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Hughes A, Auliya M, Altherr S, Scheffers B, Janssen J, Nijman V, Shepherd CR, D'Cruze N, Sy E, Edwards DP. Determining the sustainability of legal wildlife trade. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 341:117987. [PMID: 37178541 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Exploitation of wildlife represents one of the greatest threats to species survival according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Whilst detrimental impacts of illegal trade are well recognised, legal trade is often equated to being sustainable despite the lack of evidence or data in the majority of cases. We review the sustainability of wildlife trade, the adequacy of tools, safeguards, and frameworks to understand and regulate trade, and identify gaps in data that undermine our ability to truly understand the sustainability of trade. We provide 183 examples showing unsustainable trade in a broad range of taxonomic groups. In most cases, neither illegal nor legal trade are supported by rigorous evidence of sustainability, with the lack of data on export levels and population monitoring data precluding true assessments of species or population-level impacts. We propose a more precautionary approach to wildlife trade and monitoring that requires those who profit from trade to provide proof of sustainability. We then identify four core areas that must be strengthened to achieve this goal: (1) rigorous data collection and analyses of populations; (2) linking trade quotas to IUCN and international accords; (3) improved databases and compliance of trade; and (4) enhanced understanding of trade bans, market forces, and species substitutions. Enacting these core areas in regulatory frameworks, including CITES, is essential to the continued survival of many threatened species. There are no winners from unsustainable collection and trade: without sustainable management not only will species or populations become extinct, but communities dependent upon these species will lose livelihoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, China.
| | - Mark Auliya
- Department of Herpetology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Brett Scheffers
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jordi Janssen
- Monitor Conservation Research Society, PO BOX 200, Big Lake Ranch, BC, V0L 1G0, Canada
| | - Vincent Nijman
- Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.
| | - Chris R Shepherd
- Monitor Conservation Research Society, PO BOX 200, Big Lake Ranch, BC, V0L 1G0, Canada
| | - Neil D'Cruze
- The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tubney, UK; World Animal Protection, 222 Greys Inn Road, London, WC1X 8HB, UK
| | - Emerson Sy
- Philippine Center for Terrestrial & Aquatic Research, Manila, Philippines
| | - David P Edwards
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.
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2
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Ng MS, Teo A, Todd PA. Sediment trap height affects mass, particle size, and biogeochemical composition of material collected in an equatorial coral reef. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 183:114086. [PMID: 36108527 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114086] [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: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic sedimentation is a major contributor to the worldwide decline in coral cover. Resuspension of benthic material can exacerbate the threat to corals, but evidence of vertical sediment gradients is limited. Here, we installed sediment traps at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm above the substrate at three equatorial reef sites for three months and determined the dry mass, particle size, and biogeochemical composition of the material collected. As the trap mouth height increased from 10 to 50 cm, dry mass decreased as sediments became finer, poorer in carbonate, and richer in silicate. Despite among-site differences in collected sediment, this vertical gradient was present in all trap arrays, likely driven by resuspension mechanisms on seabed sediments. These results have implications for coral vertical ecology and underline the importance of standardising sediment collection protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Sheng Ng
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Aaron Teo
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Peter A Todd
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore.
