Corallium Rubrum Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025

Andy Bruckner NOAA Fisheries The International Workshop on Corallium Science, Management, and Trade is the first of two workshops convened to better understand the biological status of precious corals in the family Coralliidae, the adequacy of existing management measures, and the benefits and limitations of a potential CITES Appendix-II listing at enhancing conservation of this taxa. The meeting was convened in response to an Appendix-II listing proposal submitted by the U.S. at the 14th meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties (COP 14), specifically to address questions pertaining to the ability to effectively implement a possible CITES listing. The workshop would not have been possible without the financial support provided by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and NOAA Fisheries, and supplementary funding from The Ocean Foundation. The meeting was organized and convened under unusual circumstances, with all meeting facilities, travel arrangements and lodging arranged under an extreme time crunch. Our steering committee, including Glynnis Roberts, Frank Parrish, Laura Noguchi, Jeremy Linneman, and Ernie Cooper were instrumental in helping me shape the working group tasks and agenda, and ensure we had the optimal mix of participants. This meeting would not been possible without the dedicated logistical support provided by Jeremy Linneman and Glynnis Roberts. I am extremely grateful to both Jeremy and Glynnis, who managed to shift locations from the Mediterranean, identify a new venue, and secure participation by Pacific experts in just under a month. Jeremy and Glynnis devoted several weeks prior to the workshop to communicate with the Corallium experts from the region, complete their travel arrangements, and assist them in developing presentations, white papers, and other background information. Jeremy and Glynnis also compiled all of the reports and background information into a detailed workshop document that guided discussions and deliberations. During the workshop, they provided invaluable assistance in organizing each session, providing audio-visual assistance, addressing technical issues, and making sure each participants' needs were promptly and thoroughly addressed.

2025, Chemical Geology

Lead concentrations in long-lived Corallium species of known age, from the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, were determined by laser ablation, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICPMS). Lead concentrations in a 2000-year-old sub-fossil Mediterranean C. rubrum are ca 0.09 ± 0.03 µg/g. For the period 1894-1955, lead concentrations in C. rubrum skeletons from the Mediterranean are stable within the range 0.2-0.4 µg/g; concentrations increase to about 1-1.2 µg/g during the period 1960-1978, then decrease progressively to stabilize and reach values in the range 0.2-0.4 µg/g in present-day corals. These variations can be related to the lead gasoline pollution event that (1) started in the early 1950s with the increase of the numbers of cars in the world, and (2) was mitigated by the implementation of new regulations starting in 1975, leading to a return to pre-1950 levels in 2000. In the Pacific, lead concentrations in C. japonicum and C. konojoi are lower than in the Mediterranean C. rubrum, with values close to 0.17 ± 0.03 µg/g. The lowest lead concentrations in present-day samples (0.11 µg/g) are found in C. johnsoni and C. niobe from the Azores islands in the Atlantic, and in a Mediterranean C. rubrum from Montecristo Island, one of the least accessible and most protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Using lead concentrations in C. rubrum and in the Mediterranean seawaters, a partition coefficient Kd = [Pb/Ca] calcite / [Pb/Ca] seawater of 13 +/-3 is estimated; it allows calculating past and present lead contents in seawater in which corals grew. Application to Corallium species indicates that values endangering human health or threatening the preservation of aquatic ecosystem on long terms were nearly reached or exceeded in Mediterranean seawaters at the maximum of the lead gasoline pollution event in the 1980s. Measurements in C. rubrum from different places in the Mediterranean indicate that present-day seawater concentrations vary between 40 and 200 pmol/kg. As expected, the lowest concentrations come from protected areas insulated from human activities, while the highest come from places close to lead mining or processing sites.

2025, Scientia Marina

Clonal propagation is a common feature of benthic marine organisms. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of clonal reproduction in the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata. Mediterranean populations of P. clavata were severely affected by mass mortality events caused by increased water temperature in 1999 and 2003. The populations are characterized by slow growth and episodic recruitment, but after the observed mortalities, an unexpectedly high recovery rate was observed in the severely affected populations from the Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean. Ten years after the last mortality event, we investigated the contribution of clonal propagation in populations from the Ligurian Sea, where some populations were highly affected by mass mortality events, and from the Atlantic, where mortality was never observed. All individuals were genotyped for nine microsatellite loci. The contribution of clonal reproduction varied from 0% to 13% and did not differ significantly between ...

