Campaign: Habitat Protection

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between two deep-sea fish with low mobility and large sessile invertebrates using a compilation of 20 years of unpublished in situ observations.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

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Abstract Scleractinian cold-water coral (CWC) reefs are key habitats for benthic fauna as they enhance spatial heterogeneity and biodiversity. Understanding their environmental and ecological dynamics has therefore important implications for biodiversity conservation. This is especially true for the Mediterranean Sea, where living cold-water coral reefs are rare. In this study, we present a quantitative analysis … Read more

Abstract This study reports the in situ observations of a deep-sea ascidian, Dicopia antirrhinum (family Octacnemidae), on the deep seabed off the Aeolian Islands (Tyrrhenian Sea), between 569 and 813 m depth. These observations represent the first record of the species in Italian waters and the second observation in vivo to date. Peculiar macroscopic features … Read more

Abstract Complexity provided by habitat-forming species in marine ecosystems has been linked to higher species richness and biodiversity as well as enhancing ecosystem functioning. This study assesses how the presence of biogenic component of benthic habitats affects the taxonomic richness and functional diversities of a seamount benthos. We used a variety of complementary metrics on … Read more