Ocean warming poses significant threats to coastal ecosystems. This study investigates the impact of thermal effluents from power plants, as proxies for climate-driven temperatures increase, on Posidonia oceanica meadows and associated fish communities. Using a gradient-based approach, we analyzed environmental variables, seagrass indicators, fish assemblages, and functional group (FG) dynamics across a thermal gradient extend...

Positive interactions among foundation species play a crucial role in achieving and maintaining a good state of the marine environment, enhancing the habitat stability, productivity, and the whole ecosystem functioning. In this regard, macroalgal canopies may affect the biotic and abiotic environmental features, improving the habitat quality for the establishment of other sedentary organisms. In this study, we investigated the...

Introduction The rapid increase in sea-water temperatures and frequency of extreme thermal events have amplified the risk of functional extinction of Mediterranean species such as the endemic long-lived seagrass Posidonia oceanica . Because of the valuable ecological functions and ecosystem services the species provides, understanding the life-stage specific thermal vulnerability is crucial to accurately predict the consequenc...

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...

Defining sustainability goals is a crucial but difficult task because it often involves the quantification of multiple interrelated and sometimes conflicting components. This complexity may be exacerbated by climate change, which will increase environmental vulnerability in aquaculture and potentially compromise the ability to meet the needs of a growing human population. Here, we developed an approach to inform sustainable aq...