Role of two co-occurring Mediterranean sea urchins in the formation of barren from Cystoseira canopy

Agnetta, Davide; Badalamenti, Fabio; Ceccherelli, Giulia; Trapani, Francesco Di; Bonaviri, Chiara; Gianguzza, Paola

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2014.11.023

Cited by 70 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In the case of P. lividus, changes in the population dynamics can have a double-sided effect on benthic ecosystems. On one hand, it controls the abundance of macrophytes, so any increase in its densities can result in loss of habitat-forming algal species and generation of barren grounds (Agnetta et al, 2015;Sala et al, 1998). On the other hand, P. lividus at low densities can control opportunistic algal proliferation (Palacín et al, 1997;Bulleri, Benedetti-Cecchi, & Cinelli, 1999), generating patches for settlement of organisms and keeping the overall diversity.…”

Section: Conservation and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species has a wide distribution range across the Mediterranean Sea and north-east Atlantic. This sea urchin is a key component in benthic communities due to its grazing activity that regulates the density of macrophyte populations (Agnetta et al, 2015;Benedetti-Cecchi, Bulleri, & Cinelli, 1998;Palacín, Giribet, Garner, Dantart, & Turon, 1998;Sala, Boudouresque, & Harmelin-Vivien, 1998;Wangensteen et al, 2011). Changes in its abundance are therefore of major concern for the conservation of littoral communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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East is East and West is West: Population genomics and hierarchical analyses reveal genetic structure and adaptation footprints in the keystone species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinoidea)

Carreras

García-Cisneros

Wangensteen

et al. 2019

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim The Atlanto‐Mediterranean edible purple sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus, is a commercially exploited keystone species in benthic communities. Its browsing activity can deeply modify the littoral landscape, and changes in its abundance are of major conservation concern. This species is facing nowadays contrasting anthropogenic pressures linked to predator release, exploitation and sea warming. Management of this key species requires knowledge of its genetic structure, connectivity and local adaptation. Our goal was to assess the current global status of the species under a genomic perspective. Location Atlanto‐Mediterranean shores from Morocco and France to Turkey. Methods We used genotyping by sequencing (GBS) of 241 individuals belonging to 11 populations spanning the known range of distribution of the species. We obtained 3,348 loci for population genomics and outlier analyses. Results We identified significant genetic structure and a gradient matching the longitudinal position of the localities. A hierarchical analysis revealed two main clusters (Atlantic and Mediterranean) and subtler patterns of differentiation within them. Candidate markers for selection identified between and within these two main clusters were mostly different, likely indicating different selective pressures. Adaptation to maximum salinity and maximum temperature appeared as an important driver of the transition between Atlantic and Mediterranean basins. Other stressors, such as minimum temperature or range of temperature, seem to define the structuring within the Mediterranean. Main conclusions Our study shows the potential of hierarchical analyses on population genomics to detect fine‐scale genetic structure and adaptation signatures in marine species with long dispersal capabilities. Although genetic interchange occurs widely in Paracentrotus lividus, the species is sensitive to dispersal barriers, displays isolation by distance and faces local selective pressures associated to environmental conditions, all of which can render it more vulnerable than previously thought.

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Section: Conservation and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

East is East and West is West: Population genomics and hierarchical analyses reveal genetic structure and adaptation footprints in the keystone species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinoidea)

Carreras

García-Cisneros

Wangensteen

et al. 2019

Diversity and Distributions

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“…This contradicts the old paradigm of Elton [50], who claimed that disturbances enhance ecosystem invasibility. Undisturbed Mediterranean benthic ecosystems are characterized by a low level of herbivory; the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and the teleost Sarpa salpa are the most conspicuous macro-herbivores [96,39,[97][98][99]. As a result, the food web is driven by the detritus-feeders rather than by the herbivores.…”

Section: Mediterranean Species and Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

