Temporal Shifts of Posidonia oceanica and Corallium rubrum in Cap de Creus (NE Spain): Recreational SCUBA diver’s perception of change

PDF Suppl File
Published: May 12, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.36446
Keywords:
Catalan Sea Coastal marine habitats Ecological trends Environmental change Marine Historical Ecology Local Ecological Knowledge Marine Protected Area
MIGUEL MALLO
nstitut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
PATRIZIA ZIVERI
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain ; Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal I d’Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5576-0301
VICTORIA REYES-GARCÍA
nstitut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain ; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain; Departament d’Antropologia Social i Cultural, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Spain
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2914-8055
SERGIO ROSSI
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DiSTeBA), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy; Instituto de Ciências do Mar-LABOMAR, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Av. da Abolição, 3207 Fortaleza, Brazil
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4402-3418
Abstract

Temporal trends of the main Mediterranean benthic coastal marine habitats point to an overall decline of their extent and health status. We assessed recreational scuba divers’ perceptions of the temporal change abundance of two key Mediterranean ecosystem engineering species in the Cap de Creus Marine Protected Area: the red coral Corallium rubrum (an octocoral, component of coralligenous assemblages) and Posidonia oceanica (a seagrass, forming meadow formations on soft bottoms). We conducted semi-structured interviews and a target survey to recreational scuba divers of the area. Scuba divers reported decreasing abundance for C. rubrum, but not for Posidonia oceanica meadows during the last four decades. Qualitatively comparable ecological data for the area are only available for the last two decades and suggest stability in the abundance of both species. We explain the mismatch between data sources regarding C. rubrum arguing that, while ecological data mainly focus on no-take areas inside Cap de Creus, divers mainly visit areas where red coral colonies are unprotected. For P. oceanica, stability over the last two decades is indicated both in ecological data and in divers’ responses, suggesting that this habitat did not suffer major decline during the study period. The results of this study are overall limited by a low replication. However, it highlights local expert knowledge (i.e., recreational divers’ knowledge) as an untapped source of observations that could contribute to increase information of the historical ecological trends of these key species.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Short Communication

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Audivert, M., 1971. El coral i l’Estartit. In: L’Estartit i les Medes. Granollers, Barcelona, Montblanc-Martin, 422.
Ballesteros, E., 2006. Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages: a synthesis of present knowledge. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 44, 123-195.
Boudouresque, C.F., 2004. Marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean: status of species, populations and communities. Scientific Reports of Port-Cros National Park, 20, 97-146.
Boudouresque, C.F., Blanfuné, A., Harmelin-Vivien, M., Personnic, S., Ruitton, S. et al., 2017. Where seaweed forests meet animal forests: the examples of macroalgae in coral reefs and the Mediterranean coralligenous ecosystem. p. 369-398. In: Marine animal forests: the ecology of benthic biodiversity hotspots. Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., Orejas, C. (Eds). Springer-Nature, Zurich.
Bramanti, L., Vielmini, I., Rossi, S., Stolfa, S., Santangelo, G., 2011. Involvement of recreational scuba divers in emblematic species monitoring: the case of Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum). Journal for Nature Conservation, 19 (6), 312-318.
Bramanti, L., Movilla, J., Guron, M., Calvo, E., Gori, A. et al., 2013. Detrimental effects of ocean acidification on the economically important Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum). Global Change Biology, 19 (6), 1897-1908.
Bramanti, L., Vielmini, I., Rossi, S., Tsounis, G., Iannelli, M., et al., 2014. Demographic parameters of two populations of red coral (Corallium rubrum L. 1758) in the North Western Mediterranean. Marine Biology, 161, 1015-1026.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., Mojetta, A., 2021. The essential role of diving in marine biology. Bulletin of Environmental and Life Sciences, 3 (1), 1-44.
Cattaneo-Vietti, R., Bo, M., Cannas, R., Cau, A., Follesa, C. et al., 2016. An overexploited Italian treasure: past and present distribution and exploitation of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Italian Journal of Zoology, 83 (4), 443-455.
Claudet, J., Fraschetti, S., 2010. Human-driven impacts on marine habitats: a regional meta-analysis in the Mediterranean Sea. Biological Conservation, 143, 2195-2206.
Claudet, J., Loiseau, C., Sostres, M., Zupan, M., 2020. Underprotected Marine Protected Areas in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot. One Earth 2, 380-384.
