Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf

Coralligenous reefs are typical underwater seascapes of the Mediterranean Sea and are ranked among the most relevant ecosystems of the basin and a pole of biodiversity. For their critical importance for ecosystems conservation, coralligenous reefs are included among the indicators that should be ass...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	M. Pierdomenico, A. Bonifazi, L. Argenti, M. Ingrassia, D. Casalbore, L. Aguzzi, E. Viaggiu, M. Le Foche, F.L. Chiocci
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Elsevier 2021
Materias:	Coralligenous Acoustic mapping Environmental status Marine Strategy Framework Directive Mediterranean Sea Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/53415584f056467697c9609ab5482fdf
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:53415584f056467697c9609ab5482fdf
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:53415584f056467697c9609ab5482fdf2021-12-01T05:00:51ZGeomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf1470-160X10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108219https://doaj.org/article/53415584f056467697c9609ab5482fdf2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21008840https://doaj.org/toc/1470-160XCoralligenous reefs are typical underwater seascapes of the Mediterranean Sea and are ranked among the most relevant ecosystems of the basin and a pole of biodiversity. For their critical importance for ecosystems conservation, coralligenous reefs are included among the indicators that should be assessed under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). However, information regarding their spatial distribution and the influence of environmental factors on their structure and biological characteristics is still poor. As part of monitoring regional programs for the implementation of the MSFD in Italy, an extensive study was performed along the Latium continental shelf, aimed to define and map the distribution of coralligenous reefs and to assess their environmental status in three different study areas, characterized by different environmental conditions and subjected to different potential levels of human pressure. For each area, a large dataset was collected, including multibeam bathymetry, side scan sonar records and ROV video transects. The integrated analysis of geophysical data and ROV videos allowed to identify the morpho-acoustic facies indicative of coralligenous outcrops and to map their distribution across the study areas. In parallel, a quantitative analysis of video transects was carried out, in order to characterize the megabenthic communities in terms of species composition, abundance, health status of structural species, and to evaluate the abundance of marine litter. The environmental status of the coralligenous communities was then assessed through the application of the Mesophotic Assemblages Conservation Status (MACS) index.The results obtained showed a large variability in the distribution and characteristics of coralligenous reefs and associated assemblages along the Latium continental shelf, likely reflecting the different environmental conditions and human pressure in the different areas. Coralligenous reefs were reported from all the investigated areas, hosting a rich and varied associated fauna with dense gorgonian forests, also featuring species of relevance for conservation such as Corallium rubrum. The application of MACS index allowed to distinguish among a wide range of ecological conditions of the coralligenous communities, spanning from high to poor environmental status across different sites. The assessment of the extent and diversity of coralligenous assemblages through the combination of geomorphological analysis, acoustic mapping and quantitative video analysis represents an efficient tool, which may help governments and stakeholders making informed management decisions for future coastal planning and conservation strategies.M. PierdomenicoA. BonifaziL. ArgentiM. IngrassiaD. CasalboreL. AguzziE. ViaggiuM. Le FocheF.L. ChiocciElsevierarticleCoralligenousAcoustic mappingEnvironmental statusMarine Strategy Framework DirectiveMediterranean SeaEcologyQH540-549.5ENEcological Indicators, Vol 131, Iss , Pp 108219- (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Coralligenous Acoustic mapping Environmental status Marine Strategy Framework Directive Mediterranean Sea Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	Coralligenous Acoustic mapping Environmental status Marine Strategy Framework Directive Mediterranean Sea Ecology QH540-549.5 M. Pierdomenico A. Bonifazi L. Argenti M. Ingrassia D. Casalbore L. Aguzzi E. Viaggiu M. Le Foche F.L. Chiocci Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
description	Coralligenous reefs are typical underwater seascapes of the Mediterranean Sea and are ranked among the most relevant ecosystems of the basin and a pole of biodiversity. For their critical importance for ecosystems conservation, coralligenous reefs are included among the indicators that should be assessed under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). However, information regarding their spatial distribution and the influence of environmental factors on their structure and biological characteristics is still poor. As part of monitoring regional programs for the implementation of the MSFD in Italy, an extensive study was performed along the Latium continental shelf, aimed to define and map the distribution of coralligenous reefs and to assess their environmental status in three different study areas, characterized by different environmental conditions and subjected to different potential levels of human pressure. For each area, a large dataset was collected, including multibeam bathymetry, side scan sonar records and ROV video transects. The integrated analysis of geophysical data and ROV videos allowed to identify the morpho-acoustic facies indicative of coralligenous outcrops and to map their distribution across the study areas. In parallel, a quantitative analysis of video transects was carried out, in order to characterize the megabenthic communities in terms of species composition, abundance, health status of structural species, and to evaluate the abundance of marine litter. The environmental status of the coralligenous communities was then assessed through the application of the Mesophotic Assemblages Conservation Status (MACS) index.The results obtained showed a large variability in the distribution and characteristics of coralligenous reefs and associated assemblages along the Latium continental shelf, likely reflecting the different environmental conditions and human pressure in the different areas. Coralligenous reefs were reported from all the investigated areas, hosting a rich and varied associated fauna with dense gorgonian forests, also featuring species of relevance for conservation such as Corallium rubrum. The application of MACS index allowed to distinguish among a wide range of ecological conditions of the coralligenous communities, spanning from high to poor environmental status across different sites. The assessment of the extent and diversity of coralligenous assemblages through the combination of geomorphological analysis, acoustic mapping and quantitative video analysis represents an efficient tool, which may help governments and stakeholders making informed management decisions for future coastal planning and conservation strategies.
format	article
author	M. Pierdomenico A. Bonifazi L. Argenti M. Ingrassia D. Casalbore L. Aguzzi E. Viaggiu M. Le Foche F.L. Chiocci
author_facet	M. Pierdomenico A. Bonifazi L. Argenti M. Ingrassia D. Casalbore L. Aguzzi E. Viaggiu M. Le Foche F.L. Chiocci
author_sort	M. Pierdomenico
title	Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
title_short	Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
title_full	Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
title_fullStr	Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
title_full_unstemmed	Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf
title_sort	geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the latium continental shelf
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/53415584f056467697c9609ab5482fdf
work_keys_str_mv	AT mpierdomenico geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT abonifazi geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT largenti geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT mingrassia geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT dcasalbore geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT laguzzi geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT eviaggiu geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT mlefoche geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf AT flchiocci geomorphologicalcharacterizationspatialdistributionandenvironmentalstatusassessmentofcoralligenousreefsalongthelatiumcontinentalshelf
_version_	1718405599665848320

Geomorphological characterization, spatial distribution and environmental status assessment of coralligenous reefs along the Latium continental shelf

Ejemplares similares