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3
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Mammola S, Meierhofer MB, Borges PA, Colado R, Culver DC, Deharveng L, Delić T, Di Lorenzo T, Dražina T, Ferreira RL, Fiasca B, Fišer C, Galassi DMP, Garzoli L, Gerovasileiou V, Griebler C, Halse S, Howarth FG, Isaia M, Johnson JS, Komerički A, Martínez A, Milano F, Moldovan OT, Nanni V, Nicolosi G, Niemiller ML, Pallarés S, Pavlek M, Piano E, Pipan T, Sanchez‐Fernandez D, Santangeli A, Schmidt SI, Wynne JJ, Zagmajster M, Zakšek V, Cardoso P. Towards evidence-based conservation of subterranean ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1476-1510. [PMID: 35315207 PMCID: PMC9545027 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Subterranean ecosystems are among the most widespread environments on Earth, yet we still have poor knowledge of their biodiversity. To raise awareness of subterranean ecosystems, the essential services they provide, and their unique conservation challenges, 2021 and 2022 were designated International Years of Caves and Karst. As these ecosystems have traditionally been overlooked in global conservation agendas and multilateral agreements, a quantitative assessment of solution-based approaches to safeguard subterranean biota and associated habitats is timely. This assessment allows researchers and practitioners to understand the progress made and research needs in subterranean ecology and management. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature focused on subterranean ecosystems globally (terrestrial, freshwater, and saltwater systems), to quantify the available evidence-base for the effectiveness of conservation interventions. We selected 708 publications from the years 1964 to 2021 that discussed, recommended, or implemented 1,954 conservation interventions in subterranean ecosystems. We noted a steep increase in the number of studies from the 2000s while, surprisingly, the proportion of studies quantifying the impact of conservation interventions has steadily and significantly decreased in recent years. The effectiveness of 31% of conservation interventions has been tested statistically. We further highlight that 64% of the reported research occurred in the Palearctic and Nearctic biogeographic regions. Assessments of the effectiveness of conservation interventions were heavily biased towards indirect measures (monitoring and risk assessment), a limited sample of organisms (mostly arthropods and bats), and more accessible systems (terrestrial caves). Our results indicate that most conservation science in the field of subterranean biology does not apply a rigorous quantitative approach, resulting in sparse evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. This raises the important question of how to make conservation efforts more feasible to implement, cost-effective, and long-lasting. Although there is no single remedy, we propose a suite of potential solutions to focus our efforts better towards increasing statistical testing and stress the importance of standardising study reporting to facilitate meta-analytical exercises. We also provide a database summarising the available literature, which will help to build quantitative knowledge about interventions likely to yield the greatest impacts depending upon the subterranean species and habitats of interest. We view this as a starting point to shift away from the widespread tendency of recommending conservation interventions based on anecdotal and expert-based information rather than scientific evidence, without quantitatively testing their effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Mammola
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe)Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of HelsinkiPohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13Helsinki00100Finland
- Molecular Ecology Group (dark‐MEG)Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council (CNR)Largo Tonolli, 50Verbania‐Pallanza28922Italy
| | - Melissa B. Meierhofer
- BatLab Finland, Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus (LUOMUS)University of HelsinkiPohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13Helsinki00100Finland
| | - Paulo A.V. Borges
- cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group / CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of Azores, Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Environment (FCAA), Rua Capitão João d'ÀvilaPico da Urze, 9700‐042 Angra do HeroísmoAzoresPortugal
| | - Raquel Colado
- Departament of Ecology and HidrologyUniversity of MurciaMurcia30100Spain
| | - David C. Culver
- Department of Environmental ScienceAmerican University4400 Massachusetts Avenue, N.WWashingtonDC20016U.S.A.
| | - Louis Deharveng
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), CNRS UMR 7205, MNHN, UPMC, EPHEMuseum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Teo Delić
- SubBio Lab, Department of Biology, Biotechnical FacultyUniversity of LjubljanaJamnikarjeva 101Ljubljana1000Slovenia
| | - Tiziana Di Lorenzo
- Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET‐CNR), National Research CouncilVia Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto FiorentinoFlorenceItaly
| | - Tvrtko Dražina
- Division of Zoology, Department of BiologyFaculty of Science, University of ZagrebRooseveltov Trg 6Zagreb10000Croatia
- Croatian Biospeleological SocietyRooseveltov Trg 6Zagreb10000Croatia
| | - Rodrigo L. Ferreira
- Center of Studies in Subterranean Biology, Biology Department, Federal University of LavrasCampus universitário s/n, Aquenta SolLavrasMG37200‐900Brazil
| | - Barbara Fiasca
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental SciencesUniversity of L'AquilaVia Vetoio 1, CoppitoL'Aquila67100Italy
| | - Cene Fišer
- SubBio Lab, Department of Biology, Biotechnical FacultyUniversity of LjubljanaJamnikarjeva 101Ljubljana1000Slovenia
| | - Diana M. P. Galassi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental SciencesUniversity of L'AquilaVia Vetoio 1, CoppitoL'Aquila67100Italy
| | - Laura Garzoli
- Molecular Ecology Group (dark‐MEG)Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council (CNR)Largo Tonolli, 50Verbania‐Pallanza28922Italy
| | - Vasilis Gerovasileiou
- Department of Environment, Faculty of EnvironmentIonian University, M. Minotou‐Giannopoulou strPanagoulaZakynthos29100Greece
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Institute of Marine BiologyBiotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC)Thalassocosmos, GournesCrete71500Greece
| | - Christian Griebler
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Division of LimnologyUniversity of ViennaDjerassiplatz 1Vienna1030Austria
| | - Stuart Halse
- Bennelongia Environmental Consultants5 Bishop StreetJolimontWA6014Australia
| | | | - Marco Isaia
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems BiologyUniversity of TurinVia Accademia Albertina, 13TorinoI‐10123Italy
| | - Joseph S. Johnson
- Department of Biological SciencesOhio University57 Oxbow TrailAthensOH45701U.S.A.