Boudouresque¹

2017

MOJES

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Biodiversity means the variety of life, encompassing levels of complexity from within species to across ecosystems. Biodiversity therefore includes several dimensions: evolutionary scale (genetic, species, higher taxonomic levels and phylogenetic diversity), functional scale, organizational scale (patch, ecosystem, landscape/seascape diversity), spatial scale (from sample to local, regional and global richness) and heterogeneity diversity. Biodiversity can therefore be measured in different and complementary ways, thus involving the use of at least 200 different metrics, which can suggest different and contrasting conclusions. It is worth emphasizing that species richness may be the least appropriate metric, despite its popular acceptance. There is a growing tendency for stakeholders, managers, government officials, environmentalists, scientists, politicians and the media to focus, as concerns threats to biodiversity, on species richness and climate change. However, focusing on climate warming can mask other stressors that, today, and perhaps for decades to come, may have more impact on ecosystems than global warming. In the Mediterranean Sea, the overall impact of Non-Indigenous Species (NISs) and overfishing on species diversity, ecosystem diversity and ecosystem functioning exceeds to a greater or lesser degree the direct impact of warming. Drastically altered functioning patterns, and even new ecosystems are spreading throughout the Mediterranean Sea. This trend is likely to become more pronounced over the next decades. Ecosystem goods and services are also being profoundly altered, generally towards a decline, as illustrated by the overgrazed barren grounds of the eastern basin, which no longer support fisheries, by the impact of the Caulerpa meadows on the scuba diving business and the economic value of the fisheries of the western basin, by the brackish lagoon ecosystems and by the blooms of the introduced comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Black Sea, before the arrival of its predator Beroe ovata. Here, we draw attention to the fact that, at this moment and probably also in the future, the huge flow of NISs and overfishing constitute worrying issues, although largely ignored by stakeholders and political authorities. Take care: Un train peut en cacher un autre (one train can hide another; i.e. one danger may hide other unsuspected dangers), that is to say the impact of warming may contribute to hiding other effects, of at least equal gravity, such as biological invasions and overfishing.

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“…Besides local stressors such as pollution and overexploitation, it is also fast‐warming (Lejeusne, Chevaldonné, Pergent‐Martini, Boudouresque, & Pérez, ; Shaltout & Omstedt, ), and is heavily invaded by (mostly) thermophilic species (Katsanevakis et al, ; Rilov & Galil, ). However, studies on the impacts of these stresses on Mediterranean reefs have mainly focused on the western basin where in many places overfishing has transformed the rich benthos to urchin‐dominated barrens (Agnetta et al, ; Sala & Zabala, ), and alien species, mainly highly invasive macroalgae, have been taking over the benthos by outcompeting native species (Ferrer, Garreta, & Ribera, ; Piazzi, Ceccherelli, & Cinelli, ; Wright, McKenzie, & Gribben, ). In the past two decades, the western basin also suffered from two extreme heat waves causing mass mortalities of sessile invertebrates (Garrabou et al, ; Marbà, Jorda, Agusti, Girard, & Duarte, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alien turf: Overfishing, overgrazing and invader domination in south‐eastern Levant reef ecosystems

Rilov

Peleg

Yeruham

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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Coastal reefs are highly diverse marine ecosystems that in many regions suffer today from growing pressures by human activities. Among the most highly‐stressed are those found in the Levantine basin (south‐eastern Mediterranean Sea). The Levant represents the trailing‐edge of distribution of native species where they are exposed to the most extreme temperature and salinity conditions, and the region is also fast‐warming and exposed to a great many alien species and strong fishing pressure. In this study, the ecological state of reefs in the south‐eastern Levant was assessed quantitatively (including inside a small marine reserve) using current, extensive, survey data with reference to anecdotal historical information on their more pristine past. The results of very extensive subtidal community surveys that were conducted in north Israel indicate that reefs in this area are currently dominated by turf‐forming algae and aliens, and sustain low numbers of top predators. Specifically, it was found that on these Levant reefs: (1) commercial species represent a very small part of the fish assemblage (except inside the reserve); (2) alien species constitute a considerable portion (23–44%) of the fish assemblage (including in the reserve) and 95–99% of epi‐benthic molluscs, including inside the marine reserve; and (3) turf barrens are the dominant substrate cover, while cover of native brown algae canopy is limited to small patches occurring only during winter and spring. These findings suggest that the Levant reefs have been highly transformed by overfishing and alien invasions, and probably also climate change, and that even well managed marine reserves had little effect on alien species presence. From a biogeographic‐conservation perspective, as both warming and bioinvasions continue in the Mediterranean, it is expected that this degraded reef state will gradually advance westward. Alleviating fishing pressure with marine reserves might make the reefs more resilient to these regional pressures, but alien invaders will remain a dominant feature in the system. Therefore, a more realistic conservation target might be the preservation or restoration of ecosystem functions rather than the original native biodiversity.

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Role of two co-occurring Mediterranean sea urchins in the formation of barren from Cystoseira canopy

Cited by 70 publications

References 32 publications

East is East and West is West: Population genomics and hierarchical analyses reveal genetic structure and adaptation footprints in the keystone species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinoidea)

East is East and West is West: Population genomics and hierarchical analyses reveal genetic structure and adaptation footprints in the keystone species Paracentrotus lividus (Echinoidea)

Marine Biodiversity - Warming vs. Biological Invasions and overfishing in the Mediterranean Sea: Take care, ‘One Train can hide another’

Alien turf: Overfishing, overgrazing and invader domination in south‐eastern Levant reef ecosystems

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