Coll, M., Piroddi, C., Albouy, C., Ben Rais Lasram, F., Cheung, W.W.L., et al., 2012. The Mediterranean Sea under siege: spatial overlap between marine biodiversity, cumulative threats and marine reserves. Global Ecology and Biogeograrphy, 21 (4), 465-480.
de los Santos, C.B., Krause-Jensen, D., Alcoverro, T., Marbà, N., Duarte, C.M., et al., 2019. Recent trend reversal for declining European seagrass meadows. Natural Communications, 10 (1), 3356.
de Virgilio, M., Cifarelli, S., de Gennaro, P., Garofoli, G., Degryse, B., 2020. A first attempt of citizen science in the genetic monitoring of a Posidonia oceanica meadow in the Italian Southern Adriatic Sea. Journal for Nature Conservation, 56, 125826.
Duffus, D.A., Dearden, P., 1990. Non-consumptive wildlife-oriented recreation: a conceptual framework. Biological Conservation, 53 (3), 213-231.
Dunic, J.C., Brown, C.J., Connolly, R.M., Turschwell, M.P., Côté, I.M., 2021. Long-term declines and recovery of meadow area across the world’s seagrass bioregions. Global Change Biology, 27 (17), 4096-4109.
Galli, G., Bramanti, L., Priori, C., Rossi, S., Santangelo, G. et al., 2016. Modelling red coral (Corallium rubrum) growth in response to temperature and nutrition. Ecological Modelling, 337, 137-148.
García-Rodríguez, M., Massò, C., 1986a. Estudio biométrico de poblaciones de coral rojo (Corallium rubrum) del litoral de Gerona (NE de España). Boletín Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 3, 61-64.
García-Rodríguez, M., Massò, C., 1986b. Modelo de explotación por buceo del coral rojo (Corallium rubrum L.) del Mediterráneo. Boletín del Instituto Español de Oceanografía, 3, 75-82.
Garrabou, J., Coma, R., Bensoussan, N., Bally, M., Chevaldonné, P. et al., 2009. Mass mortality in Northwestern Mediterranean rocky benthic communities: effects of the 2003 heat wave. Global Change Biology, 15 (5), 1090-1103.
Garrabou, J., Linares, C., Montero-Serra, I., Ledoux, B., Lopez- Sanz, À. et al., 2017. Informe sobre l’estat de les poblacions de coral vermell (Corallium rubrum) a les aigües de Catalunya. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació, 39 pp.
Gatti, G., Bianchi, C.N., Parravicini, V., Rovere, A., Peirano, A. et al., 2015. Ecological Change, Sliding Baselines and the Importance of Historical Data: Lessons from Combing Observational and Quantitative Data on a Temperate Reef Over 70 Years. PLoS ONE, 10 (2), e0118581.
Gerovasileiou, V., Dailianis, T., Panteri, E., Michalakis, N., Gatti, G. et al., 2016. CIGESMED for divers: Establishing a citizen science initiative for the mapping and monitoring of coralligenous assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea. Biodiversity Data Journal, (4) e8692.
Hassoun, A.E.R., Bantelman, A., Canu, D.M., Comeau, S., Galdies, C. et al., 2022. Ocean Acidification Research in the Mediterranean Sea: Status, Trends and Next Steps, Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 892670.
Hermoso, M. I., Martin, V.Y., Gelcich, S., Stotz, W., Thiel, M., 2020. Exploring diversity and engagement of divers in citizen science: insights for marine management and conservation. Marine Policy, 124, 104316.
Jiménez López, C., 2012. Revalorant la cultura local: el paper del coneixement ecològic local per entendre l’evolució de les comunitats marines a les Illes Medes. MSc Thesis. University of Barcelona, Spain, 108 pp.
Kiparissis, S., Fakiris, E., Papatheodorou, G., Geraga, M., Kornaros, M. et al., 2011. Illegal trawling and induced invasive algal spread as collaborative factors in a Posidonia oceanica meadow degradation. Biological Invasions 13, 669-678. L
ejeusne, C., Chevaldonné, P., Pergent-Martini, C., Boudouresque, C.F., Pérez, T., 2010. Climate change effects on a miniature ocean: the highly diverse, highly impacted Mediterranean Sea. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25 (4), 250-260.
Linares, C., Rovira, G., Cabrito, A., Aspillaga, E., Capdevila, P. et al., 2018. Seguiment de les poblacions de corall vermell al Parc Natural de Cap de Creus i al Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter. p. 71-94. In: Seguiment del medi marí al Parc Natural del Cap de Creus i al Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter. Memòria 2017. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat. Direcció General de Polítiques Ambientals i Medi Natural.
Mallo, M., Ziveri, P., Reyes-García, V., Rossi, S, 2019. Historical record of Corallium rubrum and its changing carbon sequestration capacity: a meta-analysis from the North Western Mediterranean. PLoS One, 14 (12), 1-20.