| | - Ana Komerički
- Croatian Biospeleological SocietyRooseveltov Trg 6Zagreb10000Croatia
| | - Alejandro Martínez
- Molecular Ecology Group (dark‐MEG)Water Research Institute (IRSA), National Research Council (CNR)Largo Tonolli, 50Verbania‐Pallanza28922Italy
| | - Filippo Milano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems BiologyUniversity of TurinVia Accademia Albertina, 13TorinoI‐10123Italy
| | - Oana T. Moldovan
- Emil Racovita Institute of SpeleologyClinicilor 5Cluj‐Napoca400006Romania
- Romanian Institute of Science and TechnologySaturn 24‐26Cluj‐Napoca400504Romania
| | - Veronica Nanni
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems BiologyUniversity of TurinVia Accademia Albertina, 13TorinoI‐10123Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nicolosi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems BiologyUniversity of TurinVia Accademia Albertina, 13TorinoI‐10123Italy
| | - Matthew L. Niemiller
- Department of Biological SciencesThe University of Alabama in Huntsville301 Sparkman Drive NWHuntsvilleAL35899U.S.A.
| | - Susana Pallarés
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio GlobalMuseo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSICCalle de José Gutiérrez Abascal 2Madrid28006Spain
| | - Martina Pavlek
- Croatian Biospeleological SocietyRooseveltov Trg 6Zagreb10000Croatia
- Ruđer Bošković InstituteBijenička cesta 54Zagreb10000Croatia
| | - Elena Piano
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems BiologyUniversity of TurinVia Accademia Albertina, 13TorinoI‐10123Italy
| | - Tanja Pipan
- ZRC SAZUKarst Research InstituteNovi trg 2Ljubljana1000Slovenia
- UNESCO Chair on Karst EducationUniversity of Nova GoricaGlavni trg 8Vipava5271Slovenia
| | | | - Andrea Santangeli
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeUniversity of HelsinkiViikinkaari 1Helsinki00014Finland
| | - Susanne I. Schmidt
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre CASNa Sádkách 702/7České Budějovice370 05Czech Republic
- Department of Lake ResearchHelmholtz Centre for Environmental ResearchBrückstraße 3aMagdeburg39114Germany
| | - J. Judson Wynne
- Department of Biological SciencesCenter for Adaptable Western Landscapes, Box 5640, Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZ86011U.S.A.
| | - Maja Zagmajster
- SubBio Lab, Department of Biology, Biotechnical FacultyUniversity of LjubljanaJamnikarjeva 101Ljubljana1000Slovenia
| | - Valerija Zakšek
- SubBio Lab, Department of Biology, Biotechnical FacultyUniversity of LjubljanaJamnikarjeva 101Ljubljana1000Slovenia
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe)Finnish Museum of Natural History (LUOMUS), University of HelsinkiPohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13Helsinki00100Finland
- cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group / CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of Azores, Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Environment (FCAA), Rua Capitão João d'ÀvilaPico da Urze, 9700‐042 Angra do HeroísmoAzoresPortugal
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4
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Gómez-Gras D, Linares C, López-Sanz A, Amate R, Ledoux JB, Bensoussan N, Drap P, Bianchimani O, Marschal C, Torrents O, Zuberer F, Cebrian E, Teixidó N, Zabala M, Kipson S, Kersting DK, Montero-Serra I, Pagès-Escolà M, Medrano A, Frleta-Valić M, Dimarchopoulou D, López-Sendino P, Garrabou J. Population collapse of habitat-forming species in the Mediterranean: a long-term study of gorgonian populations affected by recurrent marine heatwaves. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212384. [PMID: 34933599 PMCID: PMC8692971 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the resilience of temperate reefs to climate change requires exploring the recovery capacity of their habitat-forming species from recurrent marine heatwaves (MHWs). Here, we show that, in a Mediterranean highly enforced marine protected area established more than 40 years ago, habitat-forming octocoral populations that were first affected by a severe MHW in 2003 have not recovered after 15 years. Contrarily, they have followed collapse trajectories that have brought them to the brink of local ecological extinction. Since 2003, impacted populations of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) and the red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) have followed different trends in terms of size structure, but a similar progressive reduction in density and biomass. Concurrently, recurrent MHWs were observed in the area during the 2003-2018 study period, which may have hindered populations recovery. The studied octocorals play a unique habitat-forming role in the coralligenous assemblages (i.e. reefs endemic to the Mediterranean Sea home to approximately 10% of its species). Therefore, our results underpin the great risk that recurrent MHWs pose for the long-term integrity and functioning of these emblematic temperate reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Gómez-Gras
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C. Linares
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A. López-Sanz
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - R. Amate
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J. B. Ledoux
- CIIMAR/CIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - N. Bensoussan
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Université de Toulon, Marseille, France
| | - P. Drap
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LIS-UMR, Université de Toulon, Marseille, France
| | | | - C. Marschal
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Marseille, France
