0000000000466036
AUTHOR
E. Capruzzi
Recruitment patterns in an intertidal species with low dispersal ability: the reef-building Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859) (Mollusca: Gastropoda)
In the Mediterranean, the gastropod Dendropoma cristatum (sin. D. petraeum (Monterosato, 1884)) is the primary builder of the vermetid reef, an intertidal bioconstruction of exceptional ecological importance. Despite awareness of the need for conservation of this key species, the biology of D. cristatum remains poorly understood. The recruitment of D. cristatum deserves particular attention because the absence of a planktonic larval stage limits its dispersal ability. We examined the temporal pattern of recruitment during the breeding season of D. cristatum from June to September in 2013. Specifically, we compared the two portions of the vermetid reef (i.e. the inner edge and the outer edge…
Substratum recognition as settlement cue for larvae of Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859)
Despite the ecological relevance of the vermetid bioconstructions in the Mediterranean, little is known about the early life stage of Dendropoma cristatum. This study describes the preference for settlement substrata from D. cristatumlarvae. A field experiment was carried out to test the suitability of crustose coralline algae (CCA), D. cristatumadults and two inorganic substrata as settlement surfaces. The number of settling larvae varied among the four treatments with higher settlement success on organic surfaces. CCA and D. cristatumindividuals seem to promote attachment of young larvae and to induce the metamorphosis in recruits. This is probably due to biological or physical properties…
CONSERVATION NEEDS FOR THE VERMETID REEFS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Vermetid reefs are intertidal bioconstructions typical of many subtropical and temperate coastal areas worldwide. Distributed in the warmest waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the reefs are built by the vermetid gastropod Dendropoma petraeum and the coralline alga Neogoniolithon brassica-florida, two species included in the annexes of the Berna Convention. Vermetid reefs provide a wide set of ecosystem services, such as coastal protection from erosion, regulation of sediment transport and accumulation, serving as carbon deposit and increasing biodiversity at the intertidal level. Despite its vulnerability to several threats, such as pollution, spread of invasive species, ocean acidification a…