Biometric relationships in the red sea pen Pennatula rubra (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea)

Chimienti, Giovanni; Tursi, Angelo

doi:10.1109/metrosea.2018.8657885

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Until now, accounts of "swimming" in adult holothuroids were thought to be unique to certain deep-sea species (Rogacheva, Gebruk, & Alt, 2012), except for burst responses to predator encounters (Legault & Himmelman, 1993;Margolin, 1976 (Sheehan & Cousens, 2017) and "inflating" in pennatulacean corals (Chimienti, Angeletti, & Mastrototaro, 2018), supporting that ABA-assisted locomotion could be widespread, if not generalized. While most larval forms disperse through mid-column or near-surface currents, the potential contribution of bottom currents to ABA-assisted migration suggests that dispersal of benthic species may not only occur over longer periods, but also take advantage of broader oceanographic processes than typically accounted for in plankton-centric models (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active buoyancy adjustment increases dispersal potential in benthic marine animals

Hamel¹,

Sun

Gianasi

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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While the study of dispersal and connectivity in the ocean typically centres on pelagic species and planktonic larval stages of benthic species, the present work explores an overlooked locomotor means in post‐settlement benthic stages that redefines their dispersal potential.Members of the echinoderm class Holothuroidea colonize a diversity of marine environments world‐wide, where they play key ecological and economical roles, making their conservation a priority. Holothuroids are commonly called sea cucumbers or sea slugs to reflect their slow movements and are assumed to disperse chiefly through pelagic larvae.The present study documents and explores their unexpected ability to actively modify their buoyancy, leading them to tumble or float at speeds orders of magnitudes faster than through benthic crawling. Two focal species representing different taxonomic orders, geographic distributions and reproductive strategies were studied over several years.Active buoyancy adjustment (ABA) was achieved through a rapid increase in water‐to‐flesh ratio by up to 740%, leading to bloating, and simultaneously detachment from the substrate. It occurred as early as 6 months post settlement in juveniles and was recorded in wild adult populations. In experimental trials, ABA was triggered by high conspecific density, decreasing salinity and increasing water turbidity. Based on field video footage, ABA‐assisted movements generated speeds of up to 90 km/day.These findings imply that displacement during planktonic larval stages may not supersede the locomotor capacity of benthic stages, challenging the notion of sedentarity. Combining the present results and anecdotal reports, ABA emerges as a generalized means of dispersal among benthic animals, with critical implications for world‐wide management and conservation of commercially and ecologically significant species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active buoyancy adjustment increases dispersal potential in benthic marine animals

Hamel¹,

Sun

Gianasi

et al. 2019

Journal of Animal Ecology

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“…These species were mainly associated with more vertical slopes (Gori et al, ; Hiscock, ). Finally, Pennatula rubra also occurs in the shallow waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, but has adapted to live on silty, sandy/silty, and sandy/muddy bottoms (Chimienti, Angeletti, & Mastrototaro, ; Chimienti, Maiorano, & Mastrototaro, ; Gili & Pagès, ), with an anchoring muscular peduncle (Bayer, ; Williams, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benthic habitat modelling and mapping as a conservation tool for marine protected areas: A seamount in the western Mediterranean

Torriente

González-Irusta

Aguilar³

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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1. An ecologically representative, well-connected, and effectively managed system of marine protected areas (MPAs) has positive ecological and environmental effects as well as social and economic benefits. Although progress in expanding the coverage of MPAs has been made, the application of management tools has not yet been implemented in most of these areas.2. In this work, distribution models were applied to nine benthic habitats on a Mediterranean seamount within an MPA for conservation purposes. Benthic habitat occurrences were identified from 55 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) transects, at depths from 76 to 700 m, and data derived from multibeam bathymetry. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied to link the presence of each benthic habitat to local environmental proxies (depth, slope, backscatter, aspect, and bathymetric position index, BPI).3. The main environmental drivers of habitat distribution were depth, slope, and BPI.Based on this result, five different geomorphological areas were distinguished. A full coverage map indicating the potential benthic habitat distribution on the seamount was obtained to inform spatial management. The distribution of those habitats identified as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs)was used to make recommendations on zonation for developing the management plan of the MPA. This process reveals itself as an appropriate methodological approach that can be developed in other areas of the Natura 2000 marine network.

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“…In previous studies conducted in southern Italy, in the Ionian Sea 85 , the presence of this habitat was related to Pennatula rubra fi elds. Similar C. macrophthalma bioturbations have also been documented in other Mediterranean sites, such as in Cabrera National Park, Spain.…”

Section: Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Towards the creation of a marine protected area in the Aeolian Islands. Results of the 2018 Aeolian Expedition

Álvarez¹,

Perry²,

Garcı́a³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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The Aeolian archipelago, off the northern coast of Sicily, has long been recognised as a major area of importance for marine biodiversity. The waters surrounding these volcanic islands are characterised by steeply sloped bottoms that host a wide array of habitats – including seagrass meadows, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents – over a large depth range, and are home to iconic species such as loggerhead sea turtle, sperm whale, swordfish, and bluefin tuna. In 1982, the Aeolian Islands were formally identified under Italian law as the site of a potential marine protected area (MPA). Years later, in 2016, the Italian government committed to establishing an Aeolian MPA and began the official process to create it. Critically, this process depends on in‑depth knowledge about marine life in Aeolian waters. However, only limited research had been carried out on deep‑sea ecosystems in the archipelago. While earlier studies by Oceana and others had suggested the presence of important deep‑sea ecosystems in Aeolian waters, detailed information was lacking. To address this data gap, Oceana carried out a one‑month research expedition in 2018. Surveys were conducted across the Aeolian archipelago, using a combination of methods to study seabed habitats and species down to a depth of 989 m. The expedition documented a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from meadows of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) in the shallowest areas, to gardens of gorgonians (such as Bebryce mollis, Swiftia dubia, and Villogorgia bebrycoides) and forests and aggregations of black corals (such as Antipathes dichotoma, Antipathella subpinnata and Leiopathes glaberrima) at intermediate depths, and glass sponge aggregations (Farrea bowerbanki) on the deepest rocky bottoms surveyed.

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Biometric relationships in the red sea pen Pennatula rubra (Cnidaria: Pennatulacea)

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Active buoyancy adjustment increases dispersal potential in benthic marine animals

Active buoyancy adjustment increases dispersal potential in benthic marine animals

Benthic habitat modelling and mapping as a conservation tool for marine protected areas: A seamount in the western Mediterranean

Towards the creation of a marine protected area in the Aeolian Islands. Results of the 2018 Aeolian Expedition

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