2025, Conferenza “Il corallo: arte e tradizione – Guardare al futuro pensando al passato”

Le mostre sul corallo a Catania non solo hanno celebrato l'arte e la maestria degli artigiani locali, ma hanno permesso anche di creare un ponte di collegamento concreto tra passato e presente, consentendo ai visitatori di apprezzare la ricchezza storica e artistica della Regione. Attraverso queste mostre, si è promossa la conoscenza e le pratiche di conservazione e curatoriali connesse alle tradizioni secolari, contribuendo a mantenere viva una parte fondamentale dell'identità siciliana che continua a risplendere nel tempo.

2025, V Conferenza Nazionale di Gemmologia “Ieri, oggi, domani: la gemmologia tra ricerca, mercato e politica

The latest frontier of studies on coral of gemological interest is species assignment through the characterisation of the nucleotide sequence and thus on the basis of the coral's DNA. Indeed, within this sequence are encoded the genes of every living organism, as well as the instructions for expressing them in time and space (regulation of gene expression) and thus useful in research into why and how organisms live. Knowledge of the genome is useful in every field of biology and the advent of DNA sequencing methods has significantly accelerated research.

2024, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Two new species belonging to the precious coral genus Corallium were collected during a series of exploratory cruises to the New England and Corner Rise Seamounts in 2003-2005. One red species, Corallium bathyrubrum sp. nov., and one white species, C. bayeri sp. nov., are described. Corallium bathyrubrum is the first red Corallium to be reported from the western Atlantic. An additional species, C. niobe Bayer, 1964 originally described from the Straits of Florida, was also collected and its description augmented.

2024, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Two new species belonging to the precious coral genus Corallium were collected during a series of exploratory cruises to the New England and Corner Rise Seamounts in 2003–2005. One red species, Corallium bathyrubrum sp. nov., and one white species, C. bayeri sp. nov., are described. Corallium bathyrubrum is the first red Corallium to be reported from the western Atlantic. An additional species, C. niobe Bayer, 1964 originally described from the Straits of Florida, was also collected and its description augmented.

2024, Chemical Geology

Lead concentrations in long-lived Corallium species of known age, from the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, were determined by laser ablation, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICPMS). Lead concentrations in a 2000-year-old sub-fossil Mediterranean C. rubrum are ca 0.09 ± 0.03 µg/g. For the period 1894-1955, lead concentrations in C. rubrum skeletons from the Mediterranean are stable within the range 0.2-0.4 µg/g; concentrations increase to about 1-1.2 µg/g during the period 1960-1978, then decrease progressively to stabilize and reach values in the range 0.2-0.4 µg/g in present-day corals. These variations can be related to the lead gasoline pollution event that (1) started in the early 1950s with the increase of the numbers of cars in the world, and (2) was mitigated by the implementation of new regulations starting in 1975, leading to a return to pre-1950 levels in 2000. In the Pacific, lead concentrations in C. japonicum and C. konojoi are lower than in the Mediterranean C. rubrum, with values close to 0.17 ± 0.03 µg/g. The lowest lead concentrations in present-day samples (0.11 µg/g) are found in C. johnsoni and C. niobe from the Azores islands in the Atlantic, and in a Mediterranean C. rubrum from Montecristo Island, one of the least accessible and most protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Using lead concentrations in C. rubrum and in the Mediterranean seawaters, a partition coefficient Kd = [Pb/Ca] calcite / [Pb/Ca] seawater of 13 +/-3 is estimated; it allows calculating past and present lead contents in seawater in which corals grew. Application to Corallium species indicates that values endangering human health or threatening the preservation of aquatic ecosystem on long terms were nearly reached or exceeded in Mediterranean seawaters at the maximum of the lead gasoline pollution event in the 1980s. Measurements in C. rubrum from different places in the Mediterranean indicate that present-day seawater concentrations vary between 2 40 and 200 pmol/kg. As expected, the lowest concentrations come from protected areas insulated from human activities, while the highest come from places close to lead mining or processing sites.

2024, Hydrobiologia

Over the last years, several marine populations suffered a drastic mortality increase of different origins; assessing the changes occurring in the demographic structure of such populations will allow evaluating their future trends and their ultimate fate. The aim of our research was to assess main demographic descriptors and related dynamics in populations of the Mediterranean gorgonians Paramuricea clavata and Corallium rubrum (the ''precious red coral'') both subject to increased mortality, by lifehistory tables and Leslie-Lewis transition matrices. Gorgonian populations have been generally been considered to have low recruitment and low dynamics. Here, we test whether these features change when mortality rises and if such populations can reach new equilibria? Our findings show large differences between the two species examined, with lower recruitment and adult colony density, shorter lifespan but over-abundant reproductive output in P. clavata. Recruitment density dependence was found in crowded populations of both species, albeit with different trends. Populations of both species tend to recover even after drastic mortality increase and P. clavata reaches a new equilibrium at lower densities than at pristine values, and this in a few years time. The findings in this review could shed some light on the poorly understood dynamics occurring in deep-water dwelling, affected populations of long-lived and slowgrowing gorgonian corals.

