Publication: Recurrent marine heatwaves threaten the resilience and viability of a key Mediterranean octocoral species
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Date
2023-07-12
Authors
Orenes Salazar, Víctor ; Navarro Martínez, Pedro Clemente ; Ruiz, Juan Manuel ; García Charton, José Antonio
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Publisher
Wiley
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3997Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
1. Long-term ecological studies are essential for understanding the resilience of
temperate reefs to ocean warming and the response of their habitat-forming
species to recurrent marine heatwaves (MHWs).
2. This study evaluated the long-term response (2005–2021) of the habitat-forming
octocoral Eunicella singularis (Esper, 1791) to recurrent MHWs in a Mediterranean
marine protected area established more than 25 years ago, where restrictions on
fishing and diving activities are well enforced.
3. During the study period, there were two mass-mortality events (MMEs), in 2007
and 2018, that dramatically disrupted the local gorgonian population. The MMEs
were triggered by different temperature dynamics, which ultimately led to
differential patterns in mortality rates.
4. The record-breaking MHW in 2018 prompted one of the largest MMEs ever
recorded in the Mediterranean Sea, which affected 75% of the individuals in the
gorgonian population and killed 12.5% of colonies.
5. Furthermore, MHWs were detected in all years from 2014 to 2021, preventing
injured tissues from fully recovering, leading to significant accumulated damage at
the end of the study period (30 times higher than the levels prior to the first
MME), and a marked decrease in resilience that threatens the population viability
of this long-lived species.
6. The octocoral studied is one of the most important structural and biomass
contributors to one of the most diverse Mediterranean communities. These
results underscore the great risk that annual MHWs pose to the long-term
integrity of the circalittoral rocky bottoms of the Mediterranean coasts.
7. In the face of climate change, MPAs must provide areas of reduced anthropic
stress for gorgonian populations, enabling the restoration and maintenance of
natural processes. Additionally, MPAs should serve as sentinel areas to test the
effectiveness of coral restoration actions, which can help managers and scientists
to estimate the usefulness of these techniques.
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Citation
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2023, Vol. 33, Issue 11, pp. 1161-1174
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