- CNRS UMR, DIMAR, Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille, Station Marine d'Endoume, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - O. Torrents
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - F. Zuberer
- Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE), Moorea, Papeete, French Polynesia
| | - E. Cebrian
- GR MAR, Institut d'Ecologia Aquàtica, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
- CEAB-CSIC Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes Blanes, Spain
| | - N. Teixidó
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Ischia Marine Centre, Punta San Pietro, Ischia, Naples, Italy
| | - M. Zabala
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - S. Kipson
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - D. K. Kersting
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - I. Montero-Serra
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M. Pagès-Escolà
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A. Medrano
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M. Frleta-Valić
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - D. Dimarchopoulou
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, College of the Environmentand Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - P. López-Sendino
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J. Garrabou
- Departament de Biologia Marina, Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Université de Toulon, Marseille, France
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5
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Carugati L, Bramanti L, Giordano B, Pittura L, Cannas R, Follesa MC, Pusceddu A, Cau A. Colonization of plastic debris by the long-lived precious red coral Corallium rubrum: New insights on the "plastic benefits" paradox. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 165:112104. [PMID: 33548680 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seafloor macrolitter is ubiquitous in world's oceans; still, huge knowledge gaps exist on its interactions with benthic biota. We report here the colonization of plastic substrates by the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum (L. 1758), occurring both in controlled conditions and in the wild at ca. 85 m depth in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Juveniles settled on seafloor macro-litter, with either arborescent or encrusting morphology, ranging from 0.6 to 3.5 mm in basal diameter and 0.2-7.1 years of age, also including a fraction (20%) of potentially sexually mature individuals. In controlled conditions, larvae settled and survived on plastic substrates for >60 days. Our insights show that marine plastic debris can provide favourable substrate for C. rubrum settlement either in controlled conditions or in the wild, suggesting their possible use in restoration activities. However, we pinpoint here that this potential benefit could result in adverse effects on population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Carugati
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bramanti
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls sur Mer, France
| | - Bruna Giordano
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Observatoire Océanologique, F-66650 Banyuls sur Mer, France
| | - Lucia Pittura
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Rita Cannas
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Follesa
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonio Pusceddu
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cau
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell'ambiente, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Via Tommaso Fiorelli 1, 09126 Cagliari, Italy.
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6
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Lasker HR, Bramanti L, Tsounis G, Edmunds PJ. The rise of octocoral forests on Caribbean reefs. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2020; 87:361-410. [PMID: 33293017 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs throughout the tropics have experienced large declines in the abundance of scleractinian corals over the last few decades, and some reefs are becoming functionally dominated by animal taxa other than scleractinians. This phenomenon is striking on many shallow reefs in the tropical western Atlantic, where arborescent octocorals now are numerically and functionally dominant. Octocorals are one of several taxa that have been overlooked for decades in analyses of coral reef community dynamics, and our understanding of why octocorals are favoured (whereas scleractinians are not) on some modern reefs, and how they will affect the function of future reef communities, is not commensurate with the task of scientifically responding to the coral reef crisis. We summarize the biological and ecological features predisposing octocorals for success under contemporary conditions, and focus on those features that could have generated resistance and resilience of octocoral populations to environmental change on modern reefs. There is a rich set of opportunities for rapid advancement in understanding the factors driving the success of octocorals on modern reefs, but we underscore three lines of inquiry: (1) the functional implications of strongly mixotrophic, polytrophic, and plastic nutrition, (2) the capacity to recruit at high densities and maintain rapid initial rates of vertical growth, and (3) the emergent properties associated with dense animal forests at high colony densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard R Lasker
- Department of Environment and Sustainability and Department of Geology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States.
