24 research outputs found
Evaluating the extent and impact of the extreme Storm Gloria on Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows
Extreme storms can trigger abrupt and often lasting changes in ecosystems by affecting foundational (habitat-forming) species. While the frequency and intensity of extreme events are projected to increase under climate change, its impacts on seagrass ecosystems remain poorly documented. In January 2020, the Spanish Mediterranean coast was hit by Storm Gloria, one of the most devastating recent climate events in terms of intensity and duration. We conducted rapid surveys of 42 Posidonia oceanica meadows across the region to evaluate the extent and type of impact (burial, unburial and uprooting). We investigated the significance of oceanographic (wave impact model), geomorphological (latitude, depth, exposure), and structural (patchiness) factors in predicting impact extent and intensity. The predominant impact of Storm Gloria was shoot unburial. More than half of the surveyed sites revealed recent unburial, with up to 40âŻcm of sediment removed, affecting over 50âŻ% of the meadow. Burial, although less extensive, was still significant, with 10â80âŻ% of meadow cover being buried under 7âŻcm of sediment, which is considered a survival threshold for P. oceanica. In addition, we observed evident signs of recently dead matte in some meadows and large amounts of detached drifting shoots on the sea bottom or accumulated as debris on the beaches. Crucially, exposed and patchy meadows were much more vulnerable to the overall impact than sheltered or continuous meadows. Given how slow P. oceanica is able to recover after disturbances, we state that it could take from decades to centuries for it to recoup its losses. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role as coastal ecological infrastructure. Protecting vulnerable meadows from anthropogenic fragmentation is crucial for ensuring the resilience of these ecosystems in the face of the climate crisis.This study was funded by the CSIC project âEffects of storm Gloria on the western Mediterranean meadows (202030E052) and âStorms of change: as phenomena extreme weather alters Mediterranean coastal ecosystems, their services and their perception by society" (PID2020-113745RB-I00), state program of I+D+I Oriented to the Challenges of the Society and within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the "Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellenceâ accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198). We want to thank the SPAS (Society of Fishing and Underwater Activities of MatarĂł) and the MatarĂł City Council, which has financed 25 years of the Alguer de MatarĂł project
Effects of fish farm waste on Posidonia oceanica meadows: Synthesis and provision of monitoring and management tools
A trait-based framework for seagrass ecology: Trends and prospects
In the last three decades, quantitative approaches that rely on organism traits instead of taxonomy have advanced different fields of ecological research through establishing the mechanistic links between environmental drivers, functional traits, and ecosystem functions. A research subfield where trait-based approaches have been frequently used but poorly synthesized is the ecology of seagrasses; marine angiosperms that colonized the ocean 100M YA and today make up productive yet threatened coastal ecosystems globally. Here, we compiled a comprehensive trait-based response-effect framework (TBF) which builds on previous concepts and ideas, including the use of traits for the study of community assembly processes, from dispersal and response to abiotic and biotic factors, to ecosystem function and service provision. We then apply this framework to the global seagrass literature, using a systematic review to identify the strengths, gaps, and opportunities of the field. Seagrass trait research has mostly focused on the effect of environmental drivers on traits, i.e., âenvironmental filteringâ (72%), whereas links between traits and functions are less common (26.9%). Despite the richness of trait-based data available, concepts related to TBFs are rare in the seagrass literature (15% of studies), including the relative importance of neutral and niche assembly processes, or the influence of trait dominance or complementarity in ecosystem function provision. These knowledge gaps indicate ample potential for further research, highlighting the need to understand the links between the unique traits of seagrasses and the ecosystem services they provide
Collaborative Database to Track Mass Mortality Events in the Mediterranean Sea
Anthropogenic climate change, and global warming in particular, has strong and increasing impacts on marine ecosystems (Poloczanska et al., 2013; Halpern et al., 2015; Smale et al., 2019). The Mediterranean Sea is considered a marine biodiversity hot-spot contributing to more than 7% of world's marine biodiversity including a high percentage of endemic species (Coll et al., 2010). The Mediterranean region is a climate change hotspot, where the respective impacts of warming are very pronounced and relatively well documented (Cramer et al., 2018). One of the major impacts of sea surface temperature rise in the marine coastal ecosystems is the occurrence of mass mortality events (MMEs). The first evidences of this phenomenon dated from the first half of'80 years affecting the Western Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea (Harmelin, 1984; Bavestrello and Boero, 1986; Gaino and Pronzato, 1989; Voultsiadou et al., 2011). The most impressive phenomenon happened in 1999 when an unprecedented large scale MME impacted populations of more than 30 species from different phyla along the French and Italian coasts (Cerrano et al., 2000; Perez et al., 2000). Following this event, several other large scale MMEs have been reported, along with numerous other minor ones, which are usually more restricted in geographic extend and/or number of affected species (Garrabou et al., 2009; Rivetti et al., 2014; MarbĂ et al., 2015; Rubio-Portillo et al., 2016, authors' personal observations). These events have generally been associated with strong and recurrent