Scientific watch

Molluscs are one of the most exploited marine resources in the Mediterranean Sea, being most of the bivalve species the same ones than those recorded in the classical works of Greek antiquity. This study assessed the seasonal dynamics and preferential

 Unlike the soft bottom meiofauna, meiofauna associated wo hard substrata is poorly studied, despite its ecological relevance. This study investigated sessile macrobenthos and the associated meiofaunal assemblages of two sites of Portofino (NW Mediterranean), in order to assess the abundance,

Marine coastal ecosystems are facing structural and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging. In this paper, a geospatial modelling approach based on 2D mapping and morphodynamic data

Climate change threatens the structure and function of marine ecosystems, highlighting the importance of understanding the response of species to changing environmental conditions. However, thermal tolerance determining the vulnerability to warming of many abundant marine species is still poorly understood.

Commercial small-scale fishing in the Mediterranean Sea accounts for more than 80% of the commercial fishing fleet. Commercial small-scale fishing competes with non-professional fishing, such as recreational and illegal fishing, however fisheries statistics usually fail to report non-professional fishing data.

Effective conservation planning requires biotic data across an entire region. In data-poor ecosystems conservation planning is informed by using environmental surrogates (e.g. temperature) predominantly in two ways: to develop habitat classification schemes or develop species distribution models. This study tested

The resistance of an ecosystem to species invasion is considered to be related to the abundance and diversity of native species. Theory predicts that the high native diversity in pristine systems can hinder the establishment and/or the spread of non-native

Chemical pollution is considered a factor that may threaten marine protected areas (MPAs). However, organized data on this topic are lacking. This study reviewed the literature on pollution in MPAs in order to compile data, determine whether MPAs are influenced

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an essential tool for marine biodiversity conservation. Yet, their effectiveness in protecting marine ecosystems from global stressors is debated. Biological invasions area major driver of global change, causing biodiversity loss and altering ecosystem functioning. This

As a response to increasing human pressures on marine ecosystems, the legislation aimed at improving the conservation and management of marine coastal areas in European and contiguous seas underwent crucial advances. These areas, however, still remain largely affected by increasing