Search results for "Vermetid reef"
showing 10 items of 29 documents
Evaluation of the impact of a small marina on intertidal assemblages
2009
Temporal dynamic of biofilms enhances the settlement of the central-1 Mediterranean reef2 builder Dendropoma cristatum (Biondi, 1859)
2021
Research on marine invertebrate settlement provides baseline knowledge for restoration technique implementation, especially for biogenic engineers with limited dispersion ability. Previously, we determined that the maturity of a biofilm strongly enhances the settlement of the vermetid reef-builder Dendropoma cristatum . In order to elucidate which biofilm features support a higher settlement of this species, we analyse the structure and composition of a marine biofilm over time, through microscopic observations, eukaryotic and prokaryotic fingerprinting analyses and 16S rDNA Illumina sequencing. The vermetid settlement temporal increase matched with the higher biofilm extent on the substrat…
METODOLOGIE DI ANALISI DEL PAESAGGIO NELLA VALUTAZIONE DELL’ETEROGENEITÁ STRUTTURALE NEI REEF A VERMETI
2012
Landscape ecology is a discipline that uses many indices to describe environmental dynamics as a function of structural patch organization. Application of landscape ecology methods can be a way to evaluate heterogeneity and fragmentation of a habitat. Landscape indices were applied to evaluate if the algal heterogeneity of a vermetid reef can be related to the reef structure. Results show that heterogeneity is independent from reef width, but algal patches are wider and less abundant in a large cuvette and less wide but in higher number in small cuvette.
Vermetid reefs in the Mediterranean Sea as archives of sea-level and surface temperature changes
2011
Vermetid reefs are among the most important bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea, with a distribution restricted to the warmest part of the basin. Their structure, and vertical and geographical distribution make them good biological indicators of changes in sea level and sea-surface temperature over the last two millennia.
Preliminary data on the occurrence of alien macroalgae in the vermetid reef along the coasts of Favignana Island (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea)
2017
Intertidal vermetid reefs are highly diverse systems that provide numerous habitats for animal and vegetal species, leading to an increase of intertidal biodiversity. These habitats, particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and human activities, are now experiencing high mortality in several areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Since alien macroalgae are nowadays considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity and natural ecosystem functioning, we provide a first baseline assessment of the occurrence of alien species in the vermetid reef along the coasts of the Island of Favignana (Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area). Surveyes carried out in 2015 revealed the only presence of…
Mediterranean bioconstructions along the Italian coast
2018
Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea are represented by coralligenous formations, vermetid reefs, deep-sea cold-water corals, Lithophyllum byssoides trottoirs, coral banks formed by the shallow-water corals Cladocora caespitosa or Astroides calycularis, and sabellariid or serpulid worm reefs. Bioconstructions change the morphological and chemicophysical features of prima…
Vermetid reefs in the warm temperate Mediterranean Sea are facing local extinction
2012
Invasive mussels directly threat intertidal vermetid reef: some evidences from a Sicilian MPA
2009
Biological invasions pose a great threat to natural communities. Brachidontes pharaonis is an Eritrean mussel that has accessed in the Mediterranean sea shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal. At the beginning it had a restrained distribution with small local populations along the Israeli intertidal coast. More than a hundred years later it spread westward as far as NW Sicily, colonizing some hyperaline and natural habitats. Previous studies along the Israeli coast have proved that anthropogenic habitat modi#- cations occurring on vermetid reefs may promote the colonization of this invasive mussel causing a reduction of the indigenous mussel Mytilaster minimus. This study focuses on a …
Do small marinas drive habitat specific impacts? A case study from Mediterranean Sea
2011
Many human activities add new structures to the marine landscape. Despite the fact that human structures cause some inevitable impacts, surprisingly little information exists on the effects of marina on natural marine assemblages. The aim of this paper is to assess habitat-specific response of benthic sessile organisms of rocky shores in relation to the presence of a small marina. Sampling was carried out at three coastal habitats (midshore, lowshore and subtidal) by means of visual censuses adopting an after-control-impact (ACI) experimental design. It appears that the marina affects the structure and composition of benthic communities of both the midshore and the lowshore. Little effect w…
Investigations into the development and role of a Mediterranean intertidal bioconstruction for coastal conservation: the Vermetid Reef
2017
Vermetid reefs are intertidal biogenic habitats created by a dense aggregation of mollusks, frequently cemented by calcareous algae, and are typical of sub-tropical and warm–temperate rocky shores. These bioconstructions are valuable key-habitats of the coastal zones, increasing their productivity and biological value. In the Mediterranean, the main vermetid reef builders belong to the genus Dendropoma and are associated to encrusting coralline red algae. These organisms are ecosystem engineers protected under international European Legislation, although vermetid reef conservation is limited by a lack of biological and ecological knowledge. The two-way interactions between biota and the phy…