No abstract

in October-November, and D. vulgaris in 2 pulses, the first in November-December and the second in January-February. Settlement intensity varied spatially, temporally, and among species. At a small spatlal scale (with~n site), settlement intensity varied between stations and particularly between years. At a large spatial scale (among sites), settlement intensity varied among sites, with Marseille and Girona generally experiencing higher settlement than other sites. No difference in settlement intensity was observed between protected and unprotected areas The settlement of D. sargus was higher in 1994 than in 1993 and 1995 at all sites, suggesting the influence of meso-scale hydroclimatic conditions on the settlement success of t h~s species. The settlement of D. vulgaris was higher in 1993 in the western part of the NW Mediterranean, and in 1994 in the eastern part. No consistent spatial trend over t~m e was seen for D. puntazzo. Thus, settlement intensity of Diplodus species to nearshore habitats in the NW Mediterranean exhibited high year-to-year variations at both local and regional scales.

As the role of marine protected areas as conservation tools becomes better understood and more sophisticated, their planning becomes more complicated. Systematic, objective approaches to site selection and design can help reconcile conflicting interests, represent stakeholders' viewpoints fairly and evenly, and extend the scope of planning studies from single reserves to networks. We illustrate the use of spatial multiple‐criteria analysis for determining the suitability of marine areas for different uses and levels of protection. This technique couples geographic information systems (GIS) for land assessment and evaluation with a formal statement of the design priorities as seen from the different viewpoints of all involved stakeholders. The planning process, while staying focused on the main purposes of conservation and feasibility, involves all the main interest groups in the definition of priorities so that conflicts and tensions are kept under control. We used multiple‐criteria analysis to integrate objective data with the contrasting priorities of different stakeholders in the planning of a marine protected area. The results of the analysis can be used to define an optimal spatial arrangement of different protection levels. As a case study, we developed a zoning plan for one of the first marine protected areas in Italy, the Asinara Island National Marine Reserve.

The sea bream, Diplodus vulgaris, is a marine teleost widely distributed in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic coastal waters. The larvae colonize shallow waters along rocky shores where, after a short period spent in the water column, they settle. Such habitat transition is characterized by important shape changes, mostly related to their swimming capacity and feeding behavior. In this study, geometric morphometrics has been used to characterize shape changes during early juvenile life. All specimens were collected in a single locality in the Gulf of Tigullio (Ligurian Sea), and data relative to their position in the water column and to the habitat selected were recorded. A total of 14 landmarks were collected on 82 specimens (range of standard length 11.2-82.8 mm). Landmark configurations were superimposed, and residuals were modeled with the thin-plate spline interpolating function: shape changes were visualized as splines. Growth trajectories were computed using relative warp analysis. Shape changes in the observed size range concern an overall broadening along the dorsoventral axis, a displacement of the mouth position, and a negative allometry of the head region. The growth trajectory resembles a theoretical saturating growth curve: shape change is fast for small sizes and slows down at standard lengths of approximately 28 mm, where an increase in size is not accompanied by a change in shape. This size value corresponds roughly to the size at which the settlement and the successive phase of dispersion of D. vulgaris have been observed in the area of study. This approach provides quantitative descriptors of shape changes and allows for the visualization of allometry. This method implies the definition of a new space for biological shapes in which shape trends and clusters can also be identified in relation to nonmorphological variables. As such it might contribute to the definition of the morphospace in the context of ecomorphology.

Mortality patterns from peak of settlement to d~spersal from the nursery area, concurrently with integration of juveniles into adult populations, of 3 llttoral fishes of the genus Diplodus (D. puntazzo. D. sargus, and D. vulgaris) (Family Spalidae) were studied between May 1993 and June 1996. Twenty-one stations were censused weekly, weather conditions permitting, along the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, and Italy. Eight stations were located in protected areas and 13 in unprotected zones. Declines in abundance in all 3 species were particularly marked in the first month after settlement. Patterns of survivorship indicated that the 3 species were subject to density-dependent mortality from settlement to recruitment to the adult population. The effect of this mortality pattern was to reduce the variability In year-class strength, though without changing the rank order of abundance between years. The mortal~ty rates for D. sargus were higher than for D , puntazzo and D.vulgans The results of this study indicated that mortality rates in protected areas did not dlffer significantly from those in unprotected zones, suggesting that marme reserves are not necessanly a slnk for post-settlement fishes.