2024

Copyright in relation to this thesis* Under the Copyright Act 1968 (several provision of which are referred to below), this thesis must be used only under the normal conditions of scholarly fair dealing for the purposes of research. criticism or review. In particular no results or conclusions should be extracted from it, nor should it be copied or closely paraphrased in whole or in part without the written consent of the author. Proper written acknowledgement should be made for any assistance obtained from this thesis. Under Section 35(2) of the Copyright Act 1968 'the author of a literary. dramatic, musical or artistic work is the owner of any copyright subsist ing in the work'. By virtue of Section 32(I) copyright 'subsists in an original literary. dramatic, musical or artistic work that is unpublished' and of which the author was an Australian citizen, an Australian protected person or a person resident in Australia.

2024, Facies

The Mediterranean red coral, Corallium rubrum (L.), has been a valuable economic resource for more than 2000 years. The Sicily Channel and surrounding areas are one of the most famous red coral fishing grounds of the whole region, hosting the deepest ever found living colonies and large sub-fossil red coral deposits; the so-called Sciacca banks are a unique location in the whole Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, a morphometric description of this sub-fossil population is presented for the first time from studies of colonies in the collection of several coral factories from Torre del Greco (Naples), with radiocarbon age estimations and growth rate evaluations. From the results of this study, after several thousand years Sciacca red coral colonies maintained the organic matrix structure with evident annual discontinuities, allowing estimations of the annual growth rate (about 0.3 mm/year) and the average population age (about 33.5 years). These resulting data are similar to the values...

2024, Hydrobiologia

The skeleton of the black coral Antipathes fiordensis is a laminar structure displaying major and minor growth rings. The skeleton is composed primarily of protein and chitin organized into successive microlayers. Each microlayer is tightly bound to the next by an organic cement that is periodically opaque in section, and occurs as clusters throughout the skeleton. In contrast, the skeletal microlayers themselves are never opaque. The apposition of multiple, opaque cement lines between skeletal layers is primarily responsible for the growth ring pattern.

2024, METALLA

Eight late medieval to early modern red beads representative of a total of 41 from a cesspit of the "Fronerei auf dem Schrangen" in Lübeck, Germany, were investigated using micro X-ray computed tomography (3D-µXCT), X-ray microdiffraction (µ-XRD 2), transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The microscopic properties of the material were characterised non-destructively or minimally invasively for colouration, mineralogical and chemical composition determination but also with regard to their macroscopic external appearance. The polished beads are spherical with flattered tops and boreholes perpendicular to the flattening and show partially traces of working. As base material for all examined beads, high Mg-Calcite with polyenes could be identified. Combined with density and microstructure data, the beads are undoubtedly red precious corals, identical with modern corallium rubrum from the Mediterranean also confirmed by C-and O-isotopic analyses. The studies provide general criteria for the determination of corallium rubrum, confirming the macroscopically determined identification of other coral artefacts associated with the Hanseatic League, and thus prove their iconographic importance as well as the trade contacts with the Mediterranean region. However, the extent to which the characteristics of the coral beads indicate accidental or intentional individual or collective societal or social circumstances is left to further study.

2024

1. NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 2. Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee 3. Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Manoa, HI 4. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 5. NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, Office of Habitat Conservation, Silver Spring, MD

2024, Records of the Zoological Survey of India

2024, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

Precious corals have been commercially exploited for many centuries around the world. The skeletons of these corals consist of calcium carbonate, and have been used as amulets or gemstones since ancient times. Different Corallium species of Coralidae family (e.g., Corallium rubrum, Corallium elatus, Corallium konojoi, and Paracorellium japonicum) were collected from different locations of the Mediterranean Sea (off Italy) and Pacific Ocean (off Japan and off Midway Island), and trace elements in their skeletons were analyzed. Results show that trace element concentrations in the skeletons of Corallium spp. were attributable to their habitat and origin. In particular, Mg/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios in the skeletons of Corallium spp. from the Mediterranean Sea and Japanese and the Midway Islands' waters were found to be habitat-specific. This study also reveals that trace elements in the skeletons can be used as ecological indicator of the coral's origin, and are expected to play an important part in the cultural study and sustainable management of precious corals. Findings of this study will also be of great relevance to the coral industry to authenticate and identify the habitat and origin of the corals.

