na glavnom popisu i 4 ‘joker’ vrste koje su odabrane za hrvatski popis FAST, zajedno s pripadajućim veličinama (cm) koje će se smatrati velikim za potrebe korištenja ove metode u hrvatskom dijelu Jadranskog mora.Marine Protected Areas and other managed marine sites are designated to improve the status of coastal fish assemblages and protect valuable habitats. The implementation of management practices relies on data collected through monitoring activities. The monitoring of fish assemblages using the standard non-destructive methods requires significant financial resources and time. A new approach to monitoring fish assemblages in the coastal waters was recently implemented in the Mediterranean – Fish Assemblage Survey Technique (FAST). It is based on Citizen Science where trained volunteer divers collect the data following a pre-established protocol. Considering the differences in species presence/absence and their sizes between the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea, a modification of the method was necessary. This study presents 23 main fish species and four \u27joker\u27 species selected for the Croatian FAST list and their respective sizes that will be considered Large (>2/3 of the total size) for implementing the method in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea

Development of periphytic diatoms on different artificial substrates in the Eastern Adriatic Sea

The settling of diatoms as fouling organisms on a certain substrate is greatly influenced by substrate characteristics and the preferences of a diatom community and diatom species. A distinction among substrates can be made by analysing the specific abundance and composition of diatoms on different substrates. In this study, 11 different artificial substrates were exposed to a marine environment for a period of 30 days. Abundance and taxonomic composition of periphytic diatoms was determined on each of the substrates and on shoots of the marine seagrass Posidonia oceanica. The aim was to compare diatom community structure on different newly colonized surfaces. On all surfaces examined, periphytic diatoms were the pioneering organisms with differences in quantitative and qualitative composition on the different substrates. Taxonomic analysis of diatom communities on the substrates examined revealed 41 diatom taxa, with the dominant genera Cylindrotheca, Amphora, Nitzschia, Cocconeis and Navicula. Given that all the examined artificial substrates were solid materials, differences in the abundance and species composition of diatoms found between the materials point to the substrates’ physical and chemical characteristics as a major influence on the final settling of diatoms. Knowledge from investigating the settlement of fouling organisms on anthropogenic substrates can have future use in management of waste materials that end up in the marine environment

Spatially Explicit Seagrass Extent Mapping Across the Entire Mediterranean

The Posidonia oceanica seagrass is the foundation species of the coastal Mediterranean, whose meadows support significant ecosystem services: food security, coastal protection, biodiversity maintenance, carbon sequestration, amongst others. This endemic in the basin seagrass features the largest carbon storage among seagrasses globally, contributing substantially to global blue carbon stocks.  However, climate change, coastal development, and decreasing water quality all render this slow-growing species at risk of area loss, functional extinction, and, hence, its provided services. This risk is further complicated by the current knowledge gaps in its bioregional extent, necessitating accurate, efficient and spatially explicit mapping and accounting of its distribution and trajectories at a high spatial resolution. Here, we leveraged recent Earth Observation advances—cloud computing, open satellite data, and machine learning—with field data via a cloud-based ecosystem accounting framework to map the spatially-explicit ecosystem extent of P. oceanica seagrass across the whole Mediterranean, at 10m resolution.  Employing 279,186 Sentinel-2 satellite images between 2015-2019, and a human-labelled training dataset of 62,928 pixels, we mapped 19,020 km2 of P. oceanica seagrass area in 22 countries across 56,783 km2 of mapped seabed between 0-25 m of depth. Based on 2,480 independent field-based points, we observe an overall accuracy of 72%. Using a Tier 2 assessment, we estimated the bioregional blue carbon storage of P. oceanica beds to be 722.2 million MgC.  As reference data collections, remote sensing technology and biophysical modelling improve and coalesce, such extent accounts could support physical and monetary accounting of seagrass condition and ecosystem services. We envisage that such holistic seagrass ecosystem accounts could enable effective policy uptake in national climate, biodiversity and protection strategies and necessary financing. This in turn could accelerate transparent natural climate solutions and coastal resilience, beyond the physical location of seagrass beds and the 21th century

Wide-Geographic and Long-Term Analysis of the Role of Pathogens in the Decline of Pinna nobilis to Critically Endangered Species

20 Pág.A mass mortality event (MME) affecting the fan mussel Pinna nobilis was first detected in Spain in autumn 2016 and spread north- and eastward through the Mediterranean Sea. Various pathogens have been blamed for contributing to the MME, with emphasis in Haplosporidium pinnae, Mycobacterium sp. and Vibrio spp. In this study, samples from 762 fan mussels (necropsies from 263 individuals, mantle biopsies from 499) of various health conditions, with wide geographic and age range, taken before and during the MME spread from various environments along Mediterranean Sea, were used to assess the role of pathogens in the MME. The number of samples processed by both histological and molecular methods was 83. The most important factor playing a main role on the onset of the mass mortality of P. nobilis throughout the Mediterranean Sea was the infection by H. pinnae. It was the only non-detected pathogen before the MME while, during MME spreading, its prevalence was higher in sick and dead individuals than in asymptomatic ones, in MME-affected areas than in non-affected sites, and it was not associated with host size, infecting both juveniles and adults. Conversely, infection with mycobacteria was independent from the period (before or during MME), from the affection of the area by MME and from the host health condition, and it was associated with host size. Gram (-) bacteria neither appeared associated with MME.This work was funded by: DG Pesca i Medi Mari (GOIB),EsMarEs (order IEO by MITECO, Spanish government), Life UFE IP-PAF INTEMARES (LIFE15 IPE ES 012) “Gestión integrada, innovadora y participativa de la Red Natura 2000 en el medio marino español,” the research project “Estado de conservación del bivalvo amenazado Pinna nobilis en el PNAC” (OAPN 024/2010), the project RECONNECT (MIS 5017160) of the Programme Interreg V-B “Balkan-Mediterranean 2014–2020.” MTES (French Government), DREAL (Direction Régionale Environnement Aménagement Logement) and Région Occitanie (France) for funding research and monitoring of Pinna.GC and PP were contracted under the INIA-CCAA cooperative research programme for postdoctoral incorporation from the Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) (DOC INIA 8/2013 and 15/2015). MV-L was supported by a Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación postdoctoral contract (ICJI-2016-29329, MICIU Programme). ML-S and EÁ were supported by a Personal Técnico de Apoyo contract MINECO programme (PTA2015-11709-I and PTA2015-10829- I, respectively). CP and GS were supported by the project RECONNECT (MIS 5017160) financed by the Transnational Cooperation Programme Interreg V-B “Balkan-Mediterranean 2014–2020” and co-funded by the European Union and national funds of the participating countries. CP was supported by Sorbonne University.Peer reviewe

UTJECAJ PROSTORNE ORGANIZACIJE ELEMEUTJECAJ PROSTORNE ORGANIZACIJE ELEMENATA PODMORSKOG OKOLIŠA NA STRUKTURU ZAJEDNICA RIBA U NASELJIMA MORSKE CVJETNICE Posidonia oceanica U JADRANSKOM MORUNATA PODMORSKOG OKOLIŠA NA STRUKTURU ZAJEDNICA RIBA U NASELJIMA MORSKE CVJETNICE Posidonia oceanica U JADRANSKOM MORU

Marine underwater habitats dominated by seagrass Posidonia oceanica play an essential role in fish community assembly, affecting taxonomic and functional diversity, abundance and fish behavior. The value of seagrasses as habitat depends on the spatial arrangement of the seascape elements and the availability of alternative habitats. Little is known about the effect of the seascape context of P. oceanica meadows on fish assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea. To identify P. oceanica meadows\u27 relative importance as a habitat for fishes, fish communities in the Croatian Adriatic Sea were investigated, using SCUBA lure-assisted visual census. The results show a significant effect of different arrangements of P. oceanica meadows\u27 seascape elements and surrounding habitats on fish community structure. Fragmented mosaic meadows with P. oceanica growing directly on and between rocky-algal reefs/boulders had significantly higher fish abundances compared to both types of continuous meadows (bordering rock and bordering sand). Continuous meadows bordering sand harbored the highest number of unique species. Evidence that alternative structured habitats within proximity to seagrass beds may affect the community structure of associated fish assemblages is provided, highlighting the need to consider P. oceanica meadows\u27 seascape context in conservation management and experimental design for fish community structure.Naselja morske cvjetnice Posidonia oceanica igraju važnu ulogu u strukturiranju zajednica riba te utječu na taksonomsku i funkcionalnu raznolikost, brojnost i ponašanje riba. Relativna vrijednost naselja morskih cvjetnica ovisi o prostornoj organizaciji elementa podmorskog okoliša te dostupnosti alternativnih staništa. Međutim, nedovoljno je poznato koji sve čimbenici utječu na strukturu zajednice riba povezanih s ovom morskom cvjetnicom. S ciljem utvrđivanja utjecaja različite prostorne organizacije elementa podmorskog okoliša na zajednice riba, proveden je vizualni cenzus uz pomoć mamca u naseljima cvjetnice P. oceanica u hrvatskom dijelu Jadranskog mora. Utvrđen je značajan utjecaj različite prostorne organizacije elementa podmorskog okoliša na strukturu zajednice riba – u rascjepkanim mozaičnim naseljima u kojima se P. oceanica isprepliće s kamenom podlogom obraslom makro-algama zabilježena je značajno veća brojnost riba u odnosu na kontinuirana cjelovita naselja (uz sediment ili uz kamenitu obalu). U radu su predstavljeni dokazi da dostupnost alternativnih strukturiranih staništa u neposrednoj blizini naselja morske cvjetnice P. oceanica utječe na strukturu zajednice riba koje u njoj žive. Neophodno je uzeti u obzir kontekst prostornog rasporeda elemenata podmorskog okoliša kojima dominira morska cvjetnica P. oceanica prilikom planiranja znanstvenih istraživanja, ali i kod upravljanja priobalnim područjima

