Recreational boaters support the use of mooring buoys to reduce anchor damage to Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows

Recreational boating is an important economic activity in the Mediterranean Sea that often leads to disturbance by anchoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows, an endemic seagrass that is a critical component of shallow coastal ecosystems. A selfadministered survey of recreational boaters that anchor in a popular mooring site (Cala Blava) in the coast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) was carried out during the summer season of 2011 to assess their preferences regarding the number of boats anchoring at the cove and the distance between them, their willingness to pay for the use of mooring buoys and their perception of the negative effects that recreational boating may have on the marine environment. Four hundred and twenty five surveys were obtained over a period of 23 days (11 weekend days, 14 week days) with a response rate of 95 %. The number of boats anchored was higher during weekends (30 ± 13 boats) than during the rest of the week (15 ± 5 boats). Most of the respondents considered that both the number of anchored boats and distance between them were adequate, and they were satisfied with their visit to Cala Blava. Anchor damage was identified as the main impact caused in the marine environment by recreational boating. Support for the use of mooring buoys was high (72 %) and 58 % of boaters were willing to pay a fee for buoy use. The most widely accepted fee was 5 Euros per day of use. These results suggest that the public is well aware of the damage caused by anchoring on P. oceanica meadows and that environmental regulation that would reduce this harm through the use of mooring buoys would have wide support from the main users, who would be even willing to pay for the service. This is a bright prospect for the conservation of this valuable and fragile coastal ecosystem

The function of plantation forestry in landscape connectivity

Plantation forestry has been widely used for industrial purposes, creating vast extensions of culture forests. Although these plantations have a primary economic goal, they may indirectly serve other functions, such as landscape connectivity. Eucalypts are among the main plantation species used worldwide. In those areas in which they are not native, eucalyptus have been regarded as pernicious species for autochthonous forest and forest dwelling fauna. However, they may enhance connectivity between natural forest patches, thus favouring faunal dispersal. In Cantabria (Spain), Eucalyptus globulus were extensively planted in deforested areas mainly occupied by bushes and meadows. Here, we examine whether their massive introduction has modified landscape connectivity in the region. We used two indices based on graph theory and on the habitat availability concept (Integral Index of Connectivity and Probability of Connectivity), and applied them to the current forest network. Our results show how eucalyptus afforestation, principally based on temporary woodlands, has not improved forest connectivity in Cantabria significantly, though in the coast some of the new plantation areas may be locally important. Specific management actions targeted at these particularly relevant patches may enhance faunal dispersal and thus maintain biodiversity by reducing the fragmentation of these highly humanized areas

To what extent is fishing effort affecting the trophic level of the demersal communities at small scale? Preliminary results of a new food web indicator

Due to the complexity of benthic and demersal ecosystems, to be really helpful, a food web indicator should summarize, in a single number, a variety of complex processes that are otherwise hard to apprehend. The present work assesses the direct impact of bottom fishing gears on the trophic level (TL) of benthic and demersal communities dwelling in the continental shelf of the southern Bay of Biscay. Using a spatio-temporal approach at small scale, we tackle two main objectives: 1) to evaluate temporal trends in mean TL at community scale per sampling rectangle (5 x 5 miles grid resolution), and 2) to assess to what extent these trends are related to fishing effort. Two types of data are involved in the analyses: 1) TL data (mean trophic level by sampling rectangle), and 2) VMS data (number of fishing days by sampling rectangle). TL data were calculated using stomach contents sampled for demersal fish species during the Demersales surveys (IBTS), carried out every autumn in the southern Bay of Biscay since 1983, and combined with data from Fishbase and local references for those species which lacked empirical data. We only considered species that appeared in a minimum of 5 years and were consistently well identified along the whole historical series, in order to keep consistency in the community spatiotemporal sampling. Preliminary results point to a significant increase in TL in most of the sampling rectangles, suggesting that the trend observed globally is spatially homogeneous. A clear relationship between fishing effort and TL was also identified, particularly in those areas where fishing effort (mainly otter trawl fisheries) has been decreasing in recent years