2024, Archäologische Informationen

T. J. Brestel, [Rez. zu] L. Zamboni/M. Fernández-Götz/C. Metzner-Nebelsick (Hrsg.), Crossing the Alps: Early Urbanism between Northern Italy and Central Europe (900-400 BC) (Leiden 2020). Arch. Inf. 46, 2024, o. Seitenzahl.

2024, BEADS: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers

Beads and other ornamental items made of precious red coral have been utilized by various cultures worldwide for thousands of years. Depending on its properties and market context, this highly valued material has meant different things to different peoples through time. The current industry-based in Torre del Greco in southern Italy-reflects past traditions but also incorporates new ideas into the production of beads and jewelry for the three principal world markets: fashion, ethnic, and tourist. These reflect the historic trade and use of red coral beads in several West African, European, and American cultural settings. This article describes the Torrese coral industry, revealing how the different beads are manufactured and marketed, and also delves into the cultural significance of precious coral over time.

2024, Scientific Reports

Overexploitation leads to the ecological extinction of many oceanic species. The depletion of historical abundances of large animals, such as whales and sea turtles, is well known. However, the magnitude of the historical overfishing of exploited invertebrates is unclear. The lack of rigorous baseline data limits the implementation of efficient management and conservation plans in the marine realm. The precious Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum has been intensively exploited since antiquity for its use in jewellery. It shows dramatic signs of overexploitation, with no untouched populations known in shallow waters. Here, we report the discovery of an exceptional red coral population from a previously unexplored shallow underwater cave in Corsica (France) harbouring the largest biomass (by more than 100-fold) reported to date in the Mediterranean. Our findings challenge current assumptions on the pristine state of this emblematic species. Our results suggest that, before intens...

2024

This study deals with the application oj a machine learning algorithm (a classification tree) to assess the weight oj Corallium rubrum (Cnidaria, Octocorallia) ramifications on the basis oj the number oj apices. Our approach can be easi/y applied to obtain in situ estimates oj weight and basai diameter oj colonies. Future developments include the integration with image acquisition and processing hardware.

2024, Coral Reefs

Modular colonial benthic organisms exhibit high phenotypic plasticity, which is considered an effective strategy when faced with fluctuations in abiotic and biotic factors. However, when environmental changes occur abruptly, organisms’ adaptive capabilities can be limited, leading to the death of some colonies or to mass mortalities. Additionally, a decrease in body size has been proposed as one of the most common responses in both terrestrial and aquatic organisms to face global warming. Here, temperate corals’ response to thermal stress was documented using the precious red coral Corallium rubrum as a model species. The increased frequency of marine heat waves recorded in the north-western Mediterranean has led to a decrease in the total number of colonies of the analysed populations and reduced colony size in those that have survived, likely through fragmentation and branch loss. The laboratory analyses carried out on collected fragments showed an unexpected swelling, similar to ...

2023, Environmental and Resource Economics

A choice experiment is undertaken to elicit preferences of scuba divers in the Marine Protected Area of Medes Islands (Spain). This is the first non-market valuation study of a typical Mediterranean habitat, the Coralligenous, which is characterized by high biodiversity, geomorphologic complexity and iconic species like gorgonians. This habitat is not only very attractive for scuba diving, but is also threatened by climate change and ocean acidification, which is our motivation for undertaking this valuation study. Choice attributes include the number of divers on a diving trip, underwater landscape, presence of jellyfish species, expected state of gorgonians, and price of a dive. Results of multinomial and random parameter logit models indicate a decrease in the attractiveness of Coralligenous areas for scuba diving as a result of both environmental pressures. Estimates of welfare values show that the local extinction of gorgonians had the highest negative effect on utility equivalent to a cost of e60 per dive, followed by abundance of stinging jellyfish with a cost of e26 per dive. Choice probabilities for the selection of different dive experiences indicate the highest rejection rates for the combined sea warming and acidification scenarios.

