Coralligenous cliffs: distribution and extent along the Tuscany coasts and spatial variability of the associated assemblages


Δημοσιευμένα: июн. 21, 2023
LUIGI PIAZZI
ENRICO CECCHI
MARIA FRANCESCA CINTI
GIACOMO MARINO
ANDREA NICASTRO
LORENZO PACCIARDI
MARCO PERTUSATI
MICHELA RIA
ANNA MARIA DE BIASI
Περίληψη

Coralligenous reefs are the main biogenic constructions of the Mediterranean Sea. The two main coralligenous morphologies are cliffs and platforms. Coralligenous cliffs mostly develop in shallower waters (about 20-50 m) on vertical/sub vertical rocky substrates. Coralligenous platforms are mostly distributed on horizontal substrates below 40-50 m depth on detritic bottoms and rocky outcrops of the continental shelf. The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of coralligenous cliffs through the assessment of their distribution and extent in a wide geographic zone of northwestern Mediterranean Sea, focusing on the structure and the spatial variability of the associated assemblages. To achieve these objectives, coralligenous cliffs of Tuscany coasts were mapped through Multibeam and Remotely Operated Vehicles. The area of coralligenous cliffs was also manually calculated for each study site using linear extent and bathymetric range of the habitat. In addition, the structure of the associated assemblages was investigated by a multifactorial sampling design taking into account spatial scales ranging from meters to tens of kilometres. Coralligenous cliffs were present in all the study sites, with a linear extent of about 20% of Tuscany’s rocky coastline and an area of about 20% of the Tuscan coralligenous reefs. The difference between data manually calculated and those obtained by Quantum- GIS software was about 33% of the total area. A continental-to-island gradient and a latitudinal gradient were the main factors driving the structure of the associated assemblages. Results highlighted that coralligenous cliffs represent a considerable part of circalittoral biogenic habitat, suggesting that their relevance may be greater than what normally emerges from seabed mapping and that they should be considered separately in monitoring programs, impact assessment studies and management plans.

Λεπτομέρειες άρθρου
  • Ενότητα
  • Research Article
Λήψεις
Τα δεδομένα λήψης δεν είναι ακόμη διαθέσιμα.
Αναφορές
Anderson, M.J., 2001. A new method for a non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology, 26, 32-46.
Anderson, M.J., Robinson, J., 2003. Generalized discriminant analysis based on distances. New Zealand Journal of Statistics, 45, 301-318.
Balata, D., Piazzi, L., Cecchi, E., Cinelli, F., 2005. Variability of Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages subject to local variation in sediment deposition. Marine Environmental Research, 60, 403-421.
Balata, D., Piazzi, L., Rindi, F., 2011. Testing a new classification of morphological functional groups of marine macroalgae for the detection or responses to disturbance. Marine Biology, 158, 2459-2469.
Ballesteros, E., 2006. Mediterranean Coralligenous assemblages: a synthesis of present knowledge. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, 44, 123-195.
Betti, F., Bavestrello, G., Bo, M., Ravanetti, G., Enrichetti, F. et al., 2020. Evidences of fishing impact on the coastal gorgonian forests inside the Portofino MPA (NW Mediterranean Sea). Ocean and Coastal Management, 187, 105105.
Cánovas-Molina, A., Montefalcone, M., Bavestrello, G., Cau, A., Bianchi, C.N. et al., 2016. A new ecological index for the status of mesophotic megabenthic assemblages in the Mediterranean based on ROV photography and video footage. Continental Shelf Research, 121, 13-20.
Casas-Güell, E., Teixidó, N., Garrabou, J., Cebrian, E., 2015. Structure and biodiversity of coralligenous assemblages over broad spatial and temporal scales. Marine Biology, 162, 901-912.
Casas-Guëll, E., Cebrian, E., Garrabou, J., Ledoux, J.B., Linares, C. et al., 2016. Structure and biodiversity of coralligenous assemblages dominated by the precious red coral Corallium rubrum over broad spatial scales. Scientific Reports, 6, 36535.
