2 Paleoecology of Mediterranean Cold-Water Corals

Taviani, Marco; Vertino, Agostina; Angeletti, Lorenzo; Montagna, Paolo; Remia, Alessandro

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91608-8_2

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 115 publications

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“…Despite these recent studies, most of the instances of mass mortalities in the deep Mediterranean Sea are referred to fossil reefs from late Neogene and Quaternary of Madrepora oculata and Desmophyllum pertusum due to changes of the paleoenvironmental conditions and tectonic evolutions (Fink et al, 2015;Taviani et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural diversity of Leiopathes glaberrima populations in the strait of Sicily: from pristine to declining forests

Giova,

Canese,

Donelli

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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IntroductionThe black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is a key component of deep-sea animal forests of the Western Mediterranean and North-Atlantic hard bottoms. Due to its ecological role, biological characteristics and sensitivity to fishing activities, it has been included in the Annex II of the Barcelona Convention, listed as an endangered species in IUCN Red Lists, and recognized as an indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems by the FAO.MethodsDuring a survey conducted in the Strait of Sicily, 140 ROV transects were carried out allowing the characterization of environmental preferences, associated fauna and population structure of L. glaberrima in the study area.Results and discussion1020 colonies were distributed between 165 and 672 meters and arranged in 17 patches and isolated colonies. The average height was determined to be 40.9 ± 1.0 cm, with the range spanning from a minimum of 5 cm up to nearby 200 cm. Pristine colonies accounted for 62.9%, mainly constituted by small-sized individuals densely aggregated (up to 14.5/m2 in a single frame) in the eastern part of the area. 24.5% of the specimens were dead and localized in the western margin where we reported a rare case of mass mortality in the deep-sea environment and the first ever described for black corals, opening new scenarios regarding the possibility that these events can occur in environments previously considered safe from danger. The triggering causes of these events in inaccessible environments are actually only hypothesized, but it is not to be excluded that, sooner or later, a similar effect could potentially result from anthropogenic climate changes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural diversity of Leiopathes glaberrima populations in the strait of Sicily: from pristine to declining forests

Giova,

Canese,

Donelli

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Mediterranean bathyal habitat-forming scleractinians are generally considered a relic of the cold fauna of the Quaternary period (Plio-Pleistocene), and the majority of the sites host coral rubble or three-dimensional coral frameworks (Vertino et al, 2014;Taviani et al, 2019a). Single living colonies and dead and living frameworks of Madrepora oculata Linnaeus, 1758 and Desmophyllum pertusum (Linnaeus, 1758) (= Lophelia pertusa) are generally found on hard substrata with variable slope and seafloor heterogeneity conditions (Orejas et al, 2009;Fabri et al, 2014;Chimienti et al, 2019;Corbera et al, 2019;Fabri et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cold-water coral province of the eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea): historical and novel evidences

Bo¹,

Enrichetti²,

Betti³

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Several bathyal cold-water coral provinces, characterized by a lush growth of habitat-forming scleractinians, have been recognized in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the search for this biogenic habitat only marginally targeted the Italian coast of the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean basin) despite historical and a few recent local studies in the region reporting the presence of corals. This study used bathymetry maps, side-scan sonar profiles, historical charts, and trawling routes to identify sites that could potentially host coral habitats in the eastern sector of the Ligurian Sea. Remotely operated vehicle video footage from various projects (2015-2021, 20 dives) was then used to characterize four sub-areas (Genoa Plateau, Portofino, Deiva Marina, and Monterosso) where corals were detected between 450 m and 750 m depth. Radiocarbon dating was used to trace back the geological history of the coral structures. A small coral mound, impacted by trawling activities, was found on the Genoa Plateau, while four massive coral structures were found in the other sub-areas, mainly located in a morphologically complex and highly energetic canyon region. High levels of megafaunal biodiversity, including rarely reported alcyonaceans as Placogorgia coronata, were observed together with moderate fishing impact. Overall, the identified coral areas potentially account for 9 km2 of both subfossil mounds (as old as 13300 years BP), dominated by Desmophyllum pertusum, and living reefs, dominated by Madrepora oculata, the latter representing up to 23% of the substrate coverage. The few living colonies of D. pertusum in the area represent the first documented records for the Ligurian Sea. These data support the presence of a distinct eastern Ligurian cold-water coral province.

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“…The bioconstructions are normally grouped into provinces, which may comprise tens to hundreds of individual mounds (Hebbeln et al, 2014;Glogowski et al, 2015). These morphologies have been observed and documented along the Atlantic margins (White and Dorschel, 2010;Hebbeln et al, 2019) from northern Norway to Mauritania and from Brazil to Canada, and the Mediterranean Sea (Lo Iacono et al, 2008;Wienberg and Titschack, 2015;Corbera et al, 2019;Taviani et al, 2005aTaviani et al, , 2019Wienberg, 2019).…”

Section: Introduction Biogenic Moundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesophotic Depth Biogenic Accumulations (“Biogenic Mounds”) Offshore the Maltese Islands, Central Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2022

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The mesophotic domain is a poorly explored part of the oceans, notably in the Mediterranean Sea. Benthic communities in these depths are not well documented and as such are under higher risk from anthropogenic impacts. Hard substrate habitats in this depth window are not common and are a key ecotope. The Malta Plateau in the central Mediterranean, which is characterized by low sedimentation rates, offers a potentially unexplored domain for these features. Bathymetric and backscatter data offshore of the eastern coast of the island of Malta were used to identify > 1,700 small structures in mesophotic depths. These structures were verified to be biogenic mounds by dives. The mounds extend from several meters to tens of meters in diameter and occur in two main depth windows −40 to 83 meters below present sea level (mbpsl) and 83–120 mbpsl—each formed probably in a different stage during the last glacial cycle. The mounds are composed of interlocking bioconstruction by encrusting organisms and are colonized by sponges and various cold water corals (most of which are protected; e.g., Madrepora oculata). This unique and important habitat is currently under grave threat by human activity, most immediately by trawling and anchoring activity.

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2 Paleoecology of Mediterranean Cold-Water Corals

Cited by 5 publications

References 115 publications

Structural diversity of Leiopathes glaberrima populations in the strait of Sicily: from pristine to declining forests

Structural diversity of Leiopathes glaberrima populations in the strait of Sicily: from pristine to declining forests

The cold-water coral province of the eastern Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea): historical and novel evidences

Mesophotic Depth Biogenic Accumulations (“Biogenic Mounds”) Offshore the Maltese Islands, Central Mediterranean Sea

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