29 Cold-Water Coral Associated Fauna in the Mediterranean Sea and Adjacent Areas

Rueda, J.L.; Urra, J.; Aguilar, Ricardo; Angeletti, Lorenzo; Bo, Marzia; García‐Ruíz, Cristina; González-Duarte, Manuel M.; López, Eduardo; Madurell, Teresa; Maldonado, Manuel; Mateo-Ramírez, Ángel; Megina, César; Moreira, Juan; Moyá, Francina; Ramalho, Laís V.; Rosso, Antonietta; Sitjà, Cèlia; Taviani, Marco

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91608-8_29

Cited by 49 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…They were recorded on various kinds of substratum and in every habitat type, without showing any strong preference, which agrees with existing literature (Tortonese 1965;Southward et al 2006). Since they are known to graze on sponges, coldwater corals, gorgonians, and crinoids, they can be found in habitats dominated by these prey species, but they also occur on detritic bottoms and sandy mud (Koehler 1921;Tortonese 1965;Koukouras et al 2007;Terribile and Schembri 2013;Stevenson et al 2018;Rueda et al 2019;Stevenson and Kroh 2020).…”

Section: Spatial Distribution Habitat and Microhabitat Associationssupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Cold-water coral habitats represent oases of diversity in the deep Mediterranean. Many species of deep-sea echinoderms benefit from the habitats provided by these structurally complex assemblages, but most seem to be facultative and not specific inhabitants (Rueda et al 2019). Hippasterine sea stars and echinoids such as Cidaris cidaris (Linnaeus, 1758) and Gracilechinus spp.…”

Section: Communicated By S Stöhrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, most deep-sea echinoderms are known from muddy, sandy, or detritic bottoms, since it is these seabed types that are sampled during trawl surveys, as opposed to the less surveyed rocky bottoms with which very few species have been associated (Koehler 1921;Tortonese 1965;Koukouras et al 2007;Terribile and Schembri 2013). In contrast, more recent ROV studies have associated deep-sea echinoderms with Leptometra phalangium facies, Madrepora and Lophelia frameworks, and with anthipatharian and gorgonian-dominated assemblages (Stevenson and Rocha 2013;Michez et al 2014;Stevenson et al 2018;Rueda et al 2019). However, these studies were not specifically designed to focus on echinoderms and only recorded occurrences.…”

Section: Communicated By S Stöhrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity, distribution, and habitat associations of deep-water echinoderms in the Central Mediterranean

et al. 2020

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Limited research effort in the Central Mediterranean deep sea has reported a lower species diversity in this area than in adjacent regions. With the recent advent of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), the deep sea has become more accessible to surveys, especially rocky benthic areas such as canyons and escarpments. The aim of the present study was to assess diversity, spatial and bathymetric distribution, density, habitat, and microhabitat associations of echinoderms in deep waters around the Maltese Islands. Video data were acquired through ROV surveys as part of the LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project, at depths of 216 to 1031 m. In total, 25 echinoderm taxa were recorded, including the first Central Mediterranean records of the sea stars Marginaster capreensis (Gasco, 1876) and Sclerasterias neglecta (Perrier, 1891), and the first record of the holothuroid Mesothuria intestinalis (Ascanius, 1805) from Maltese waters. Six species were observed deeper than their currently accepted depth range in the Mediterranean. The most abundant species were the crinoids Antedon mediterranea (Lamarck, 1816) and Leptometra phalangium (Müller, 1841), which formed very dense aggregations of up to 2900 individuals/1000 m 2 in a small area to the south of Malta. This area also supports the only known Mediterranean population of the Atlantic sea star Coronaster briareus (Verrill, 1882). Bathymetric distribution varied for each species, and the overall echinoderm diversity seemed stable across the surveyed depths. Since previous deep-sea studies in the area were based on trawling surveys, many deep-sea echinoderm species are reported in the literature as occurring on sedimentary bottoms. However, the present study revealed that several occur more often on rocky substrata, corals, or anthropogenic objects than on sediments. Our study based on video footage also provided insights into the microhabitat of many deep-sea species, yielding information that is not obtainable through remote sampling.

