Mediterranean Bioconstructions Along the Italian Coast.

Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea are represented by coralligenous formations, vermetid reefs, deep-sea cold-water corals, Lithophyllum byssoides trottoirs, coral banks formed by the shallow-water corals Cladocora caespitosa or Astroides calycularis, and sabellariid or serpulid worm reefs.

A predictive approach to benthic marine habitat mapping: Efficacy and management implications.

The availability of marine habitats maps remains limited due to difficulty and cost of working at sea. Reduced light penetration in the water hampers the use of optical imagery, and acoustic methods require extensive sea-truth activities. Predictive spatial modelling may offer an alternative to produce benthic habitat maps based on complete acoustic coverage of the seafloor together with a comparatively low number of sea truths.

The dynamics of a Mediterranean coralligenous sponge assemblage at decennial and millennial temporal scales.

This paper concerns the changes occurred over both decennial and millennial spans of time in a sponge assemblage present in coralligenous biogenic build-ups growing at 15 m depth in the Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean). The comparison of the sponge diversity after a time interval of about 40 years (1973-2014) showed a significant reduction in species richness (about 45%). This decrease affected mainly the massive/erect sponges, and in particular the subclass Keratosa, with a species loss of 67%, while the encrusting and cavity dwelling sponges lost the 36% and 50%, respectively.

Helicospiral growth in the whip black coral Cirrhipathes sp. (Antipatharia, Antipathidae).

The coiling pattern of the whip black coral Cirrhipathes sp. (Antipatharia, Antipathidae) was studied in four sites of the Bunaken Marine Park (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) characterized by different hydrodynamic conditions. The colonies show a helicospiral growth, with the polyps irregularly arranged on the external convex side of the turns of the stem.