Fast, Not Furious - Adaptation of the Species List and Fish Size Classes for Fish Assemblage Survey Technique (FAST) for the Adriatic Sea

Marine Protected Areas and other managed marine sites are designated to improve the status of coastal fish assemblages and protect valuable habitats. The implementation of management practices relies on data collected through monitoring activities. The monitoring of fish assemblages using the standard non-destructive methods requires significant financial resources and time. A new approach to monitoring fish assemblages in the coastal waters was recently implemented in the Mediterranean – Fish Assemblage Survey Technique (FAST). It is based on Citizen Science where trained volunteer divers collect the data following a pre-established protocol. Considering the differences in species presence/absence and their sizes between the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea, a modification of the method was necessary. This study presents 23 main fish species and four ‘joker’ species selected for the Croatian FAST list and their respective sizes that will be considered Large (>2/3 of the total size) for implementing the method in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea

Phytoplankton Diversity and Co-Dependency in a Stratified Oligotrophic Ecosystem in the South Adriatic Sea

The oligotrophy of the southern Adriatic Sea is characterized by seasonal stratification which enables nutrient supply to the euphotic layer. A set of interdisciplinary methods was used to elucidate the diversity and co-dependency of bacterio- and phytoplankton of the water column during the stratification period of July 2021. A total of 95 taxa were determined by microscopy: 58 diatoms, 27 dinoflagellates, 6 coccolithophores, and 4 other autotrophs, which included Chlorophyceae, Chrysophyceae, and Cryptophytes. Nanophytoplankton abundances were higher in comparison to microphytoplankton. The prokaryotic plankton community as revealed by HTS was dominated by Proteobacteria (41–73%), Bacteroidota (9.5–27%), and cyanobacteria (1–10%), while the eukaryotic plankton community was composed of parasitic Syndiniales (45–80%), Ochrophyta (2–18%), Ciliophora (2–21%), Chlorophytes (2–4%), Haptophytes (1–4%), Bacillariophyta (1–13%), Pelagophyta (0.5–12%) and Chrysophyta (0.5–3%). Flow cytometry analysis has recorded Prochlorococcus and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes as more abundant in deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), and Synechococcus and heterotrophic bacteria as most abundant in surface and thermocline layers. Surface, thermocline, and DCM layers were distinct considering community diversity, temperature, and nutrient correlations, while extreme nutrient values at the beginning of the investigating period indicated a possible nutrient flux. Nutrient and temperature were recognized as the main environmental drivers of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton community abundance

Plastic litter in sediments from a marine area likely to become protected (Aeolian Archipelago's islands, Tyrrhenian sea)

This research aims to define for the first time levels and patterns of different litter groups (macro, meso and microplastics) in sediments from a marine area designed for the institution of a new marine protected area (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy). Microplastics resulted the principal group and found in all samples analyzed, with shape and colours variable between different sampling sites. MPs levels measured in this study are similar to values recorded in harbour sites and lower than reported in Adriatic Sea, while macroplastics levels are notably lower than in harbor sites. Sediment grain-size and island extent resulted not significant in determining levels and distribution of plastic debris among islands. In the future, following the establishment of the MPA in the study area, these basic data will be useful to check for potential protective effects on the levels and distribution of plastic debris

Spatially Explicit Seagrass Extent Mapping Across the Entire Mediterranean

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is the main habitat-forming species of the coastal Mediterranean, providing millennial-scale ecosystem services including habitat provisioning, biodiversity maintenance, food security, coastal protection, and carbon sequestration. Meadows of this endemic seagrass species represent the largest carbon storage among seagrasses around the world, largely contributing to global blue carbon stocks. Yet, the slow growth of this temperate species and the extreme projected temperature and sea-level rise due to climate change increase the risk of reduction and loss of these services. Currently, there are knowledge gaps in its basin-wide spatially explicit extent and relevant accounting, therefore accurate and efficient mapping of its distribution and trajectories of change is needed. Here, we leveraged contemporary advances in Earth Observation—cloud computing, open satellite data, and machine learning—with field observations through a cloud-native geoprocessing framework to account the spatially explicit ecosystem extent of P. oceanica seagrass across its full bioregional scale. Employing 279,186 Sentinel-2 satellite images between 2015 and 2019, and a human-labeled training dataset of 62,928 pixels, we mapped 19,020 km2 of P. oceanica meadows up to 25 m of depth in 22 Mediterranean countries, across a total seabed area of 56,783 km2. Using 2,480 independent, field-based points, we observe an overall accuracy of 72%. We include and discuss global and region-specific seagrass blue carbon stocks using our bioregional seagrass extent estimate. As reference data collections, remote sensing technology and biophysical modelling improve and coalesce, such spatial ecosystem extent accounts could further support physical and monetary accounting of seagrass condition and ecosystem services, like blue carbon and coastal biodiversity. We envisage that effective policy uptake of these holistic seagrass accounts in national climate strategies and financing could accelerate transparent natural climate solutions and coastal resilience, far beyond the physical location of seagrass beds