marine heat waves (Crisci et al., 2011; Kersting et al., 2013; Turicchia et al., 2018; Bensoussan et al., 2019) which are becoming more frequent globally (Smale et al., 2019). Both field observations and future projections using Regional Coupled Models (Adloff et al., 2015; Darmaraki et al., 2019) show the increase in Mediterranean sea surface temperature, with more frequent occurrence of extreme ocean warming events. As a result, new MMEs are expected during the coming years. To date, despite the efforts, neither updated nor comprehensive information can support scientific analysis of mortality events at a Mediterranean regional scale. Such information is vital to guide management and conservation strategies that can then inform adaptive management schemes that aim to face the impacts of climate change.MV-L was supported by a postdoctoral contract Juan de la Cierva-IncorporaciĂłn (IJCI-2016-29329) of Ministerio de Ciencia, InnovaciĂłn y Universidades. AI was supported by a Technical staff contract (PTA2015-10829-I) Ayudas Personal TĂ©cnico de Apoyo of Ministerio de EconomĂa y Competitividad (2015). Interreg Med Programme (grant number Project MPA-Adapt 1MED15_3.2_M2_337) 85% cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund, the MIMOSA project funded by the Foundation Prince Albert II Monaco and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 689518 (MERCES). DG-G was supported by an FPU grant (FPU15/05457) from the Spanish Ministry of Education. J-BL was partially supported by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the programme PT2020
Atlas de las praderas marinas de España
Knowledge of the distribution and extent of seagrass habitats is currently the basis of management and conservation policies of the coastal zones in most European countries. This basic information is being requested through European directives for the establishment of monitoring programmes and the implementation of specific actions to preserve the marine environment. In addition, this information is crucial for the quantification of the ecological importance usually attributed to seagrass habitats due to, for instance, their involvement in biogeochemical cycles, marine biodiversity and quality of coastal waters or global carbon budgets. The seagrass atlas of Spain represents a huge collective effort performed by 84 authors across 30 Spanish institutions largely involved in the scientific research, management and conservation of seagrass habitats during the last three decades. They have contributed to the availability of the most precise and realistic seagrass maps for each region of the Spanish coast which have been integrated in a GIS to obtain the distribution and area of each seagrass species. Most of this information has independently originated at a regional level by regional governments, universities and public research organisations, which explain the elevated heterogeneity in criteria, scales, methods and objectives of the available information. On this basis, seagrass habitats in Spain occupy a total surface of 1,541,63 km2, 89% of which is concentrated in the Mediterranean regions; the rest is present in sheltered estuarine areas of the Atlantic peninsular regions and in the open coastal waters of the Canary Islands, which represents 50% of the Atlantic meadows. Of this surface, 71.5% corresponds to Posidonia oceanica, 19.5% to Cymodocea nodosa, 3.1% to Zostera noltii (=Nanozostera noltii), 0.3% to Zostera marina and 1.2% to Halophila decipiens. Species distribution maps are presented (including Ruppia spp.), together with maps of the main impacts and pressures that has affected or threatened their conservation status, as well as the management tools established for their protection and conservation. Despite this considerable effort, and the fact that Spain has mapped wide shelf areas, the information available is still incomplete and with weak precision in many regions, which will require an investment of major effort in the near future to complete the whole picture and respond to demands of EU directives
Seasonality of caulerpenyne content in native Caulerpa prolifera and invasive C. taxifolia and C. racemosa var. cylindracea in the western Mediterranean Sea
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Let's Work and Play: ASLO ASM 2021 in Palma de Mallorca
Following the pressing needs of the society for a sustainable future, amidst the
human-influenced environmental changes, the theme of the ASM 2021 in Palma
âAquatic Sciences for a sustainable future: nurturing cooperationâ was proposed.
Underdeveloped to developed societies face different levels of sustainability problems
in aquatic resources, and cooperation is a keyword in which relevant information is
shared to find solutions. Basically, we learn from each otherÂŽs success and failures in
managing sustainability problems. The theme will be reflected on the topics of the
plenary sessions (e.g. âthe future of seafood resourcesâ, âthe role of cooperation in
addressing global challenges in aquatic ecosystemsâ, âlinking the health of the oceans
to humansâ, ârestoration of aquatic ecosystemsâ) and special sessions and workshops.
The logo of the meeting depicts the theme (Fig. 1) where the reaching of the two hands
symbolizes âcooperationâ, sharing of information, which will take place in Palma
(Mallorca) represented by the local traditional boat âLlaĂŒtâ. The LlaĂŒt was traditionally
used for fish trawling. However, nowadays it is considered a cultural heritage, a work of
craftsmanship, and is not used any longer for professional use because of the emergence
of motorized boats and increased population of beach-goers. As we thought and
reflected of a meaningful theme, we also thought of our dynamic scientific and local
committee team (Fig. 2) with broad expertise (from freshwater to marine) and excellent
background to ensure a meaningful and successful ASM meeting in Palma. We hope you
can join us in ASM Palma in 2021
Blessing in disguise: The new date for the ASLO ASM 2021 in PALMA increases options for enjoying cultural activities.
Publisher correction: Global ecological impacts of marine exotic species
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper