Setting an ecological baseline prior to the bottom-up establishment of a marine protected area in Santorini island, Aegean Sea

Salomidi, Maria; Giakoumi, Sylvaine; Gerakaris, Vasilis; Issaris, Yiannis; Sini, Maria; Tsiamis, K.

doi:10.12681/mms.1802

Cited by 23 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Species diversity was generally homogenous between low and high FP sites, but low FP sites had significantly higher density and biomass values compared to high FP sites, and this trend was consistent for all trophic and commercial status groups. Furthermore, biomass results are comparable to those reported from other unprotected areas of the Aegean Sea Guidetti et al, 2014;Salomidi et al, 2016). Overall, community composition in the majority of sites reflects a largely exploited ecosystem, as the main contributors to the increased density and biomass values were fish of low or no commercial value.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Small-Scale Coastal Fishing Shapes the Structure of Shallow Rocky Reef Fish in the Aegean Sea

et al. 2019

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Shallow rocky reef fish assemblages were studied in sites of low versus high fishing pressure (FP) across the Aegean Sea, in order to assess community structure at a large scale and investigate spatial variability in relation to FP, depth, and geographic location. A total of 15 pairs of high and low FP sites were selected (18 sites in North Aegean, 12 in South Aegean). The level of FP was defined based on a fishing pressure index specifically developed for coastal small-scale fisheries in the region. In each site, fish communities were investigated at two depth zones (5 and 15 m). Number of species, fish size (Total Length; TL) and abundance were recorded along strip transects through underwater visual surveys. Abundance and TL were used to estimate biomass, and fish species were assigned to distinct trophic and commercial status groups. An 8fold range in fish density and a 14-fold range in fish biomass were detected, while community structure was affected by all variables considered (FP, depth, geographic location). The N Aegean sites scored higher in number of species and biomass of carnivorous fish, whereas the S Aegean had a higher biomass of several allochthonous and thermophilous species. Abundance and biomass estimates were higher in low FP sites, and primarily at the 15 m depth zone, where low FP sites had the double abundance and 2.8 times higher biomass. Biomass of carnivores was generally very low, except at deep sites of low FP. Given that sites of lower FP represent areas of lower conflicting interests for fisheries whilst providing enhanced biomass levels, they should be included in future marine conservation planning schemes, as they could contribute to the replenishment of fisheries and the boosting of conservation benefits provided by MPAs, once properly managed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Small-Scale Coastal Fishing Shapes the Structure of Shallow Rocky Reef Fish in the Aegean Sea

et al. 2019

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“…Most of the information comes from scientific literature, as well as from new records of field surveys and interviews conducted during the present study. Scientific literature includes research that specifically focuses on sponges (e.g., Voultsiadou, 1986;Kefalas and CastritsiCatharios, 2007;Voultsiadou et al, 2008Voultsiadou et al, , 2010Gerovasileiou and Voultsiadou, 2012), as well as studies with a broader ecological scope (e.g., Pérès and Picard, 1958;Antoniadou et al, 2006;Salomidi et al, 2016). Scattered records found in the technical reports of past projects and online databases were also considered, but account only for a small fraction of the dataset.…”

Section: Protected Species Poriferamentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembling Ecological Pieces to Reconstruct the Conservation Puzzle of the Aegean Sea

et al. 2017

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The effective conservation of marine biodiversity through an integrated ecosystem-based management approach requires a sound knowledge of the spatial distribution of habitats and species. Although costly in terms of time and resources, acquiring such information is essential for the development of rigorous management plans and the meaningful prioritization of conservation actions. Located in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea represents a stronghold for marine biodiversity. However, conservation efforts are hampered by the apparent lack of spatial information regarding marine habitats and species. This work is the first to address this knowledge gap by assembling, updating, and mapping information on the distribution of key ecological components. A range of data sources and methodological approaches was utilized to compile and complement the available data on 68 ecological features of conservation interest (58 animal species, six habitat categories, and four other vulnerable ecological features). A standardized data evaluation procedure was applied, based on five semi-quantitative data quality indicators in the form of a pedigree matrix. This approach assessed the sufficiency of the datasets and allowed the identification of the main sources of uncertainty, highlighting aspects that require further investigation. The overall dataset was found to be sufficient in terms of reliability and spatiotemporal relevance. However, it lacked in completeness, showing that there are still large areas of the Aegean that remain understudied, while further research is needed to elucidate the distribution patterns and conservation status of several ecological features; especially the less charismatic Sini et al.Aegean Sea Conservation Puzzle ones and those found in waters deeper than 40 m. Moreover, existing conservation measures appear to be inadequate to safeguard biodiversity. Only 2.3% of the study area corresponds to designated areas for conservation, while 41 of the ecological features are underrepresented in these areas. Considering the high geomorphological complexity and transnational character of the Aegean Sea, this study does not offer a complete account of the multifaceted diversity of this ecoregion. Instead, it represents a significant starting point and a solid basis for the development of systematic conservation plans that will allow the effective protection of biodiversity within an adaptive management framework.

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“…: not significant; * p<0.05; ** p<0.01; *** p<0.001. show tolerance to environmental disturbances (e.g. Peckol & Rivers, 1995;Orfanidis et al, 2001;Salomidi et al, 2016), and presented higher cover percentages on the studied rip-raps compared to natural substrates. In fact, opportunistic species could outcompete other species on hard substrates, thus resulting in fewer number of species than in natural habitats (Bacchiocchi & Airoldi, 2003).…”

Section: Levels Of Factor (Su)mentioning

confidence: 89%

Comparing sessile benthos on shallow artificial versus natural hard substrates in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Sedano

Florido²,

Rallis³

et al. 2019

Medit. Mar. Sci.

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Artificial structures cover a considerable part of the Mediterranean coasts. In the Aegean Sea, most studies related to artificial structures have focused in vagile fauna on harbors and marinas but little attention has been given to the sessile biota on coastal defense structures. The aim of this work was to describe for the first time the shallow sublittoral sessile benthos on coastal defense structures in Crete (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) in order to identify potential differences in comparison to natural rocky substrates, adopting both a taxonomic and functional (i.e. macroalgal structural complexity) approach. Three shallow (1-3 m) localities were studied in the north coast and three in the south coast of the island (six localities in total). At each locality, two types of hard substrate were selected: an artificial coastal defense structure (rip-rap) and the nearest natural rocky substrates. The percent cover of sessile taxa was calculated using random points counts over photoquadrats (20 x 20 cm). The structure of the assemblage differed between artificial and natural habitats. Values of Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index and number of taxa were higher in natural substrates. In addition, cover of arborescent macroalgae was lower on artificial substrates. In conclusion, rip-raps do not function as surrogates of natural hard substrates in the study area since their shallow subtidal assemblages differ in terms of community structure, diversity and functionality. The deficient performance of such artificial structures could be attributed to the combined effects of abiotic factors and biotic processes, including substrate nature and roughness as well as differential grazing pressure.

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Setting an ecological baseline prior to the bottom-up establishment of a marine protected area in Santorini island, Aegean Sea

Cited by 23 publications

References 23 publications

Small-Scale Coastal Fishing Shapes the Structure of Shallow Rocky Reef Fish in the Aegean Sea

Small-Scale Coastal Fishing Shapes the Structure of Shallow Rocky Reef Fish in the Aegean Sea

Assembling Ecological Pieces to Reconstruct the Conservation Puzzle of the Aegean Sea

Comparing sessile benthos on shallow artificial versus natural hard substrates in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

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