The assessment of effective and affordable restoration interventions is pivotal to developing new tools to mitigate habitat loss and enhance natural recovery. Gorgonians create important three-dimensional habitats in the Mediterranean Sea providing several ecosystem services associated with coralligenous reefs. Transplantations of the octocorals Eunicella cavolini, E. singularis, and Paramuricea clavata were carried out at the site impacted by the wreck of the Costa Concordia in 2012. A total of 135 by-caught gorgonians, caught in the gears of local artisanal fishermen or found lying on the seabed by SCUBA divers, were transplanted on impacted coralligenous reefs between 20 and 35 m depth and monitored for 2.5 years. A high survival rate (82.1%) was recorded, with main losses attributable to the detachment of the organisms from the substrate rather than death of the colonies. Eunicella cavolini transplanted colonies and natural colonies used as controls were monitored and showed similar, and seasonally influenced, growth and healing rates. Epibiosis and necrosis events were reported in both transplanted and natural colonies during summer, highlighting the sensitivity of the species to thermal stress. The present study emphasizes the importance of a management framework as a stepping-stone to achieve effective restoration outcomes, including the removal of pressures that caused changes in natural communities and the participation of local stakeholders. The effectiveness of the methods and procedures proposed in this work allowed the restoration activities to continue at a larger scale during summer and autumn 2020.

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch / Casoli, Edoardo; Ventura, Daniele; Mancini, Gianluca; Cardone, Sara; Farina, Fulvia; Donnini, Lorenzo; Pace, Daniela Silvia; Shaul, Richard; Belluscio, Andrea; Ardizzone, Giandomenico. - In: RESTORATION ECOLOGY. - ISSN 1061-2971. - (2021). [10.1111/rec.13465]

Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch

Casoli, Edoardo
;
Ventura, Daniele;Mancini, Gianluca;Pace, Daniela Silvia;Belluscio, Andrea;
2021

Abstract

The assessment of effective and affordable restoration interventions is pivotal to developing new tools to mitigate habitat loss and enhance natural recovery. Gorgonians create important three-dimensional habitats in the Mediterranean Sea providing several ecosystem services associated with coralligenous reefs. Transplantations of the octocorals Eunicella cavolini, E. singularis, and Paramuricea clavata were carried out at the site impacted by the wreck of the Costa Concordia in 2012. A total of 135 by-caught gorgonians, caught in the gears of local artisanal fishermen or found lying on the seabed by SCUBA divers, were transplanted on impacted coralligenous reefs between 20 and 35 m depth and monitored for 2.5 years. A high survival rate (82.1%) was recorded, with main losses attributable to the detachment of the organisms from the substrate rather than death of the colonies. Eunicella cavolini transplanted colonies and natural colonies used as controls were monitored and showed similar, and seasonally influenced, growth and healing rates. Epibiosis and necrosis events were reported in both transplanted and natural colonies during summer, highlighting the sensitivity of the species to thermal stress. The present study emphasizes the importance of a management framework as a stepping-stone to achieve effective restoration outcomes, including the removal of pressures that caused changes in natural communities and the participation of local stakeholders. The effectiveness of the methods and procedures proposed in this work allowed the restoration activities to continue at a larger scale during summer and autumn 2020.
2021
human impacts; Mediterranean Sea; coralligenous reefs; Eunicella cavolini; Eunicella singularis; Paramuricea clavata
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Rehabilitation of Mediterranean animal forests using gorgonians from fisheries by‐catch / Casoli, Edoardo; Ventura, Daniele; Mancini, Gianluca; Cardone, Sara; Farina, Fulvia; Donnini, Lorenzo; Pace, Daniela Silvia; Shaul, Richard; Belluscio, Andrea; Ardizzone, Giandomenico. - In: RESTORATION ECOLOGY. - ISSN 1061-2971. - (2021). [10.1111/rec.13465]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Casoli_Rehabilitation_2021.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 7.03 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
7.03 MB Adobe PDF

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1550599
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 12
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 11
social impact