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Section: Spatial Distribution Habitat and Microhabitat Associationssupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Communicated By S Stöhrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Communicated By S Stöhrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity, distribution, and habitat associations of deep-water echinoderms in the Central Mediterranean

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“…Despite D. cornigera being commonly recognized as an occasional species in CWCs ecosystems dominated by M. oculata and D. pertusum (Chimienti et al, 2019;Rueda et al, 2019, with references therein), corals of the genus Dendrophyllia are a consistent component of temperate coral ecosystems since at least the Miocene. Dendrophyllia corals from this geological period have been observed with high abundances in on-land Mediterranean CWCs fossil occurrences, being also present in the Pliocene and the Early-Middle Pleistocene records (Vertino et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dendrophyllia cornigera, the yellow coral, is a considerable component of both mesophotic and deep coral ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea, extending its bathymetric range up to participate to deep-sea ecosystems dominated by white coldwater corals (Roberts et al, 2009;Angeletti et al, 2014;Taviani et al, 2017;Altuna and Poliseno, 2019;Aymà et al, 2019;Chimienti et al, 2019;Puig and Gili, 2019;Rueda et al, 2019). This coral species was observed also as part of the mesophotic-to-deep coral communities in the Atlantic, from the Azores to the Bay of Biscay (Rodolfo-Metalpa et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Yellow Coral Dendrophyllia cornigera in a Warming Ocean

et al. 2019

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Ocean warming is expected to impinge detrimentally on marine ecosystems worldwide up to impose extreme environmental conditions capable to potentially jeopardize the good ecological status of scleractinian coral reefs at shallow and bathyal depths. The integration of literature records with newly acquired remotely operated vehicle (ROV) data provides an overview of the geographic distribution of the temperate coral Dendrophyllia cornigera spanning the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the whole Mediterranean Sea. In addition, we extracted temperature values at each occurrence site to define the natural range of this coral, known to maintain its physiological processes at 16 • C. Our results document a living temperature range between ∼7 • C and 17 • C, suggesting that the natural thermal tolerance of this eurybathic coral may represent an advantage for its survival in a progressively warming ocean.

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The high biodiversity and vulnerability of two Mediterranean bathyal seamounts support the need for creating offshore protected areas

Coppari

Betti

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

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Seamounts host some of the most important deep‐sea ecosystems. The unique environmental characteristics of seamounts sustain rich biological hot spots, which, in recent times, have suffered the effects of intense fishing pressure. Biodiversity and vulnerability data are extremely scarce for Mediterranean seamounts, and this, in addition to the complex socio‐economic and juridical status of offshore sites, results in difficulty in identifying the best management strategies. An extensive remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey was used to characterize the megabenthic assemblages of the summits of two upper bathyal seamounts, Ulisse and Penelope (Ligurian Sea, north‐west Mediterranean Sea). The biogeographic implications of these findings and the possible environmental factors favouring the occurrence of these communities are discussed. High densities of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (mainly longlines) and a reduction in the average size of the fragile and slow‐growing habitat‐forming gorgonian Callogorgia verticillata indicate the occurrence of high levels of anthropogenic impacts on the summit regions, which are fishing grounds for artisanal and recreational fishers. The recovery of fishing data describing the first catches in the 1970s proved to be useful in inferring the short‐ and long‐term effects of fishing practices in these previously unexploited offshore areas. In particular, the local extinction of demersal top predators, subjected to exceptional catches nearly 50 years ago, highlights the slow recovery rate of such species. Criteria defining vulnerability are discussed for the two study areas, and specific conservation actions, including the creation of regulated protected areas, are proposed.

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29 Cold-Water Coral Associated Fauna in the Mediterranean Sea and Adjacent Areas

Cited by 49 publications

References 105 publications

Diversity, distribution, and habitat associations of deep-water echinoderms in the Central Mediterranean

Diversity, distribution, and habitat associations of deep-water echinoderms in the Central Mediterranean

The Yellow Coral Dendrophyllia cornigera in a Warming Ocean

The high biodiversity and vulnerability of two Mediterranean bathyal seamounts support the need for creating offshore protected areas

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