| | - Lorenzo Bramanti
- CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer, Banyuls sur Mer, France
| | - Georgios Tsounis
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States
| | - Peter J Edmunds
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, CA, United States
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7
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Mallo M, Ziveri P, Reyes-García V, Rossi S. Historical record of Corallium rubrum and its changing carbon sequestration capacity: A meta-analysis from the North Western Mediterranean. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223802. [PMID: 31851690 PMCID: PMC6919573 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is a scarcity of long time-span and geographically wide research on the health status of Corallium rubrum, including limited research on its historical ecology and carbon sequestration capacity. Objectives To reconstruct the temporal trends of the most reported C. rubrum population parameters in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea and to determine the changes in total carbon sequestration by this species. Data sources Quantitative and qualitative, academic and grey documents were collected from scientific web browsers, scientific libraries, and requests to scientists. Study eligibility criteria Documents with original information of basal diameter, height and/or weight per colony, with a depth limit of 60 m in the Catalan and Ligurian Seas were analyzed. Synthesis methods We calculated yearly average values of C. rubrum biometric parameters, as well as estimated total weight, carbon flux, and carbon fixation in the structures of C. rubrum’s colonies. Results In both study areas, the values of the selected morphometric parameters for C. rubrum decreased until the 1990s, then increased from the 2000s, with average values surpassing the levels of the 1960s (Ligurian Sea) or reaching levels slightly lower than those of the 1980s (Catalan Sea). The difference in carbon sequestered between the oldest (1960s: Ligurian Sea; 1970s: Catalan Sea) and the lowest (1990s) biomass value of colonies is nearly double. Limitations Quantitative data previous to the 1990s are very limited. Information on recent recovery trends in C. rubrum parameters is concentrated in a few areas and biased towards colonies in marine protected areas, with scarce quantitative information from colonies in other areas. Conclusions The halt in the C. rubrum decreasing trend coincided with the exhaustion of tree-like colonies and the first recovery response due to effective protection measures in some areas. Nevertheless, C. rubrum climate change mitigation capacity through carbon sequestration can be drastically reduced from its potential in only a few decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Mallo
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - 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
| | - Victoria Reyes-García
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - 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
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Montero‐Serra I, Garrabou J, Doak DF, Ledoux J, Linares C. Marine protected areas enhance structural complexity but do not buffer the consequences of ocean warming for an overexploited precious coral. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Montero‐Serra
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO) Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Joaquim Garrabou
- Institut de Ciències del Mar CSIC Barcelona Spain
- Aix Marseille Université Université de Toulon CNRS, IRD, MIO Marseille France
| | - Daniel F. Doak
- Environmental Studies Program University of Colorado Boulder Colorado
| | - Jean‐Baptiste Ledoux
- Institut de Ciències del Mar CSIC Barcelona Spain
- CIIMAR/CIMAR Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal
| | - Cristina Linares
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO) Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona Spain
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Montero-Serra I, Linares C, Doak DF, Ledoux JB, Garrabou J. Strong linkages between depth, longevity and demographic stability across marine sessile species. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2017.2688. [PMID: 29491172 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the role of the environment in shaping the evolution of life histories remains a major challenge in ecology and evolution. We synthesize longevity patterns of marine sessile species and find strong positive relationships between depth and maximum lifespan across multiple sessile marine taxa, including corals, bivalves, sponges and macroalgae. Using long-term demographic data on marine sessile and terrestrial plant species, we show that extreme longevity leads to strongly dampened population dynamics. We also used detailed analyses of Mediterranean red coral, with a maximum lifespan of 532 years, to explore the life-history patterns of long-lived taxa and the vulnerability to external mortality sources that these characteristics can create. Depth-related environmental gradients-including light, food availability, temperature and disturbance intensity-drive highly predictable distributions of life histories that, in turn, have predictable ecological consequences for the dynamics of natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Montero-Serra
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Linares
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - D F Doak
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - J B Ledoux
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,CIIMAR/CIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - J Garrabou
- Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Aix-Marseille University, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Université de Toulon, CNRS/IRD, Marseille, France
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