Dataset Information

A mesophotic black coral forest in the Adriatic Sea.

ABSTRACT: A forest of the black coral Antipathella subpinnata was found from 52 to 80?m depth in three different sites at Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA; Mediterranean Sea), with two of them hosting a monospecific forest on horizontal and vertical substrates. Colonies of A. subpinnata showed a mean density between 0.22?±?0.03 and 2.40?±?0.26 colonies m-2 (maximum local values of 2.4-7.2 colonies m-2). The link between the local distribution of A. subpinnata and the main oceanographic features confirmed the fundamental role of the currents in shaping the distribution of the species in presence of hard substrata. This black coral forest represents the only one known thus far in the Adriatic Sea, but it could be linked with other unseen forests all over the Mediterranean Sea. The associated megafauna highlights the importance of these forests as habitat for species of both conservation and commercial importance but, at the same time, makes such habitat a target for fishing practices, as many lost fishing gears were found within the coral forest. The enlargement of the MPA borders and the enforcement of controls in the area of the A. subpinnata forest is urgently needed for the proper conservation of this protected species.

SUBMITTER: Chimienti G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7244545 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A mesophotic black coral forest in the Adriatic Sea.

Chimienti Giovanni G De Padova Diana D Mossa Michele M Mastrototaro Francesco F

Scientific reports 20200522 1

A forest of the black coral Antipathella subpinnata was found from 52 to 80 m depth in three different sites at Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA; Mediterranean Sea), with two of them hosting a monospecific forest on horizontal and vertical substrates. Colonies of A. subpinnata showed a mean density between 0.22 ± 0.03 and 2.40 ± 0.26 colonies m<sup>-2</sup> (maximum local values of 2.4-7.2 colonies m<sup>-2</sup>). The link between the local distribution of A. subpinnata and the main o ...[more]

PMID: 32444640

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Project description:Although the mesophotic zone of the Mediterranean Sea has been poorly investigated, there is an increasing awareness about its ecological importance for its biodiversity, as fish nursery and for the recruitment of shallow water species. Along with coastal rocky cliffs, isolated coralligenous concretions emerging from muddy bottoms are typical structures of the Mediterranean Sea mesophotic zone. Coralligenous concretions at mesophotic depths in the South Tyrrhenian Sea were investigated to assess the role of these coralligenous oases in relation to the biodiversity of surrounding soft sediments. We show here that the complex structures of the coralligenous concretions at ca. 110 m depth influence the trophic conditions, the biodiversity and assemblage composition in the surrounding sediments even at considerable distances. Coral concretions not only represent deep oases of coral biodiversity but they also promote a higher biodiversity of the fauna inhabiting the surrounding soft sediments. Using the biodiversity of nematodes as a proxy of the total benthic biodiversity, a high turnover biodiversity within a 200 m distance from the coralligenous concretions was observed. Such turnover is even more evident when only rare taxa are considered and seems related to specific trophic conditions, which are influenced by the presence of the coralligenous structures. The presence of a high topographic complexity and the trophic enrichment make these habitats highly biodiverse, nowadays endangered by human activities (such as exploitation of commercial species such as Corallium rubrum, or trawling fisheries, which directly causes habitat destruction or indirectly causes modification in the sedimentation and re-suspension rates). We stress that the protection of the coralligenous sea concretions is a priority for future conservation policies at the scale of large marine ecosystems and that a complete census of these mesophotic oases of biodiversity should be a priority for future investigations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Dataset Information

A mesophotic black coral forest in the Adriatic Sea.

Publications

A mesophotic black coral forest in the Adriatic Sea.

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