2023, Ocean & Coastal Management

The main aims of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are the conservation of natural habitats and their biological resources, together with the promotion of an eco-compatible economic fruition. In Mediterranean MPAs, the main threats for hard bottom benthic communities come from fishing and mass tourism, in terms of boating and SCUBA diving. The Portofino MPA (Ligurian Sea, Northwestern Mediterranean Sea) is one of the top diving destinations in Europe and currently hosts an average of 40,000 dives per year, which are mainly carried out along coralligenous cliffs, a habitat of European Community interest, particularly vulnerable to mechanical damages due to the fragility of its numerous calcified species. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of recreational SCUBA diving on benthic ecosystems characterised by the presence of red coral and other associated fragile species. The impact was assessed through the analysis of the biomasses of target organisms (Corallium rubrum, Leptopsammia pruvoti, Madracis pharensis, and six species of bryozoans) whose fragments were found in the sediments at the base of the cliff. The amounts of these fragments inside the detritus in highly frequented sites were significantly higher than those measured in undisturbed sites, of up to 10 times. Our data suggested a recurrent mechanical action, with also very recent breakages, as demonstrated by the occurrence of living, freshly detached organisms. Red coral and other calcified species may be sensitive also to natural (heavy storms) and human (fishing) mechanical pressures other than diving: the characterization of these impacts in the study sites, however, indicates divers frequentation as the major contributor to the damages inflicted and suggests the need for specific management measures.

2023, Marine Biology

The carbonate skeleton of the gorgonian coral Corallium rubrum (L.) is composed of both a skeletal axis and numerous sclerites scattered in the mesoglea. Studies carried out on these skeletal elements and their associated tissues using microscopy and X-ray microanalysis, suggest a close relationship between the process of sclerite formation and skeletogenesis. The skeleton is surrounded by an axial epithelium composed of a single cell type. These cells associate intimately with mesogleal sclerites and scleroblasts, incorporating them into a nascent skeleton at the branch tip. Subsequent (sub-apical) growth appears to occur solely through the agency of the axis epithelial cells that serve to physically separate mesogleal sclerites and scleroblasts from contact with the axis. The epithelium is associated with the production of layered calcite crystals and irregular protuberances that constitute the mature, calcareous skeleton. Free sclerites in the mesoglea appear to be the product of multiple cells that are cytologically indistinguishable from those in the axis epithelium. Like the axis, sclerites are produced as layers of calcite crystals with irregular protuberances. The protuberances differ only slightly from those of the axis, and the skeleton is mineralogically indistinguishable from the sclerites. Thus, the skeleton of red coral is not primarily the product of fused sclerites. Instead, we suggest that the axis epithelium treats the incipient skeleton as if it were the core of a single sclerite, and conversely, that the mesogleal scleroblasts of C. rubrum constitute a fragmented axis epithelium.

2023, Chemical Geology

The high-Mg calcite skeleton of Corallium rubrum was analyzed from living colonies collected from a wide range of depths (15 m to 607 m) and environmental settings in the Mediterranean Sea. An overarching goal was to better understand the calcification process and incorporation of elements into the slow-growing skeleton of both shallow and deep-water specimens, and more specifically, to clarify the veracity of geochemical proxies for reconstructing seawater temperatures. The coral internal structure including growth bands were determined by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and petrographic techniques. Trace elements (Li, B, Mg, Sr and Ba) compositions of the coral skeleton were obtained by

2023, Scientific Reports

2023, Marine Ecology Progress Series

2023, Springer eBooks

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2023, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Zoologisches Museum und Institut für Spezielle Zoologie 〈Berlin〉

With 1 map in the text and 1 figure on plate I Abstract. Numerous colonies of Cmallium vathum were found in 4 areas in the North Aegean Sea, proving the doubtful1 presence of this species in the Eastern Mediterranean, up to date. Additional information is also given on its geographical distribution, the form and the size of its sclerites and its habitat.

2023, PloS one

Although the ability to elaborate calcium carbonate biominerals was apparently gained independently during animal evolution, members of the alpha carbonic anhydrases (α-CAs) family, which catalyze the interconversion of CO2 into HCO3-, are involved in the biomineralization process across metazoans. In the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum, inhibition studies suggest an essential role of CAs in the synthesis of two biominerals produced in this octocoral, the axial skeleton and the sclerites. Hitherto no molecular characterization of these enzymes was available. In the present study we determined the complete set of α-CAs in C. rubrum by data mining the genome and transcriptome, and measured their differential gene expression between calcifying and non-calcifying tissues. We identified six isozymes (CruCA1-6), one cytosolic and five secreted/membrane-bound among which one lacked two of the three zinc-binding histidines and was so referred to as a carbonic anhydrase related prot...

2023, GIOIELLI AL MUSEO PEPOLI Un tesoro di arte e devozione

L’antico nei cammei siciliani dell’Ottocento con uno sguardo a Napoli e a Torre del Greco. in GIOIELLI AL MUSEO PEPOLI Un tesoro di arte e devozione The ancient in the Sicilian cameos of the nineteenth century with a look at Naples and... more

2023

In many places around the world, there is a lack of staff for marine and coastal protected areas management. One way of helping scientists to collect useful data and helping managers in the decision making is to engage the general public in the scientific process. In this regard, citizen science actions combined with environmental education activities in coastal and marine areas in which the visitation is allowed can be powerful tools.

