Habitat Protection Archives

Mesophotic rocks dominated by Diazona violacea: a Mediterranean codified habitat.

Abstract The football ascidian Diazona violacea was observed in three different sites in the Aeolian Archipelago (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea), from 53 to 116 m depth. A large population of this ascidian was found on rocky habitat, enhancing its three-dimensionality and constituting a peculiar facies. Colonies of D. violacea showed a mean density of 0.87 ± … Read more

Diversity, distribution, and habitat associations of deep-water echinoderms in the Central Mediterranean

Abstract Limited research effort in the Central Mediterranean deep sea has reported a lower species diversity in this area than in adjacent regions. With the recent advent of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), the deep sea has become more accessible to surveys, especially rocky benthic areas such as canyons and escarpments. The aim of the … Read more

New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea

Benthic fauna of littoral and deep-sea habitats of the Alboran Sea: A hotspot of biodiversity

Abstract Benthic habitats, as well as their associated biota, have been studied in the Alboran Sea since the nineteenth century, with a very significant increase of knowledge in the last five decades. The geographical location of the Alboran Sea between three different biogeographical regions, the complex oceanography and the heterogeneous seafloor promote the coexistence of … Read more

Identifying habitats of conservation priority in the São Vicente submarine canyon in Southwestern Portugal

A non-invasive method to assess the population structure of the whip coral Ellisella flagellum

Abstract:This study reports the occurrence of a forest of the whip coral Ellisella flagellum at Aeolian Archipelago. The population structure of the species was assessed by image analysis. A new method to estimate colonies’height based on their width is presented. Access to the text (Via IEE Xplore)

Biometry supporting species identification from underwater images in two Mediterranean Sea urchins

Abstract The analysis of samples and in-vivo underwater images of two sea urchin species, Cidaris cidaris and Stylocidaris affinis, allowed to collect biometric parameters, such as diameter of the dermal skeleton and length of the primary spines. The ratio between the two measures proved to be a useful tool for the discrimination and specific identification … Read more

Differences in the occurrence and abundance of batoids across an oceanic archipelago using complementary data sources: Implications for conservation

A newly discovered forest of the whip coral Viminella flagellum (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) in the Mediterranean Sea: A non-invasive method to assess its population structure

Spatial assessment of benthic habitats vulnerability to bottom fishing in a Mediterranean seamount

Abstract Physical damage caused by the mechanical impact of bottom fishing gears on epibenthic community can reduce the biomass and coverage of habitat-forming species as well as the richness and diversity of the rest of the associated community. A practical development of a methodology for spatially assessing the potential degree of disturbance that benthic habitats … Read more