Relationship between <i>Desmophyllum dianthus</i> and principal taxa from Scleractinia families based on mitochondrial COI.

<p>Phylogenetic relationships among <i>D. dianthus</i> and representative species of the family Caryophylliidae. R, C and B indicate “robust”, “complex” and “basal” groups, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships were inferred by BI, MP and ML criteria (numbers show the Bayesian posterior probability and bootstrap supports given at branches, respectively). Stars indicate other well-supported clades (pp≥95; bootstrap >70).</p

Measures of DNA polymorphism and neutrality tests (Tajima's D and Fu's Fs tests) for nuclear and mitochondrial DNA marker sequences of <i>Desmophyllum dianthus</i> specimens.

<p>S = segregating (polymorphic) sites; η = total number of substitutions; <b>Hd</b> = haplotype diversity; <b>p</b> = nucleotide diversity; D = Tajima's D value; Fs = Fu's Fs value; p = p value.</p

Lengths of the PCR products and the respective alignments of <i>Desmophyllum dianthus</i> and the main scleractinian family taxa (for more details see Fig. 1 and Table S2), along with the best-fit models selected by AIC in Modeltest 3.7.

*<p>Considering gaps as a fifth state of characters.</p

Haplotypes network.

<p>Parsimony network of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA sequence haplotypes of <i>Desmophyllum dianthus</i> belonging to Mediterranean Sea populations (from this study) and South Pacific Ocean populations (in blue; from Miller <i>et al. </i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050215#pone.0050215-Miller1" target="_blank">[35]</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0050215#pone.0050215-Miller2" target="_blank">[36]</a>). Sizes of the circles are proportional to the number of samples presenting such haplotype. Numbers indicate the variable positions. A) Network based on depth (white = shallow <600 m; light green = medium 600–1000 m; dark green = deep >1000 m). B) Network based on sampling area (red = Ionian Sea; orange = Adriatic Sea; yellow = Strait of Sicily).</p

“HABITAT MAPPING” GEODATABASE, AN INTEGRATED INTERDISCIPLINARY AND MULTI-SCALE APPROACH FOR DATA MANAGEMENT

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Historically, a number of different key concepts and methods dealing with marine habitat classifications and mapping have been developed to date. The EU CoCoNET project provides a new attempt in establishing an integrated approach on the definition of habitats. This scheme combines multi-scale geological and biological data, in fact it consists of three levels (Geomorphological level, Substrate level and Biological level) which in turn are divided into several hierarchical sublevels. This system allows to identify, describe and map in a consistent way habitat distribution from shallow coastal to deep sea (Foglini et al, 2014). </p> <p>Starting from this idea, we have designed and developed a ESRI File Relational Geodatabase (GDB) dedicated to habitat mapping, focusing particularly on storage and management of groundtruthing data and products. In the GDB, the contents are organized in three major groups as follows: the SamplingFeatures dataset stores the elements related to the sampling, the ROVs dataset groups all the information about the ROV surveys and, the maps are located in the HabitatMaps dataset. According to the CoCoNET classification scheme, we have the Geomorphological layer, the Substrate Layer and the Biological layer, and from the sum of these levels we obtain the Habitat layer. The hierarchical structure allows building maps with several possibilities of combination between all the levels, so we can produce multi-scale outputs and legends. </p> <p>An innovative approach is adopted for processing ROV dives. The video tracks are analyzed with the Adelie software and are represented with: (i) the ROV navigation, (ii) the habitat description (also this Habitat layer is organized according to the CoCoNET classification levels), (iii) the heading of the ROV cameras, (iv) the georeferenced position of the images along the path and (v) the biological samples. While the images are stored in the GDB, the videos are linked through a hyperlink and can be visualized on the ROV navigation lines with the Adelie software. </p> <p>An organized system, such as the “Habitat Mapping” GDB, is crucial for a correct data management, since it allows to store, visualize, query and elaborate data to produce customized maps in an easy and efficient way. Moreover the use of the CoCoNET classification scheme gives to the system a multidisciplinary and multi-scale trait, essential while dealing with habitat mapping.</p> <p>The presentation was performed during the International Congress GeoSUB 2015, Trieste, 13-14 October, 2015.</p

Habitat mapping in the Adriatic (Mediterranean Sea): approaches and methodologies for assessing seafloor habitat from coastal areas to deep sea

The knowledge about habitat distribution and extent is critical for the conservation and the management of the marine system and is a fundamental pre-requisite to allow for an adequate representation of all physical and biological typologies. Moreover, habitat maps represent the basic tool for the reconstruction of submerged panoramas relevant to any future geo-archaeological and prehistoric investigations. In the framework of the E.U. COCONET project (Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas from the shore to the high and deep sea) we make and attempt in establishing a unified approach on the definition of habitats. Our scheme combines multi-scale geological, oceanographic and biological data, to identify, describe and map in a consistent way habitat distribution from shallow coastal to deep sea

DROWNED KARST FEATURES IDENTIFIED ON THE ADRIATIC SEA CONTINENTAL SHELF (ITALY)

<p>Drowned karst features have been recently discovered on the Adriatic continental shelf at water depths of 70 m and, possibly, at 160 m.</p> <p>The most relevant features are circular depressions interpreted to represent ‘dolines’ formed at times of lowered sea level in the Pleistocene and, subordinately, buttered surfaces interpreted as erosive remnants.</p

SOUTH WEST ADRIATIC MARGIN MORPHOLOGY AND DEEP-SEA MACROBENTHIC ECOSYSTEMS

<p>The integration between high-resolution multi beam bathymetry, side scan sonar data, high resolution chirp sonar provide a frame functional to the identification and mapping of a variety of deep-sea benthic habitats including healthy <em>Lophelia</em>, <em>Madrepora</em>, <em>Dendrophyllia</em> and <em>Desmophyllum</em> often associated with sponges and polychaetes.<br>Coral growth took place in areas of irregular topography,created by large slide blocks, or on the steep flanks of Bari canyon and Dauno seamount. In both cases a key factor is the concurring action of dense NAdDW water mass impacting seasonally the SW Adriatic margin.</p

Conservation and management of coralligenous habitat: experience from The BIOMAP Project

<p>Coralligenous is one of the most important habitat for the Mediterranean sea recognised as protected habitat in the EC Regulation No. 1967/2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of shery resources in the Mediterranean Sea. Dierent actions have been thus favoured to collect new data on its range of extent and distribution in the Mediterranean and European seas.</p> <p>BIOMAP Project (BIOcostruzioni MArine in Puglia), promoted by Puglia Region, Italy, is a part of the program “PO FESR 2007/2013 – AXIS IV – line 4.4: intervention for the ecological network”. It promotes actions in order to map and monitor coralligenous<br>habitats along the Apulian coast (southern Adriatic margin and northern Ionian margin – Mediterranean sea http://www.biomapping.it/index) .<br>Acoustic (multibeam and side-scan sonar),video data and samples were collected through a number of oceanographic cruises, to identify and locate coralligenous habitats in 21 Sites of Community Interest (SCI), 3 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).</p