Environmental drivers of distribution and reef development of the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa

Cladocora caespitosa is the only Mediterranean scleractinian similar to tropical reef-building corals. While this species is part of the recent fossil history of the Mediterranean Sea, it is currently considered endangered due to its decline during the last decades. Environmental factors affecting the distribution and persistence of extensive bank reefs of this endemic species across its whole geographic range are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the environmental response of C. caespitosa and its main types of assemblages using ecological niche modeling and ordination analysis. We also predicted other suitable areas for the occurrence of the species and assessed the conservation effectiveness of Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) for this coral. We found that phosphate concentration and wave height were factors affecting both the occurrence of this versatile species and the distribution of its extensive bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea. A set of factors (diffuse attenuation coefficient, calcite and nitrate concentrations, mean wave height, sea surface temperature, and shape of the coast) likely act as environmental barriers preventing the species from expansion to the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea. Uncertainties in our large-scale statistical results and departures from previous physiological and ecological studies are also discussed under an integrative perspective. This study reveals that Mediterranean MPAs encompass eight of the ten banks and 16 of the 21 beds of C. caespitosa. Preservation of water clarity by avoiding phosphate discharges may improve the protection of this emblematic species.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [CTM2014-57949-R]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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Evolution of the pollution in the Piedras River Natural Site (Gulf of Cadiz, southern Spain) during the Holocene

© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. The Piedras River marshland and El Rompido spit bar is a Natural Site in close proximity to two of the most polluted rivers in the world: the Tinto and Odiel Rivers. The aim of this study is to determine the degree of contamination of this Natural Site using a variety of pollution indices. At this site the Holocene infilling sequence is recorded and applied to a study of the pollution history and the possible impacts of human activity. The depositional history of the Piedras River estuary during the Holocene recorded open marine conditions at ca. 6500 calBP when sea-level was at its Holocene maximum. To study the pollution of the estuary during the Holocene, catchment background geochemistry was established using samples that pre-date human activity (agriculture and mining). Additionally, the sedimentary environment was reconstructed throughout the Holocene; comparison of pollution levels is interpreted to be more reliable if the sedimentary environment has remained similar throughout the depositional record. Results show that, despite being located nearby very polluted estuaries, the Piedras River marshland contains unpolluted sediments mainly because of the small catchment area relative to that of neighbouring more polluted rivers, and thus has not been affected by human activity such as mining