First record of Acrothamnion preissii (Rhodophyta: Ceramiaceae) from the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)

The ceramiacean red alga Acrothamnion preissii is an Indo-Pacific species that was first recorded in the Mediterranean Sea (Italy) in 1969, and which subsequently spread within the north-western basin, reaching the Balearic Islands to the west and Sicily to the south. Here we record A. preissii from the Maltese Islands, which represents a further southwards expansion of its known distribution range in the Mediterranean Sea. Although this species can be invasive, becoming the dominant epiphyte by forming dense turfs that smother native species, so far there is no evidence for such an invasion phase in the Maltese Islands.peer-reviewe

Influence of nutrient enrichment and turbidity on macroalgal species composition of fouling assemblages in the Maltese Islands

The species composition of macroalgal assemblages was compared within and between impacted and non-impacted sites in a number of Maltese localities with different levels of nutrient enrichment and turbidity. Species composition in non-impacted sites differed significantly from that in impacted sites, and impacted sites also differed significantly among themselves. Differences among impacted sites were due to the presence or absence of chlorophytes, geniculate coralline rhodophytes, and filamentous rhodophytespeer-reviewe

Coastal greening of grey infrastructure: an update on the state-of-the-art

\ua9 2023 Emerald Publishing Limited: All rights reserved.In the marine environment, greening of grey infrastructure (GGI) is a rapidly growing field that attempts to encourage native marine life to colonize marine artificial structures to enhance biodiversity, thereby promoting ecosystem functioning and hence service provision. By designing multifunctional sea defences, breakwaters, port complexes and off-shore renewable energy installations, these structures can yield myriad environmental benefits, in particular, addressing UN SDG 14: Life below water. Whilst GGI has shown great promise and there is a growing evidence base, there remain many criticisms and knowledge gaps, and some feel that there is scope for GGI to be abused by developers to facilitate harmful development. Given the surge of research in this field in recent years, it is timely to review the literature to provide an update update on the state-of-the-art of the field in relation to the many criticisms and identify remaining knowledge gaps. Despite the rapid and significant advances made in this field, there is currently a lack of science and practice outside of academic sectors in the developed world, and there is a collective need for schemes that encourage intersectoral and transsectoral research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building to optimize GGI in the pursuit of contributing to sustainable development

Coastal greening of grey infrastructure: an update on the state-of-the-art

In the marine environment, greening of grey infrastructure (GGI) is a rapidly growing field that attempts to encourage native marine life to colonize marine artificial structures to enhance biodiversity, thereby promoting ecosystem functioning and hence service provision. By designing multifunctional sea defences, breakwaters, port complexes and off-shore renewable energy installations, these structures can yield myriad environmental benefits, in particular, addressing UN SDG 14: Life below water. Whilst GGI has shown great promise and there is a growing evidence base, there remain many criticisms and knowledge gaps, and some feel that there is scope for GGI to be abused by developers to facilitate harmful development. Given the surge of research in this field in recent years, we have reviewed the literature to provide an update update on the state-of-the-art of the field in relation to the many criticisms and identify remaining knowledge gaps. Despite the rapid and significant advances made in this field, there is currently a lack of science and practice outside of academic sectors in the developed world, and there is a collective need for schemes that encourage intersectoral and trans-sectoral research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building to optimize GGI in the pursuit of contributing to sustainable development