Casoli, E., Nicoletti, L., Mastrantonio, G., Jona-Lasinio, G., Belluscio, A. et al., 2017. Scuba diving damage on coralligenous builders: bryozoan species as an indicator of stress. Ecological Indicators, 74, 441-450.
Casoli, E., Piazzi, L., Nicoletti, L., Jona-Lasinio, G., Cecchi, E. et al., 2020. Ecology, distribution and demography of erect bryozoans in Mediterranean coralligenous reefs. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 235, 106573.
Casoli, E., Ventura, D., Mancini, G., Pace, D.S., Belluscio, A. et al., 2021. High spatial resolution photo mosaicking for the monitoring of coralligenous reefs. Coral Reefs, 40, 1267-1280.
Ceccherelli, G., Pinna, F., Pansini, A., Piazzi, L., La Manna, G., 2020. The constraint of ignoring the subtidal water climatology in evaluating the changes of coralligenous reefs due to heating events. Scientific Reports, 10, 17332.
Cerrano, C., Bavestrello, G., Bianchi, C.N., Cattaneo-Vietti, R., Bava, S. et al., 2000. A catastrophic mass-mortality episode of gorgonians and other organisms in the Ligurian Sea (Northwestern Mediterranean), summer 1999. Ecological Letters, 3, 284-293.
Chimienti, G., Stithou, M., Dalle Mura, I., Mastrototaro, F., D’onghia, G. et al., 2017. An explorative assessment of the importance of Mediterranean coralligenous habitat to local economy: the case of recreational diving. Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management, 5, 315-325.
Cocito, S., 2004. Bioconstruction and biodiversity: their mutual influence. Scientia Marina, 68, 137-144.
De Falco, G., Conforti, A., Brambilla, W., Budillon, F., Ceccherelli, G. et al., 2021. Mapping of coralligenous banks along the western and northern continental shelf of Sardinia Island (Mediterranean Sea). Journal of Maps, 18, 200-209.
Deter, J., Descamp, P., Ballesta, L., Boissery, P., Holon, F., 2012. A preliminary study toward an index based on coralligenous assemblages for the ecological status assessment of Mediterranean French coastal waters. Ecological Indicators, 20, 345-352.
Doxa, A., Holon, F., Deter, J., Villéger, S., Boissery, P. et al., 2016. Mapping biodiversity in three-dimensions challenges marine conservation strategies: The example of coralligenous assemblages in North-Western Mediterranean Sea. Ecological Indicators, 61, 1042-1054.
EU, 1992. Council Directive 92/43/EEC (Habitat Directive) of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. As amended by the Accession Act of Austria, Finland and Sweden. Official Journal of the European Commission L 1, 1-135.
EU, 2008. Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 17 June 2008, establishing a framework for Community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive). Official Journal of the European Commission L 164, 19-40.
Enrichetti, F., Bo, M., Morri, C., Montefalcone, M., Toma, M. et al., 2019. Assessing the environmental status of temperate mesophotic reefs: a new, integrated methodological approach. Ecological Indicators, 102, 218-229.
Ferrigno, F., Russo, G.F., Sandulli, R., 2017. Coralligenous bioconstructions Quality Index (CBQI): a synthetic indicator to assess the status of different types of coralligenous habitats. Ecological Indicators, 82, 271-279.
Ferrigno, F., Russo, G.F., Semprucci, F., Sandulli, R., 2018. Unveiling the state of some underexplored deep coralligenous banks in the Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea, Italy). Regional Studies in Marine Science, 22, 82-92.
Garrabou, J., Gómez‐Gras, D., Medrano, A., Cerrano, C., Ponti, M. et al., 2022. Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea. Global Change Biology 28, 5708-5725.
