Coral reefs are typically widespread in shallow waters from tropical seas, while in the Mediterranean Sea they currently have a very reduced extension. Only recently, a true coral reef has been identified on mesophotic bottoms along the coasts of southeastern Italy. The reef was mainly built by the non-symbiotic Caryophylliidae Phyllangia americana mouchezii and Polycyathus muellerae . Investigating the reproductive cycle of a...

A comprehensive overview of the benthic assemblages associated with bioconstructions in the mesophotic zone of the southern Adriatic Sea is provided through a comparison of algal- and invertebrate-based bioconstructions. To characterize these bioconstructions, sampling was conducted at six sites along the Apulian coast (Italy). Algal-based bioconstructions were found in shallower areas and corresponded to coralligenous sensu s...

This study investigates the effects on hard-bottom macro-zoobenthic communities of converting a mariculture plant into an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system. This study was conducted from 2018 to 2021 in the semi-enclosed Mar Grande basin of Taranto (northern Ionian Sea), on a facility located 600 m off the coastline, with a production capacity of 100 tons per year of seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and seabream...

The taxonomic composition, structure, and distribution patterns of the macrobenthos associated with Corallium rubrum were studied along the coast of Taranto (Ionian Sea), together with the main features of their red coral population. Underwater video transects were performed by professional divers at three sites in correspondence with coralligenous formations at depths from 50 to 65 m. The results revealed a patchy distributio...

In the light of future ocean warming scenarios and habitat fragmentation, coastal fishes must adjust their physiological and behavioral traits to face the combined effect of global warming and ecological interactions. Seahorses ( Hippocampus spp.) are charismatic fishes with peculiar life cycle traits, which make them vulnerable to several anthropic pressures and natural disturbances. In this study, we investigated the behavio...

The strong growth of the aquaculture industry can represent a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and requires the development of new strategies to control and minimize the impact of such activities on the structure and function of biological communities [...]

Seahorses are small sedentary fish considered flagship species of the conservation efforts. They are particularly vulnerable to human pressures because inhabiting threatened coastal ecosystems. Indeed, the worldwide decline of local populations in the last decades led to the inclusion of all seahorse species on the IUCN Red List, where most species, including Hippocampus guttulatus , were classified as ‘‘Data Deficient’’ on a...

Sabellaria spinulosa (Leukhart, 1849) is a suspension feeding polychaeta that lives in tubes consisting of terrigenous particles captured by the worm itself. They form impressive reefs containing millions of worm tubes. In temperate marine areas, under optimal environmental conditions, these structures can become natural breakwaters and can play an active role in sandy beaches’ defense. In this work, we report procedures aimed...

The use of marine sponges dates back thousands of years, and interest in these animals is increasing as new applications are discovered. Their potential is extensive, both in their ancient and still popular use as bath sponges for cosmetics and regarding the more recent discovery of bioactive secondary metabolites mainly of interest for the pharmaceutical industry and the less developed aquariology. Despite their proven biofil...

Coralligenous bioconstructions are one of the Mediterranean’s most distinctive and biodiverse marine habitats. This research aimed to provide a preliminary characterization of macrobenthic coralligenous assemblages at four sites located in the Marine National Park of Karaburun-Sazan in Albania. We analyzed images obtained from videos recorded along underwater transects at two different depths. Over a total of 61 taxa (3 Rhodop...

A widespread and diversified mesophotic system of carbonate bioconstructions along the Southern Adriatic and Ionian Italian coasts is described, providing new data on the distribution, structure and associated megabenthic assemblages of mesophotic Mediterranean bioconstructions. The bioconstructions were detected at six different sites off the coasts of Apulia, in presence of marked morphological escarpments, developing on a b...

The expansion of aquaculture practices in coastal areas can alter the balance of microbial communities in nearby marine ecosystems with negative impacts on both farmed and natural species, as well as on human health through their consumption. Among marine filter-feeder invertebrates, poriferans are known as effective microbial bioremediators, even though they are currently still underutilized in association with fish maricultu...

The biodiversity of macrobenthic invertebrates of two artificial hard substrates close to a mariculture plant was assessed in order to understand the effect on the fouling community of an innovative Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system. The examined hard substrates were ( i ) vertical bare collectors that are placed around the cages as new colonizable substrates, which were investigated from the early colonizatio...

Illegal wildlife trade is considered one of the most serious threats to biodiversity worldwide, along with habitat loss/degradation and overfishing of wild stocks. Seahorses are considered at high risk as these fish represent an important component of traditional Chinese medicine but are also sold as curios and ornamental fish. On a worldwide level, illegal trade is controlled by numerous laws and regulations, but it seems to...

Sponges are an important constituent of filter-feeder benthic communities, characterized by high ecological plasticity and abundance. Free bacteria constitute an important quota of their diet, making them excellent candidates in aquaculture microbial bioremediation, where bacteria can be a serious problem. Although there are studies on this topic, certain promising species are still under investigation. Here we report applied...

In this paper, we report data from the first year of rearing of a set of filter feeder bioremediator organisms: macrobenthic invertebrates (sabellid polychaetes and sponges), coupled with macroalgae, realized in a mariculture fish farm. This innovative integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system was realized at a preindustrial level in the Gulf of Taranto (southern Italy, northern Ionian Sea), within the framework of th...

Lack of detailed knowledge on ecological niche, life cycles, spatial distribution, reproductive biology and space use strongly affects the selection of useful tools and measures in the conservation of threatened marine species. Especially for sedentary and slow species, behaviour and movement capacities are supposed to be the most important functional traits. Indeed, behavioural variability concerning available space and the c...

Observations on the reproductive behavior and larval development of the bristled fireworm Hermodice carunculata, a common inhabitant of shallow marine rocky bottoms in the Southern Mediterranean Sea, are reported here. In recent years, an increase in abundance and a northward expansion of the populations along the Southern Italian coast were jointly detected, presumably linked to rising water temperature in the Mediterranean S...

In recent decades, the high introduction rate of alien species (AS) has been mainly due to the increasingly widespread human movements, which often compromise natural barriers, facilitating the invasion of new geographic areas and environments. Being completely new in the recipient habitat, alien invasive species can often have strongly negative impacts on native communities, sometimes causing substantial and irreversible ecol...

Filter feeding invertebrates are a relevant component of fouling assemblages with a pivotal role in ecological processes, since they improve water quality, enhance habitat heterogeneity and transfer organic matter from the water column to the benthos. They modulate the availability of resources to other species, with effects on the density and behavior of the surrounding macrofauna. The fanworm Sabella spallanzanii, one of the...