Reteporella spp. success in the re-colonization of bare coralligenous reefs impacted by Costa Concordia shipwreck: The pioneer species you did not expect

Casoli, Edoardo; Mancini, Gianluca; Ventura, Daniele; Pace, Daniela Silvia; Belluscio, Andrea; Ardizzone, G.D.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111808

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…A "Remediation" phase aiming to eliminate major pressures on the benthic habitat (fine sediment, debris, and man-made structures) started in January 2015, and involved the removal of 25,000 t of grout and 8,935 t of fine sediments and debris that leaked from the wreck over an area of 86,000 m 2 . After the "Remediation" phase ended in 2018, heavily impacted bare portions of the seafloor, mainly coralligenous reefs, were identified (Casoli et al 2020), presenting suitable uncolonized substrate to test and apply restoration methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch

Casoli

Ventura

Cardone

et al. 2021

Restoration Ecology

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The assessment of effective and affordable restoration interventions is pivotal to developing new tools to mitigate habitat loss and enhance natural recovery. Gorgonians create important three-dimensional habitats in the Mediterranean Sea providing several ecosystem services associated with coralligenous reefs. Transplantations of the octocorals Eunicella cavolini, Eunicella singularis, and Paramuricea clavata were carried out at the site impacted by the wreck of the Costa Concordia in 2012. A total of 135 by-caught gorgonians, caught in the gears of local artisanal fishermen or found lying on the seabed by SCUBA divers, were transplanted on impacted coralligenous reefs between 20 and 35 m depth and monitored for 2.5 years. A high survival rate (82.1%) was recorded, with main losses attributable to the detachment of the organisms from the substrate rather than death of the colonies. Eunicella cavolini transplanted colonies and natural colonies used as controls were monitored and showed similar, and seasonally influenced, growth and healing rates. Epibiosis and necrosis events were reported in both transplanted and natural colonies during summer, highlighting the sensitivity of the species to thermal stress. The present study emphasizes the importance of a management framework as a stepping-stone to achieve effective restoration outcomes, including the removal of pressures that caused changes in natural communities and the participation of local stakeholders. The effectiveness of the methods and procedures proposed in this work allowed the restoration activities to continue at a larger scale during summer and autumn 2020.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch

Casoli

Ventura

Cardone

et al. 2021

Restoration Ecology

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“…On the other hand, the monitoring of the nuclei provided information on fast-growing species that rapidly colonized both the nuclei and the pipeline concrete coating after one year of immersion (i.e., encrusting corallinales, encrusting sponges, Reteporella sp., and serpulids). These taxa have been reported as opportunistic or characteristic of the first stage of community development on coralligenous reefs (Fava et al, 2016;Sartoretto et al, 2017;Casoli et al, 2020b;Turicchia et al, 2021). Albeit not analyzed in the present work, fast-growing species settled on the pipeline sections not interested by nuclei relocation, so we can argue that their settlement was not influenced by the relocation activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

When Scientists and Industry Technologies Mitigate Habitat Loss: The First Bioconstruction Relocation in the Mediterranean Sea

et al. 2022

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The need for habitat recovery in coastal areas, especially those subjected to intensive exploitation, has increased because of significant historical loss and alteration of habitats and, therefore, adverse ecological impacts. The present study defines a stepwise approach to mitigate habitat loss in deep coastal environments, describing the planning, intervention, and monitoring phases following the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) laying along the Apulian coast (Adriatic Sea, Italy). Preliminary field activities encompassed morpho-bathymetric data (MBES and SSS), SCUBA and ROV observations to accurately map and characterize the mesophotic reefs built by invertebrates found in the area. The pipeline route interfered with 30 outcrops between 50 and 80 m depth, mostly colonized by 15 taxa/morphological groups. A functional/conservative approach was adopted to recognize the taxa/morphological groups on which to focus the removal and following relocation activities based on their abundance, conservation status, and functional traits. Saturation divers teams, ROV pilot technicians, and researchers collaborated to minimize the physical impact and the loss of organisms due to the pipeline installation. They relocated a total of 899 living portions (nuclei) from the 30 interfered reefs on the top of the pipeline. The following monitoring activities, carried out after fourteen months since the intervention, revealed a high mean survival rate (88.1%) and slight variations in the structure of the nuclei assemblages. This study represents a paradigmatic case of involvement and support of the private oil and gas sector to mitigate habitat loss in the Mediterranean Sea, and stresses the need for integrated management involving different stakeholders to mitigate the effects of the exploitation of marine resources through ante operam assessment and active restoration actions.

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“…Any touristic or recreational activity (i.e., diving, sailing, and swimming) was forbidden in the wreckage area to avoid any disturbance during the wreck removal phases and to maximize safety in the case of an accident. A brief description of the morphological features and the evolution of the study area is given by Avio et al (2017), Casoli et al (2016aCasoli et al ( , 2017Casoli et al ( , 2020, Mancini et al (2019), Piazzi et al (2019a), Regoli et al (2014), Toniolo et al (2018).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All the pictures used in this study were acquired along the northern vertical wall of the Gabbianara ridge, between 19 and 25 m depth, where thick coralligenous reefs are present (50 m long 9 15 m height approximately). The bioconstruction was impacted by the presence of the wreck and its salvaging operations that caused fine sediment dispersion and the partial loss of benthic organisms (Casoli et al 2017(Casoli et al , 2020Penna et al 2018). We decided to test here this new sampling technique in virtue of applying in future to assess the recolonization and the resilience processes on the aforementioned coralligenous reefs.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

High spatial resolution photo mosaicking for the monitoring of coralligenous reefs

et al. 2021

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Coralligenous reefs are characterized by large bathymetric and spatial distribution, as well as heterogeneity; in shallow environments, they develop mainly on vertical and sub-vertical rocky walls. Mainly diver-based techniques are carried out to gain detailed information on such habitats. Here, we propose a non-destructive and multi-purpose photo mosaicking method to study and monitor coralligenous reefs developing on vertical walls. High-pixel resolution images using three different commercial cameras were acquired on a 10 m2 reef, to compare the effectiveness of photomosaic method to the traditional photoquadrats technique in quantifying the coralligenous assemblage. Results showed very high spatial resolution and accuracy among the photomosaic acquired with different cameras and no significant differences with photoquadrats in assessing the assemblage composition. Despite the large difference in costs of each recording apparatus, little differences emerged from the assemblage characterization: through the analysis of the three photomosaics twelve taxa/morphological categories covered 97–99% of the sampled surface. Photo mosaicking represents a low-cost method that minimizes the time spent underwater by divers and capable of providing new opportunities for further studies on shallow coralligenous reefs.

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Reteporella spp. success in the re-colonization of bare coralligenous reefs impacted by Costa Concordia shipwreck: The pioneer species you did not expect

Cited by 17 publications

References 61 publications

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch

When Scientists and Industry Technologies Mitigate Habitat Loss: The First Bioconstruction Relocation in the Mediterranean Sea

High spatial resolution photo mosaicking for the monitoring of coralligenous reefs

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