Plastic litter in the ocean has gained significant attention over recent decades, with much of the focus on microplastics. However, macroplastic litter is prevalent in marine environments, and while its effects on single organisms is well documented, its effects on community-level biological structures remain poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of macroplastic litter—specifically polyethylene film (shopping b...

Accurate knowledge of the global distribution of non-indigenous species (NIS) is essential for understanding their invasion dynamics and for implementing timely management measures. This study reports the first records of the marine amphipod Aoroides longimerus, putatively native to the East Asian coast, in Italy (2018), Spain (2019) and Tunisia (2022) and provides the earliest documented record of the species in its introduce...

The synergistic effects of biological invasions have long been considered significant causes of biodiversity loss worldwide. Therefore, early detection monitoring is crucial in mitigating nonindigenous species (NIS) threats. In the marine environment, settlement plates were used as monitoring devices in ports, but this method was mainly applied to assess the sessile benthic community and is less efficient in collecting the mob...

Species of the genera Cystoseira , Ericaria , Gongolaria , and Sargassum (family Sargassaceae) are key components of the Mediterranean-Atlantic marine forests, essential for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Populations of these foundational species are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, likely to be intensified under future scenarios of climate change. The decline and even disappearance of these species h...

Marine forests ecosystems are typical of temperate rocky benthic areas. These systems are formed by canopy-forming macroalgae (Laminariales, Tilopteridales, and Fucales) of high ecological value that provide numerous ecosystem services. These key species are also indicators of good environmental status. In recent decades, marine forests have been threatened by different impacts of local and global origin, putting their stabili...

On a global scale, urbanization has resulted in substantial proportions of coasts being replaced by artificial structures such as marinas, breakwaters and seawalls. There is broad consensus that coastal defense structures are poor surrogates of the natural habitats that they replace. Here we investigated the effects of the type and roughness of materials used for the construction of artificial structures on the surrounding bio...