FRASCHETTI , Simonetta

Changes occurring over a pluri-millennial span of time (6207–1767 yr B.P.) within the sponge assemblages present in two coralligenous pillars, about 60 cm high, collected at 20 m depth, inside the Marine Protected Area of Porto Cesareo (Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea) have been studied. The sponge diversity has been analyzed at generic level,...

Floating Offshore Wind Farms (FOWFs) are the most promising renewable energy resource. Floating turbines are installed at progressively increasing water depths, interacting with offshore and deep-sea ecosystems. Thus, specific criteria to enable a sound and accurate Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are required. The still limited...

Abstract Cystoseira sensu lato (Class Phaeophyceae, Order Fucales, Family Sargassaceae) forests play a central role in marine Mediterranean ecosystems. Over the last decades, Cystoseira s.l. suffered from a severe loss as a result of multiple anthropogenic stressors. In particular, Gongolaria barbata has faced multiple human-induced threats,...

International audience

International audience

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools to mitigate human impacts in coastal environments, promoting sustainable activities to conserve biodiversity. The designation of MPAs alone may not result in the lessening of some human threats, which is highly dependent on management goals and the related specific regulations that are adopted. Here,...

AimBiological invasions are major contributors to global change and native biodiversity decline. However, they are overlooked in marine conservation plans. Here, we examine for the first time the extent to which marine conservation planning research has addressed (or ignored) biological invasions. Furthermore, we explore the change of spatial...

Ecological connectivity is important for effective marine planning and biodiversity conservation. Our aim was to identify factors important in influencing variation in benthic community structure on shallow rocky reefs in 2 regions of the Mediterranean Sea with contrasting oceanographic regimes. We assessed beta (β) diversity at 146 sites in...

Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the...