Gatti, G., Bianchi, C.N., Parravicini, V., Rovere, A., Peirano, A. et al., 2015a. Ecological change, sliding baselines and the importance of historical data: lessons from combining observational and quantitative data on a temperate reef over 70 years. PLoS ONE, 10, e0118581.
Gatti, G., Bianchi, C.N., Morri, C., Montefalcone, M., Sartoretto, S., 2015b. Coralligenous reefs state along anthropized coasts: application and validation of the COARSE index, based on a rapid visual assessment (RVA) approach. Ecological Indicators, 52, 567-576.
Gori, A., Bavestrello, G., Grinyó, J., Dominguez-Carrio, C., Ambroso, S. et al., 2017. Animal Forests in deep coastal bottoms and continental shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. p. 207-233. In: Marine Animal Forests. Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., Orejas, C. (Eds). Springer, Cham .
Holon, F., Boissery, P., Deter, J., 2014. Environmental factors explaining taxonomic heterogeneity of coralligenous outcrops across France (northwestern Mediterranean). p. 78- 83. In: 2nd Mediterranean Symposium on the conservation of Coralligenous & other Calcareous Bio-Concretions, Portorož, 29-30 October 2014. UNEP-RAC/SPA, Slovenia.
Holon, F., Mouquet, N., Boissery, P., Bouchoucha, M., Delaruelle, G. et al., 2015. Fine-scale cartography of human impacts along French Mediterranean Coasts: a relevant map for the management of marine ecosystems. PloS ONE, 10 (8), e0135473.
Montefalcone, M., Morri, C., Bianchi, C.N., Bavestrello, G., Piazzi, L., 2017. The two facets of species sensitivity: stress and disturbance on coralligenous assemblages in space and time. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 117, 229-238.
Montefalcone, M., Tunesi, L., Ouerghi, A., 2021. A review of the classification systems for marine benthic habitats and the new updated Barcelona Convention classification for the Mediterranean. Marine Environmental Research, 169, 105387.
Paoli, C., Montefalcone, M., Morri, C., Vassallo, P., Bianchi, C.N., 2017. Ecosystem functions and services of the marine animal forests. p. 1271-1312. In: Marine Animal Forests. Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., Orejas, C. (Eds). Springer, Cham.
Piazzi, L., Balata, D., Pertusati, M., Cinelli, F., 2004. Spatial and temporal variability of Mediterranean macroalgal coralligenous assemblages in relation to habitat and substratum inclination. Botanica Marina, 47, 105-115.
Piazzi, L., Gennaro, P., Balata, D., 2011. Effects of nutrient enrichment on macroalgal coralligenous assemblages. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62, 1830-1835.
Piazzi, L., Gennaro, P., Balata, D., 2012. Threats to macroalgal coralligenous assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 64, 2623-2629.
Piazzi, L., La Manna, G., Cecchi, E., Serena, F., Ceccherelli, G., 2016. Protection changes the relevancy of scales of variability in coralligenous assemblages. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 175, 62-69.
Piazzi, L., Atzori, F., Cadoni, N., Cinti, M.F., Frau, F. et al., 2018. Benthic mucilage blooms threaten coralligenous reefs. Marine Environmental Research, 140, 145-151.
Piazzi, L., Gennaro, P., Montefalcone, M., Bianchi, C.N., Cecchi, E. et al., 2019a. STAR: an integrated and standardized procedure to evaluate the ecological status of coralligenous reefs. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 29, 189-201.
Piazzi, L., Kaleb, S., Ceccherelli, G., Montefalcone, M., Falace, A., 2019b. Deep coralligenous outcrops of the Apulian continental shelf: biodiversity and spatial variability of sediment- regulated assemblages. Continental Shelf Research, 172, 50-56.
Piazzi, L., Cecchi, E., Cinti, M.F., Stipcich, P., Ceccherelli, G., 2019c. Impact assessment of fish cages on coralligenous reefs: an opportunity to use the STAR sampling procedure. Mediterranean Marine Science, 20, 627-635.
