Abstract Apart from natural factors such as climatic variation, which can drive species and habitats to extinction over the long term, and devastating sporadic episodes, like volcanic eruptions, animal forests (e.g., coral reefs, gorgonian gardens, and sponge fields, among others) are mainly threatened by human activities. Coastal destruction, dredging, mining, offshore infrastructure, oil and gas … Read more
Abstract Isidella elongata is a candelabrum-shaped alcyonacean forming important facies on the bathyal muddy bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea, currently considered a sensitive habitat and heavily impacted by deep-sea fisheries. Until a few decades ago, this facies was a widespread habitat of the deep Mediterranean seabed and I. elongata was a common species in the … Read more
Abstract This report presents the conservation status of the anthozoans occuring in the Mediterranean Sea, based on the assessment of 136 species using the IUCN Red List methodology. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions in order to improve their status.
Abstract Many fish species are well-known obligatory inhabitants of shallow-water tropical coral reefs but such associations are difficult to study in deep-water environments. We address the association between two deep-sea fish with low mobility and large sessile invertebrates using a compilation of 20 years of unpublished in situ observations. Data were collected on Northeast Atlantic … Read more
Abstract Habitat Type 1110 ‘Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time’, listed in Annex I of the EU’s Habitats Directive, is defined in the EU ‘Habitat Interpretation Manual’ as “elevated, elongated, rounded or irregular topographic features, permanently submerged and predominantly surrounded by deeper water”, which “consist mainly of sandy sediments”, and … Read more
Abstract Artemisina Vosmaer, 1885 is a poecilosclerid microcionoid sponge genus with 20 valid species, seven of which have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The present study describes Artemisina sponge grounds in Iberia Peninsula. A. transiens is a sponge described in 1890 by Topsent in Galicia (Spain); A. hispanica was also collected in the north … Read more
Nowadays the knowledge about the Mediterranean deep-sea fauna is still scarce, especially concerning Ascidiacea. Unlike their shallow counterparts, deep-sea ascidians are rather uncommon to find. Visual technologies, such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), represent a unique opportunity to observe several rare or uncommon species in their natural habitat. This study reports the occurrence of a … Read more
Abstract The tube-building polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa (Ross worm) can form conspicuous biogenic reefs that stabilize the seabed and increase biodiversity by providing a habitat for a multitude of other species. These reefs, however, are assumed to be vulnerable to human-induced physical disturbances of the seabed. In the Greater North Sea, S. spinulosa reefs are recognized … Read more
Dark habitats are distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin from the sea surface (i.e. caves) to the deep-sea realm. Various habitats of unique scientific and conservation interest are included in this broad habitat category, such as dark caves, submarine canyons, seamounts and chemo-synthetic features supporting sensitive assemblages which require special protection. Therefore, dark habitats were considered … Read more
Abstract Access to the text (Via Wiley)
Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.
We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
Oceana in Europe gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.
