Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 185, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114383
Keywords
Habitat-forming species; Climate change; Marine benthos; Mediterranean Sea; Marine conservation; Mass mortality
Ask authors/readers for more resources
During the summer of 2022, a significant die-off of marine organisms, including Dendropoma cristatum, was observed in the western Mediterranean Sea. The high mortality rate was found to coincide with prolonged desiccation events, indicating the impact of extreme climatic conditions on vermetid reefs.
During the summer of 2022, an extensive die-off of Dendropoma cristatum and other marine organisms associated with vermetid reefs was observed in the western Mediterranean Sea (northern coast of Sicily). Quantitative data from more than 300 km of coastal stripe indicated that the percentage of dead D. cristatum specimens, showing empty and/or transversely fractured shells, ranged from 64 to 84 % in populations having a density of 2900-4730 ind./m2, suggesting that millions of organisms had recently died along the Sicilian coast. This high mortality range coincided with prolonged desiccation events during which biogenic vermetid reefs were exposed to extreme warm-air conditions for several consecutive days. This warning report about neglected shallow vermetid reefs raises concern regarding the loss of Mediterranean biodiversity, underlining the need to develop and implement monitoring and conservation efforts on a basin-wide scale.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available