Proposed approaches for indicator integration. ECAPRHA Deliverable Wp 4.1

<p>Cross-tabulation of cough and the modified Valsalva maneuver (m-VM) for determining the degree of right-to-left shunt.</p

Database of spatial distribution of non indigenous species in Spanish marine waters

Research in marine Spanish waters are focused on several actions to achieve an effectively management on protected areas, with the active participation of the stakeholders and research as basic tools for decision-making. Among these actions, there is one about the knowledge and control on NIS. One of its objectives is the creation of NIS factsheets, which are going to be added to the National Marine Biodiversity Geographical System (GIS) providing complementary information about taxonomic classification, common names, taxonomic synonyms, species illustrations, identification morphological characters, habitat in the native and introduced regions, biological and ecological traits, GenBank DNA sequences, world distribution, first record and evolution in the introduced areas, likely pathways of introduction, effects in the habitats and interaction with native species, and potential management measures to apply. The database will also provide data for (1) the European online platforms, (2) the environmental assessment for the Descriptor 2 (D2-NIS) of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), as well as (3) supporting decisions made by stakeholders. It is the result of extensive collaboration among scientist, manager’s and citizen science in the Spanish North-Atlantic, South-Atlantic, Gibraltar Strait-Alboran, Levantine-Balearic and Canary Islands marine divisions, providing an updated overview of the spatial distribution of relevant extended and invasive NIS of recent and established NIS introduced by maritime transport and aquaculture pathways, as well as on cryptogenic or native species in expansion due to the climatic water warming trend

Meiofauna asociada al alga "Laminaria ochroleuca" De la Pylaie en la isla de Mouro (Santander, Cantabria)

En un estudio de cuatro años (1996-1999) se caracteriza la meiofauna asociada a una comunidad submareal del macrófito Laminaria ochroleuca, en la costa norte española. En primer lugar, se alude a la comunidad meiobentónica a nivel taxonómico alto, y posteriormente, se centra el análisis en el grupo de los copépodos harpacticoides. Además, se describe una especie nueva de copépodo harpacticoide perteneciente a la familia Ancorabolidae encontrada en los rizomas de L.ochroleuca en la isla de Mouro, Laophontodes mourois sp.n. El grueso de la meiofauna permanente asociada a L. Ochroleuca en la isla de Mouro, consistió de nematodos, copépodos, ácaros, poliquetos, tanaidáceos y ostrácodos, con los copépodos dominando en los frondes y los nematodos en los rizomas. Durante los muestreos, la meiofauna temporal consistió de juveniles de anfipodos, bivalvos y gasterópodos y larvas nauplio y cypris de cirrípedos, con las larvas nauplio dominando tanto en los frondes como los rizomas. La mayoría de la meiofauna asociada a L.ochroleuca en la isla de Mouro estuvo concentrada en los rizomas de las algas, y su distribución pareció responder a diferencias a nivel de microhábitat dentro de la planta, mientras que los factores ambientales groseros o las variaciones a nivel de mesoescala, dentro de la comunidad de L.ochroleuca, no parecieron tener una incidencia grande en la estructura de la comunidad. Después de dos años de estudio; la comunidad de L.ochroleuca experimentó un declive notable, que inicialmente afectó solo a la vitalidad de los frondes pero que culminó en una mortalidad substancial de plantas. En sólo tres años, el estatus de L.ochroleuca pasó de ser la comunidad dominante en el área de estudio a presentar sólo pies dispersos con frondes muy poco desarrollados y rizomas pequeños. Este declive incidió sobre la meiofauna aparentemente sólo en la medida en que se vio reducida la superficie de colonización disponible para los animales o se pudieron alterar las condiciones abióticas que rodeaban a las plantas como consecuencia del mismo. La población de copépodos harpacticoides asociados a L.ochroleuca estuvo dominada por Thalestridae, Harpacticidae y Tisbidae en los frondes y Diosaccidae, Ameiridae y Ectinosomatidae en los rizomas. Por su parte, las especies dominantes de las familias Thlaestridae, y Ambunguipedidae fueron Parathalestris clausi, Dactylopusia tisboides, Dactylopusia vulgaris, Paradactylopodia sp.n.1 y Ambunguipes rufocinta, con P.clausi dominando tanto en frondes como en rizomas. La distribución de los copépodos también estuvo principalmente determinada por variaciones en la complejidad estructural a nivel de microhábitat. L.ochroleuca parece representar un hábitat idóneo y estable para algunas especies de copépodos harpacticoides, cuyas poblaciones se desarrollan en el alga, y a la vez, ofrece un refugio temporal para otras muchas especies en tránsito que habitan en comunidades o substratos adyacente