2023, Marine Biology

2023, Facies

The sub-fossil red coral deposits of Sciacca (Sicily Channel) have attracted scientific attention for nearly 150 years. Their origin and formation have been long questioned and investigated, given the fact that they represent one of the most intriguing geobiological events ever to occur in the Mediterranean basin. Less attention was given to the paleo-community associated with the sub-fossil coral. Radiocarbon age determinations, in particular, were provided only for red coral, neglecting the possibility of understanding which species were simultaneously present in the coralline paleo-community and which was their role. The study of cemented coral rubble pieces revealed that Corallium rubrum covered the largest time interval (more than 3000 years) and was contemporary to many secondary epibionts over two millennia and to Madrepora oculata for about 500 years; this last finding suggested that an uncommon co-dominance between the two structuring species occurred in the nearby living c...

2023, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VME) in the deep Mediterranean Sea have been identified by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean as consisting of communities of Scleractinia (Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata), Pennatulacea (Funiculina quadrangularis) and Alcyonacea (Isidella elongata). This paper deals with video data recorded in the heads of French Mediterranean canyons. Quantitative observations were extracted from 101 video films recorded during the MEDSEACAN cruise in 2009 (Aamp/Comex). Qualitative information was extracted from four other cruises (two Marum/Comex cruises in 2009 and 2011 and two Ifremer cruises in 1995 and 2010) to support the previous observations in the Cassidaigne and Lacaze-Duthiers canyons. All the species, fishing impacts and litter recognized in the video films recorded from 180 to 700 m depth were mapped using GIS. The abundances and distributions of benthic fishing resources (marketable fishes, Aristeidae, Octopodidae), Vulnerable Marine Species, trawling scars and litter of 17 canyons were calculated and compared, as was the open slope between the Stoechades and Toulon canyons. Funiculina quadrangularis was rarely observed, being confined for the most part to the Marti canyon and, I. elongata was abundant in three canyons (Bourcart, Marti, Petit-Rhône). These two cnidarians were encountered in relatively low abundances, and it may be that they have been swept away by repeated trawling. The Lacaze-Duthiers and Cassidaigne canyons comprised the highest densities and largest colony sizes of scleractinian cold-water corals, whose distribution was mapped in detail. These colonies were often seen to be entangled in fishing lines. The alcyonacean Callogorgia verticillata was observed to be highly abundant in the Bourcart canyon and less abundant in several other canyons. This alcyonacean was also severely affected by bottom fishing gears and is proposed as a Vulnerable Marine Species. Our studies on anthropogenic impacts show that seafloor disturbance by benthic fishing is mainly attributable to trawling in the Gulf of Lion and to long lines where rocky substrates are present. The bauxite residue (red mud) expelled in the Cassidaigne canyon was seen to prevent fauna from settling at the bottom of the canyon and it covered much of the flanks. Litter was present in all of the canyons and especially in considerable quantities in the Ligurian Sea, where the heads of the canyons are closer to the coast. Three Marine Protected Areas and one fishing area with restricted access have recently been established and should permit the preservation of these deep ecosystems.

2023, PeerJ

Background Among species with size structured demography, population structure is determined by size specific survival and growth rates. This interplay is particularly important among recently settled colonial invertebrates for which survival is low and growth is the only way of escaping the high mortality that small colonies are subject to. Gorgonian corals settling on reefs can grow into colonies of millions of polyps and can be meters tall. However, all colonies start their benthic lives as single polyps, which are subject to high mortality rates. Annual survival among these species increases with size, reflecting the ability of colonies to increasingly survive partial mortality as they grow larger. Methods Data on survival and growth of gorgonian recruits in the genera Eunicea and Pseudoplexaura at two sites on the southern coast of St John, US Virgin Islands were used to generate a stage structured model that characterizes growth of recruits from 0.3 cm until they reach 5 cm he...