Piazzi, L., Gennaro, P., Cecchi, E., Bianchi, C.N., Cinti, F. et al., 2021a. Ecological Status of Coralligenous Assemblages: ten years of application of the ESCA index from local to wide scale validation. Ecological Indicators, 121, 107077.
Piazzi, L., Cecchi, E., Cinti, F., Ceccherelli, G., 2021b. Extreme events and conservation of subtidal habitats: Effects of a rainfall flood on coralligenous reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 165, 112106.
Piazzi, L., Cinti, M.F., Guala, I., Grech, D., La Manna, G. et al., 2021c. Variations in coralligenous assemblages from local to biogeographic spatial scale. Marine Environmental Research, 169, 105375.
Piazzi, L., Pinna, F., Ceccherelli, G., 2022a. Crustose coralline algae and biodiversity enhancement: The role of Lithophyllum stictiforme in structuring Mediterranean coralligenous reefs. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 278, 108121.
Piazzi, L., Ferrigno, F., Guala, I., Cinti, M.F., Conforti, A. et al., 2022b. Inconsistency in community structure and ecological quality between platform and cliff coralligenous assemblages. Ecological Indicators, 136, 108657.
Pinna, F., Piazzi, L., Cinti, M.F., Pansini, A., Stipcich, P. et al., 2021. Vertical variation of coralligenous cliff assemblages in marine biogeographic areas. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 261, 107554.
Ponti, M., Fava, F., Abbiati, M., 2011. Spatial-temporal variability of epibenthic assemblages on subtidal biogenic reefs in the northern Adriatic Sea. Marine Biology, 158, 1447-1459.
Ponti, M., Perlini, R.A., Ventra, V., Grech, D., Abbiati, M. et al., 2014. Ecological shifts in Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages related to gorgonian forest loss. PloS ONE, 9, e102782.
Sartoretto, S., Schohn, T., Bianchi, C.N., Morri, C., Garrabou, J. et al., 2017. An integrated method to evaluate and monitor the conservation state of coralligenous habitats: the INDEX-COR approach. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 120, 222-231.
Thierry de Ville d’Avray, L., Ami, D., Chenuil, A., David, R., Féral, J.-P., 2019. Application of the ecosystem service concept at a small-scale: The cases of coralligenous habitats in the North-western Mediterranean Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 138, 160-170.
Tribot, A.S., Mouquet, N., Villéger, S., Raymond, M., Hoff, F. et al., 2016. Taxonomic and functional diversity increase the aesthetic value of coralligenous reefs. Scientific Reports, 6, 34229.
UNEP/MAP, 2017. Action plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea. UN Environment/MAP Athens,20 pp.
UNEP/MAP, 2019. Monitoring protocols for IMAP Common Indicators related to biodiversity and non-indigenous species( WG.467/16). UNEP/MAP Athens, 293 pp.
UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC, 2021. Interpretation manual of the reference list of marine habitat types in the Mediterranean of the Barcelona Convention. UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC Tunis, 426 pp.
Vassallo, P., Bianchi, C.N., Paoli, C., Holon, F., Navone, A. et al., 2018. A predictive approach to benthic marine habitat mapping: Efficacy and management implications. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 31, 218-232.
Verdura, J., Linares, C., Ballesteros, E., Coma, R., Uriz, M.J. et al., 2019. Biodiversity loss in a Mediterranean ecosystem due to an extreme warming event unveils the role of an engineering gorgonian species. Scientific Reports, 9, 5911.
Zapata-Ramírez, P.A., Scaradozzi, D., Sorbi, L., Palma, M., Pantaleo, U. et al., 2013. Innovative study methods for the Mediterranean coralligenous habitats. Advances in Oceanography and Limnology, 4, 102-119.
Τα περισσότερο διαβασμένα άρθρα του ίδιου συγγραφέα(s)