Successions of phytobenthos species in a Mediterranean transitional water system: the importance of long term observations

Abstract

The availability of quantitative long term datasets on the phytobenthic assemblages of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (southern Italy, Mediterranean Sea), a lagoon like semi-enclosed coastal basin included in the Italian LTER network, enabled careful analysis of changes occurring in the structure of the community over about thirty years. The total number of taxa differed over the years. Thirteen non-indigenous species in total were found, their number varied over the years, reaching its highest value in 2017. The dominant taxa differed over the years. The number of species in each taxonomic division also varied. In addition to the centuries-old exploitation of its biotic resources, mainly molluscs, the basin has been subject for a long time to a range of anthropogenic driving forces linked to urbanisation, shipbuilding, agriculture and military activities, which have caused chemical and biological pollution, eutrophication and habitat destruction. It may therefore be assumed that these changes were closely related to human activities. Indeed, it was observed that the reduction of only one of these forces, i.e. urban sewage discharge, triggered the recovery of phytobenthos. Therefore, it may be assumed that if the anthropogenic pressure on the Mar Piccolo was eased, it could once again become the paradisiacal place it was held to be in ancient times.

Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea

“…At the same time, the high number of NIS could be linked to the processing of mollusks performed in the area. Indeed, these organisms are considered the main vectors for NIS introduction in the basin [34].…”

An Innovative IMTA System: Polychaetes, Sponges and Macroalgae Co-Cultured in a Southern Italian In-Shore Mariculture Plant (Ionian Sea)

“…Macroalgae were collected among the most abundant unattached species living in the Mar Piccolo (Mediterranean Sea, northern Ionian Sea, Italy), a semi-enclosed basin with lagoon features [82]. Once collected, the macroalgae were transferred to the aquaculture farm to set up the cultivation sockets, each consisting of seaweed enclosed into a net sack and hung with a festoon arrangement at about a 1 m depth.…”

Impacts of Marine and Lagoon Aquaculture on Macrophytes in Mediterranean Benthic Ecosystems

“…On rocky shallow substrates, the seascape is dominated by introduced species, which can account for 97-99% and 48-95% of the biomass in spring and autumn, respectively (Figures 5, 6; Boudouresque et al, 2011). Many introduced macroalgae are also present, although in lesser numbers, in the Lagoon of Venice (28 species) (Occhipinti Ambrogi, 2000;Sfriso et al, 2012Sfriso et al, , 2014Marchini et al, 2015;Sfriso et al, 2020) and in the Mar Piccolo di Taranto lagoon (13 species) (Petrocelli et al, 2019).…”