2023, PLoS ONE

Disturbance events are an important component of the ecology of coral reefs and increasingly frequent disturbances coupled with a lack of population resilience may contribute to changes in the structure of coral reef communities. The harvest of the Caribbean octocoral Antillogorgia elisabethae provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between adult abundance and recruitment and the manner in which recruitment contributes to the resilience of local populations. Recruitment of A. elisabethae was monitored in 20, 1-m 2 quadrats at 8 sites along the southern edge of the Little Bahama Bank from 2004 through 2007. A. elisabethae has been harvested in The Bahamas for over fifteen years and all of the sites had been harvested three times, including a harvest during the course of the study. Abundances of adult colonies at those sites as well as a location that had not been harvested were also determined. Recruitment was highly variable, differing between sites, transects within sites, and, depending on the site, between years. Recruitment was best correlated with adult abundance averaged across the surrounding site. Regression analyses suggest abundance on smaller scales had only small effects on recruitment. The effects of the harvesting were site specific ranging from a 38 to 67% reduction in the density of mature colonies. The sites with the most abundant A. elisabethae continued to have the highest abundances after harvesting and there was no significant difference in recruitment before and after harvesting. Population size-structure at 6 of 8 sites that have been harvested multiple times exhibited an overall depletion in small colonies suggesting long term suppression of recruitment and declining populations. Severe depression of adult abundances coupled with local recruitment can create a negative feedback and lead to the decline of local populations. Populations that are dependent on self-recruitment are not resilient to large disturbance events.

2023, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

Sampling in the deep sea is a technical challenge, which has hindered the acquisition of robust datasets that are necessary to determine the fine-grained biological patterns and processes that may shape genetic diversity. Estimates of the extent of clonality in deep-sea species, despite the importance of clonality in shaping the local dynamics and evolutionary trajectories, have been largely obscured by such limitations. Cold-water coral reefs along European margins are formed mainly by two reef-building species, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. Here we present a fine-grained analysis of the genotypic and genetic composition of reefs occurring in the Bay of Biscay, based on an innovative deep-sea sampling protocol. This strategy was designed to be standardized, random, and allowed the georeferencing of all sampled colonies. Clonal lineages discriminated through their Multi-Locus Genotypes (MLG) at 6 to 7 microsatellite markers could thus be mapped to assess the level of clonality and the spatial spread of clonal lineages. High values of clonal richness were observed for both species across all sites suggesting a limited occurrence of clonality, which likely originated through fragmentation. Additionally, spatial autocorrelation analysis underlined the possible occurrence of finegrained genetic structure in several populations of both L. pertusa and M. oculata. The two cold-water coral species examined had contrasting patterns of connectivity among canyons, with among-canyon genetic structuring detected in M. oculata, whereas L. pertusa was panmictic at the canyon scale. This study exemplifies that a standardized, random and georeferenced sampling strategy, while challenging, can be applied in the deep sea, and associated benefits outlined here include improved estimates of fine grained patterns of clonality and dispersal that are comparable across sites and among species.

2023

An interesting site for the wider population of the coral Dendrophyllia ramea has been identified south-east of Syracuse (Sicilia Channel, Ionian Sea) at 75 water depth. Dendrophyllia ramea is a poorly known arborescent scleractinian coral, classified as ‘Vulnerable’ according to the Mediterranean IUCN Red List, listed in the Barcelona Convention (Annex B). To increase the knowledge about the ecology of the species, long-term in situ observations were carried out on two colonies using a specific homemade underwater recording system. D. ramea, in analogy with other Anthozoans of different environments, also showed a circadian rhythm of partial opening and closing of the polyps despite being strongly influenced by the intensity of the current. These aspects, of great interest to the ecology of this protected species, will be investigated with the aid of current meters to obtain a quantitative estimate of the intensity of the current. This project gave great results in terms of innovat...

2023

The management of the red coral, Corallium rubrum (L.), is an international issue still lacking of an effective solution in the Mediterranean Sea. The main goal of this research was the evaluation of the ROV efficiency as a monitoring non-destructive tool in studies concerning the conservation status of the deep red coral populations (living under 50 m depth). Both Ligurian Sea and Tuscan Archipelago are considered among the most important Italian historical sites of the red coral professional harvesting. Fishing effort in these areas is now decreased (in Liguria is virtually ceased) due to the drastic reduction of colonies of commercial size and thanks to conservation laws. Today, the protection of this natural resource has been directed mainly to coastal, shallow-water populations (living between 20 and 40 m depth), while the deeper banks, the main target of professional harvesting by technical scuba divers, still need dedicated management plans. ROV explorations allowed the ident...