Maluquer, J., 1917. Instruccions per a la recol•lecció, preparació i conservació d’animals marins. Musei Barcinonensis Scientiarum Naturalium Opera, 1, 1-55. Marbà, N., Díaz-Almela, E., Duarte, C.M., 2014. Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) loss between 1842 and 2009. Biological Conservation, 176, 183-190.
Marrocco, V., Zangaro, F., Sicuro, A., Pinna, M., 2019. A scaling down mapping of Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758) through the combination of scientific literature, NATURA 2000, grey literature and citizen science data. Nature Conservation, 33, 21-31.
Newcomer, K.E., Hatry, H.P., Wholey, J. S., 2015. Conducting semi-structured interviews. Handbook of practical program evaluation, 492.
Pergent, G., Bazairi, H., Bianchi, C.N., Boudouresque, C.F., Buia, M.C. et al., 2014. Climate change and Mediterranean seagrass meadows: a synopsis for environmental managers. Mediterranean Marine Science, 15 (2), 462-473.
Picciano, M., Ferrier-Pagès, C., 2007. Ingestion of pico- and nanoplankton by the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum. Marine Biology, 150, 773-782.
Pons, J., 1989. Coralls i corallers a la costa gironina. In: Revista de Girona, p. 55-60.
Rodrigues, L.C., van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., Loureiro, M.L., Nunes, P.A.L.D., Rossi, S., 2015. The cost of Mediterranean Sea warming and acidification: a choice experiment among scuba divers at Medes Islands, Spain. Environmental and Resource Economics, 63, 289-311.
Romero, J., Pérez, M., Ricart, A.M., Sanmartí, N., Mariani, S., 2016. Seguiment de les praderies de posidònia i de les poblacions de nacres. p. 123-172. In: Seguiment del medi marí al Parc Natural de Cap de Creus i del Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter. Memòria 2016. Hereu, B., Aspillaga, E., Atienza, I., Burgués, I., Capdevila, P., et al. (Eds). Departament d‘Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca, Alimentació i Medi Natural. Servei d’Espais Naturals Protegits. Generalitat de Catalunya.
Romero, J., Pérez, M., Sanmartí, N., Rovira, G., Mascaró, O., 2020. Seguiment de les praderies de posidònia i de les poblacions de nacres. p. 109-192. In: Seguiment del medi marí al Parc Natural de Cap de Creus i al Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter. Memòria 2020. Hereu, B., Aspillaga, E., Casals, D., Ortega, J., Pérez, M., et al. (Eds). Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat. Direcció General de Polítiques Ambientals.
Rossi, S., 2019. Historical ecology, understanding the present panorama using past scenarios. Biologia Marina Mediterranea, 26 (1), 203-211.
Rossi, S., Rizzo, L., 2020. Marine animal forests as carbon immobilizers or why we should preserve these three-dimensional alive structures. p. 333-400. In: Perspectives on the Marine Animal Forests. Rossi, S., Bramanti, L. (Eds). Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Telesca, L., Belluscio, A., Criscoli, A., Ardizzone, G., Apostolaki, E.T. et al., 2015. Seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) distribution and trajectories of change. Scientific Reports, 5 (1), 114.
Thurstan, R.H., Pandolfi, J.M., zu Ermgassen, P.S.E., 2015. Animal forests through time: historical data to understand present changes in marine ecosystems. Marine Animal Forests: The ecology of benthic biodiversity hotspots, 947-964.
Tsounis, G., Rossi, S., Gili, J.M., Arntz, W., 2006. Population structure of an exploited benthic cnidarian: the case study of red coral (Corallium rubrum L.). Marine Biology, 149, 1059-1070.
Turicchia, E., Cerrano, C., Ghetta, M., Abbiati, M., Ponti, M., 2021. MedSens index: the bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management. Ecological Indicators, 122, 1-9.
Vielmini, I., Bramanti, L., Tsounis, G., Rossi, S., Gili, J.M. et al., 2010. Determination of Corallium rubrum population age structure. p. 179-182. In: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Red Coral Science, Management, and Trade: lessons from the Mediterranean. Bussoletti, E, Cottingham, D., Bruckner, A., Roberts, G., Sandulli R. (Eds). NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP-13, Naples, Italy: Silver Spring, MD.
Zorrilla-Pujana, J., 2020. Advances in the marine animal forests scientific outreach and citizen science. p. 515-530. In: Perspectives on the Marine Animal Forests of the World. Rossi, S., Bramanti L. (Eds). Springer Nature Switzerland, AG.
Most read articles by the same author(s)