Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems

Abstract The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity. Due to its high sensitivity to fishing activities, it has been classified as indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). However, the information on its habitat selection...

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Autores principales:	V. Lauria, D. Massi, F. Fiorentino, G. Milisenda, T. Cillari
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e40c7b80965f4375a1c590fa6de63379
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e40c7b80965f4375a1c590fa6de633792021-12-02T16:35:19ZHabitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems10.1038/s41598-021-95256-42045-2322https://doaj.org/article/e40c7b80965f4375a1c590fa6de633792021-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95256-4https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity. Due to its high sensitivity to fishing activities, it has been classified as indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). However, the information on its habitat selection and large-scale spatial distribution in the Mediterranean Sea is poor. In this study a thorough literature review on the occurrence of L. glaberrima across the Mediterranean Sea was undertaken. Predictive modelling was carried out to produce the first continuous map of L. glaberrima suitable habitat in the central sector of the Mediterranean Sea. MaxEnt modeling was used to predict L. glaberrima probability of presence as a function of seven environmental predictors (bathymetry, slope, aspect North–South and East–West, kinetic energy due to currents at the seabed, seabed habitat types and sea bottom temperature). Our results show that bathymetry, slope and aspect are the most important factors driving L. glaberrima spatial distribution, while in less extent the other environmental variables. This study adds relevant information on the spatial distribution of vulnerable deep water corals in relation to the environmental factors in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides an important background for marine spatial planning especially for prioritizing areas for the conservation of VMEs.V. LauriaD. MassiF. FiorentinoG. MilisendaT. CillariNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-12 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q V. Lauria D. Massi F. Fiorentino G. Milisenda T. Cillari Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
description	Abstract The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity. Due to its high sensitivity to fishing activities, it has been classified as indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). However, the information on its habitat selection and large-scale spatial distribution in the Mediterranean Sea is poor. In this study a thorough literature review on the occurrence of L. glaberrima across the Mediterranean Sea was undertaken. Predictive modelling was carried out to produce the first continuous map of L. glaberrima suitable habitat in the central sector of the Mediterranean Sea. MaxEnt modeling was used to predict L. glaberrima probability of presence as a function of seven environmental predictors (bathymetry, slope, aspect North–South and East–West, kinetic energy due to currents at the seabed, seabed habitat types and sea bottom temperature). Our results show that bathymetry, slope and aspect are the most important factors driving L. glaberrima spatial distribution, while in less extent the other environmental variables. This study adds relevant information on the spatial distribution of vulnerable deep water corals in relation to the environmental factors in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides an important background for marine spatial planning especially for prioritizing areas for the conservation of VMEs.
format	article
author	V. Lauria D. Massi F. Fiorentino G. Milisenda T. Cillari
author_facet	V. Lauria D. Massi F. Fiorentino G. Milisenda T. Cillari
author_sort	V. Lauria
title	Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
title_short	Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
title_full	Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
title_fullStr	Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed	Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
title_sort	habitat suitability mapping of the black coral leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/e40c7b80965f4375a1c590fa6de63379
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Habitat suitability mapping of the black coral Leiopathes glaberrima to support conservation of vulnerable marine ecosystems

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