2023, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

2023, Marine Biology

Data on species diversity and structure in coralligenous outcrops dominated by Corallium rubrum are lacking. A hierarchical sampling including 3 localities and 9 sites covering more than 400 km of rocky coasts in NW Mediterranean, was designed to characterize the spatial variability of structure, composition and diversity of perennial species inhabiting coralligenous outcrops. We estimated species/ taxa composition and abundance. Eight morpho-functional groups were defined according to their life span and growth to characterize the structural complexity of the outcrops. The species composition and structural complexity differed consistently across all spatial scales considered. The lowest and the highest variability were found among localities (separated by >200 km) and within sites (separated by 1-5 km), respectively supporting differences in diversity indices. The morpho-functional groups displayed a consistent spatial arrangement in terms of the number, size and shape of patches across study sites. These results contribute to filling the gap on the understanding of assemblage composition and structure and to build baselines to assess the response of this of this highly threatened habitat to anthropogenic disturbances. Fine-scale and high-resolution knowledge on the variability of the structure and functioning of key habitats over a wide range of spatial scales is important for effective management and conservation of coastal marine habitats 1-4. Coralligenous outcrops foster some of the richest assemblages found in Mediterranean, harboring approximately 10% of marine Mediterranean species 1,5-7. Most of the species characterizing these assemblages are long-lived algae and sessile invertebrates, which exhibit low dynamics and belong to various taxonomic groups such as sponges, corals, bryozoans and tunicates 1,8,9. Coralligenous outcrops are hard bottoms of biogenic origin that are mainly produced by the accumulation of calcareous encrusting algae growing at low irradiance levels 1. Nevertheless, rather than a single and uniform habitat, coralligenous biogenic formations comprise of a complex of different habitats whose occurrence is mainly determined by light exposure. As a result, coralligenous habitats can be dominated by calcareous algae to others completely dominated by macroinvertebrates with almost no algal growth. This mosaic of different habitats makes coralligenous outcrops highly diverse exhibiting great structural complexity 1,8,10. Coralligenous outcrops are affected by several consequences of global change such as nutrient

2023, PLoS ONE

Increasing anthropogenic pressures urge enhanced knowledge and understanding of the current state of marine biodiversity. This baseline information is pivotal to explore present trends, detect future modifications and propose adequate management actions for marine ecosystems. Coralligenous outcrops are a highly diverse and structurally complex deep-water habitat faced with major threats in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its ecological, aesthetic and economic value, coralligenous biodiversity patterns are still poorly understood. There is currently no single sampling method that has been demonstrated to be sufficiently representative to ensure adequate community assessment and monitoring in this habitat. Therefore, we propose a rapid non-destructive protocol for biodiversity assessment and monitoring of coralligenous outcrops providing good estimates of its structure and species composition, based on photographic sampling and the determination of presence/absence of macrobenthic species. We used an extensive photographic survey, covering several spatial scales (100s of m to 100s of km) within the NW Mediterranean and including 2 different coralligenous assemblages: Paramuricea clavata (PCA) and Corallium rubrum assemblage (CRA). This approach allowed us to determine the minimal sampling area for each assemblage (5000 cm 2 for PCA and 2500 cm 2 for CRA). In addition, we conclude that 3 replicates provide an optimal sampling effort in order to maximize the species number and to assess the main biodiversity patterns of studied assemblages in variability studies requiring replicates. We contend that the proposed sampling approach provides a valuable tool for management and conservation planning, monitoring and research programs focused on coralligenous outcrops, potentially also applicable in other benthic ecosystems.

2023, Graeber in Kontaktregionen

Tra le zona di frontiera spicca il Canton Ticino settentrionale, in particolare la necropoli di Madrano, ai piedi del Gottardo. Le sue tombe ricche di fibule smaltate denunciano rapporti stretti con il centro Europa, mentre altre fibule... more

2023, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

2023, Coral Reefs

2023, Frontiers in Microbiology

Cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems provide niches and nurseries for many deep-sea species. Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, two cosmopolitan species forming three dimensional structures, are found in cold waters under specific hydrological regimes that provide food and reoxygenation. There is now more information about their feeding, their growth and their associated microbiome, however, little is known about the influence of their habitat on their physiology, or on the composition of their bacterial community. The goal of this study was to test if the habitat of L. pertusa and M. oculata influenced the hosts associated bacterial communities, the corals' survival and their skeletal growth along the slope of a submarine canyon. A transplant experiment was used, based on sampling and cross-redeployment of coral fragments at two contrasted sites, one deeper and one shallower. Our results show that M. oculata had significantly higher skeletal growth rates in the shallower site and that it had a specific microbiome that did not change between sites. Inversely, L. pertusa had the same growth rates at both sites, but its bacterial community compositions differed between locations. Additionally, transplanted L. pertusa acquired the microbial signature of the local corals. Thus, our results suggest that M. oculata prefer the shallower habitat.