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Coppari M, Roveta C, Di Camillo C, Garrabou J, Lucrezi S, Pulido Mantas T, Cerrano C. The pillars of the sea: strategies to achieve successful marine citizen science programs in the Mediterranean area. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:100. [PMID: 39030490 PMCID: PMC11264785 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02289-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Marine ecosystems are facing a dramatic loss of biodiversity worldwide, together with a widespread collapse of habitats and their functionality. In this context, Marine Citizen Science (MCS) can be a powerful tool to monitor these changes over time. The flowering of very well-structured international projects is strengthening the scientific credibility of MCS data, especially when data are collected after specifically designed training programs and shared in public user-friendly repositories. Here we present a new perspective on the use of MCS in the Mediterranean area, along with the main benefits for the stakeholders (i.e., diving centers, trainers, and policymakers) and the users (i.e., divers), resumed in three pillars: Pillar I - MCS as a tool for the site valorization; Pillar II - MCS as a new career opportunity for graduated students; Pillar III - MCS as a business opportunity for diving centers. In the frame of the Quintuple Helix Approach, for which there is a strong need of a socioecological transition of the society and economy, we show how MCS can be a win-win-win solution for all the actors involved, providing the vision for new and highly qualified job and business opportunities for the diving sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Coppari
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche s.n.c, Ancona, 60131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Camilla Roveta
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche s.n.c, Ancona, 60131, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy.
| | - Cristina Di Camillo
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche s.n.c, Ancona, 60131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Joaquim Garrabou
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - Serena Lucrezi
- Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES), North-West University, 11 Hoffman Street, Potchefstroom, 2531, South Africa
| | - Torcuato Pulido Mantas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche s.n.c, Ancona, 60131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Carlo Cerrano
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche s.n.c, Ancona, 60131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Via Francesco Caracciolo s.n.c, Napoli, 80122, Italy
- Fano Marine Center, Viale Adriatico 1, Pesaro-Urbino, 61032, Fano, Italy
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Kytinou E, Issaris Y, Sini M, Salomidi M, Katsanevakis S. ECOfast - An integrative ecological evaluation index for an ecosystem-based assessment of shallow rocky reefs. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 344:118323. [PMID: 37354588 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
The degradation of marine ecosystems is a growing concern worldwide, emphasizing the need for efficient tools to assess their ecological status. Herein, a novel ecosystem-based ecological evaluation index of shallow rocky reefs is introduced and tested in the Aegean and Ionian Seas (NE Mediterranean). The index focuses on a specific set of pre-selected species, including habitat-forming, key, commercially important, and non-indigenous species, across a wide range of trophic levels (1.00-4.53). Data acquisition is conducted through rapid non-destructive SCUBA diving surveys to assess all macroscopic food web components (macroalgae, invertebrates, and fish). Two versions of the index, ECOfast and ECOfast-NIS, were developed, each applying a different approach to account for the impact of non-indigenous species. In our case study, the correlations between the two versions of the index and sea surface temperature, protection status, occurrence of carnivorous fish, and non-indigenous herbivores were assessed through generalized additive models (GAMs). The assessment assigned 93% (ECOfast) or 96% (ECOfast-NIS) of the sites to a moderate to bad ecological status, indicating an alarming situation in the shallow rocky reefs of the NE Mediterranean. Sites evaluated as poor or bad were characterized by extensive coverage of ephemeral macroalgae, absence or minimal presence of large indigenous carnivorous fish, and complete absence of one to three out of five invertebrate functional trophic groups. The community composition of macroalgae, herbivorous species, and carnivorous fishes differed between the 5 m and 15 m depth zones. Surface temperature and carnivorous fish occurrence were the most important tested predictors of the ecological status of shallow rocky reefs. The best GAMs showed that the ECOfast score declined with sea surface temperature and increased with the occurrence of carnivorous fish; ECOfast-NIS declined with sea surface temperature and the occurrence of non-indigenous fish and increased with the occurrence of carnivorous fish. The non-destructive and integrative nature of this approach, its speed of data acquisition and analysis, and its capacity to account for highly mobile predatory fish and non-indigenous species render the ECOfast index a novel, robust, and valuable tool for assessing the ecological status of shallow rocky reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Kytinou
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Lofos Panepistimiou, 81100, Mytilene, Greece; Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens Sounio Ave., 19013, Anavyssos, Greece.
| | - Yiannis Issaris
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens Sounio Ave., 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Maria Sini
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Lofos Panepistimiou, 81100, Mytilene, Greece
| | - Maria Salomidi
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 46.7 km Athens Sounio Ave., 19013, Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Stelios Katsanevakis
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Lofos Panepistimiou, 81100, Mytilene, Greece
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From Plates to Baits: Using a Remote Video Foraging System to Study the Impact of Foraging on Fouling Non-Indigenous Species. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse10050611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Marinas are a gateway for the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS). In these habitats, competition and predation are crucial determinants for NIS establishment and invasiveness. However, fish trophic preferences and biotic effects inside marinas are poorly known. This study proposes a novel method that combines the deployment of settlement plates to recruit different assemblages, followed by their use as bait in remote underwater video systems. This combined approach, addressed as a remote video foraging system (RVFS), can record fish foraging behaviour, including feeding choices and their impacts on fouling assemblage composition. An experimental RVFS trial carried out in a marina of Madeira Island, Portugal (NE Atlantic), identified the Mediterranean parrotfish, Sparisoma cretense, as the most important fouling grazer in the area. S. cretense behaved as a generalist and increased the heterogeneity of fouling assemblages, which can hamper NIS dominance of the fouling and reduce the pressure of propagules from the marina to the natural environment. The RVFS tool was useful to understand the trophic links between foragers and fouling and has the potential to provide relevant information for the management of NIS introductions, establishment and spread.
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Bada N, Da Ros Z, Rindi F, Busi S, Azzurro E, Derbal F, Fanelli E. Seasonal trophic ecology of the invasive crab Percnon gibbesi (Brachyura, Plagusiidae) in the southwestern mediterranean: Insights from stomach contents and stable isotope analyses. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 173:105513. [PMID: 34763316 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The invasive sally lightfoot crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) has spread among the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, including the coasts of Annaba Gulf (Algeria). Investigating the trophic position of the species and looking for the seasonal variations in the diet of this alien decapod was the aim of this study. To do this, samples of P. gibbesi were collected along Annaba coasts within a year. The traditional stomach content analysis (SCA) was integrated to the stable isotope analysis (SIA) of nitrogen and carbon to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the feeding ecology of P. gibbesi, and its within-year variability. Results highlighted, for the first time, significant seasonal variation in P. gibbesi diet, improving our understanding of its trophic plasticity and potential dietary overlaps with other herbivore species. Its feeding plasticity is an asset in the successful expansion of its distribution. Relating its diet composition through the different seasons with the interactions with native herbivores will be essential to fully appreciate the impact of the spread of P. gibbesi in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Bada
- Laboratory of Marine Bioresources, Department Marine Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Badji- Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria
| | - Z Da Ros
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - F Rindi
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy
| | - S Busi
- ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Via M.M. Sole 4, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - E Azzurro
- National Research Council - Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (CNR-IRBIM), Largo Fiera della Pesca, 60125, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy
| | - F Derbal
- Laboratory of Marine Bioresources, Department Marine Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Badji- Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria
| | - E Fanelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy; Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy.
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Trophic ecology of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus as an invasive non-native species in the Aegean Sea. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02506-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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