Scientific watch – Page 2

The cryptogenic parasite Haplosporidium pinnae invades the Aegean Sea and causes the collapse of Pinna nobilis populations

Since autumn of 2016, the cryptogenic parasite Haplosporidium pinnae has caused an unprecedented mass mortality event of the protected endemic Mediterranean bivalve Pinna nobilis in the western Mediterranean Sea. This study confirms the spread of the parasite in the eastern

Before the Blue COP

Organized by the Because the Ocean Initiative, the Technical Workshop “Before the Blue COP” was held from 10-11 April 2019, at the Headquarters of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition’s Fundación Biodiversidad, in Madrid. The international conference brought together

Marine protected areas enhance structural complexity but do not buffer the consequences of ocean warming for an overexploited precious coral

Global warming and overexploitation both threaten the integrity and resilience of marine ecosystems. However, a mechanistic understanding of the interactions of multiple stressors is generally lacking for habitat-forming species; preventing the development of sound conservation strategies. This study examined the

Social and economic sustainability of multiple-use marine protected areas in Spain: A mixed methods, multi-scale study

Social perception is key to the success of biodiversity conservation policies. A range of socioeconomic guilds can be affected by marine conservation. Among them, fishers are the ones most likely affected and affecting Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This study assessed

The ups and downs of a canopy-forming seaweed over a span of more than one century

Canopy-forming seaweeds constitute marine forests that deliver ecosystem services. The worldwide range shift, sharp decline or loss of many of these forests, caused by the cumulative impact of increasing human pressure and climate change, have been widely documented. This study

Response diversity in Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages facing climate change: insights from a multispecific thermotolerance experiment

Climate change threatens coastal benthic communities on a global scale. However, the potential effects of ongoing warming on mesophotic temperate reefs at the community level remain poorly understood. Forecasting temperature effects on ecological communities require a deep understanding of how

Functional biodiversity loss along natural CO2 gradients

There is growing concern for how species loss from human-induced environmental change will affect the functioning of ecosystems and, in turn, the services ecosystems provide to humanity. This study assessed the loss of functional diversity (i.e. the range of species

On sightings of (vagrant?) monk seals, Monachus monachus, in the Mediterranean Basin and their importance for the conservation of the species

In ancient times, the distribution range of the Mediterranean monk seal extended all over the coasts of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and parts of the north-eastern Atlantic coast. Nowadays, the species is classified as Endangered and the current total

Structure and spatio-temporal dynamics of the artisanal small-scale fisheries at the future MPA of “Taza” (Algerian coast, SW Mediterranean)

Artisanal Small-Scale Fisheries (SSFs) are a primordial and very diverse activity in the Mediterranean Sea, also within some Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Artisanal fishing is the main socio-economic activity in the area of the future MPA of “Taza” (Algeria, SW

A Mediterranean mesophotic coral reef built by non-symbiotic scleractinians

The most important marine bioconstructions are coral reefs, which are well known as biodiversity hot-spots. Coral reefs mainly occur in the oligotrophic waters of the western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, within the latitude of 30ºN and 30ºS. This study describes,