Harpacticoid copepod response to epiphyte load variations in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows

We conducted a field experiment to assess the response of phytal harpacticoids to nutrient-driven increases of epiphyte load in Posidonia oceanica meadows. First, we evaluated differences in species richness, diversity and assemblage structure of phytal harpacticoids in P. oceanica meadows with differing epiphyte loads. Secondly, we conducted a field experiment where epiphyte load was increased through an in situ addition of nutrients to the water column and evaluated the responses of the harpacticoid assemblages. We predicted that there would be changes in the harpacticoid assemblages as a result of nutrient-driven increases of epiphyte load, and that these changes would be of a larger magnitude in meadows of low epiphyte load. Our results show that the harpacticoid fauna (>500 μm) present in P. oceanica meadows in the Bay of Palma comprised taxa which are considered phytal and other less abundant ones previously described as sediment dwellers or commensal on other invertebrate species. Nutrient addition had an overall significant effect on epiphyte biomass and on harpacticoid abundance, diversity and assemblage structure, possibly as a response to the increased resources and habitat complexity provided by epiphytes. The abundance of dominant species at each location was favoured by nutrient addition and in some cases correlated with epiphytic biomass, although never strongly. This may indicate that structural complexity or diversity of the epiphytic cover might be more important than the actual epiphytic biomass for the harpacticoid species investigated. More species-specific studies are necessary to ascertain this and clarify the relationships between harpacticoids and epiphytes in seagrass meadows. To our knowledge, this is the first account of harpacticoid species associated with P. oceanica leaves and the epiphytic community they harbour in the Mediterranean Sea. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.Research funds were provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (project CTM2005-23775-E), by the Government of the Balearic Islands (Project UGIZC) and by the European Commission (VII Framework Programme; Project Conflict CGL2008-958). I. Castejón was supported by an I3P-FSE scholarship awarded by the CSICPeer Reviewe

Recreational boaters support the use of mooring buoys to reduce anchor damage to Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows

Recreational boating is an important economic activity in the Mediterranean Sea that often leads to disturbance by anchoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows, an endemic seagrass that is a critical component of shallow coastal ecosystems. A selfadministered survey of recreational boaters that anchor in a popular mooring site (Cala Blava) in the coast of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean) was carried out during the summer season of 2011 to assess their preferences regarding the number of boats anchoring at the cove and the distance between them, their willingness to pay for the use of mooring buoys and their perception of the negative effects that recreational boating may have on the marine environment. Four hundred and twenty five surveys were obtained over a period of 23 days (11 weekend days, 14 week days) with a response rate of 95 %. The number of boats anchored was higher during weekends (30 ± 13 boats) than during the rest of the week (15 ± 5 boats). Most of the respondents considered that both the number of anchored boats and distance between them were adequate, and they were satisfied with their visit to Cala Blava. Anchor damage was identified as the main impact caused in the marine environment by recreational boating. Support for the use of mooring buoys was high (72 %) and 58 % of boaters were willing to pay a fee for buoy use. The most widely accepted fee was 5 Euros per day of use. These results suggest that the public is well aware of the damage caused by anchoring on P. oceanica meadows and that environmental regulation that would reduce this harm through the use of mooring buoys would have wide support from the main users, who would be even willing to pay for the service. This is a bright prospect for the conservation of this valuable and fragile coastal ecosystem.This research was co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Tourism and the 2008–11 National Plan for Research, Development and Technological Innovation (Project TSI-020100-2010-852, TECHSEA)Peer Reviewe