Grazing in the dark: A behavioural adjustment in a population of the black sea urchin .

In Mediterranean rocky shores, the black sea urchin is often associated with communities dominated by encrusting corallines, devoid of fleshy algae. While it is commonly known as a diurnal herbivore, this species also migrates at night from hidden to more exposed habitats. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence of an adjustment to a predominant nocturnal behaviour in a population of .

The challenge of setting restoration targets for macroalgal forests under climate changes.

The process of site selection and spatial planning has received scarce attention in the scientific literature dealing with marine restoration, suggesting the need to better address how spatial planning tools could guide restoration interventions. In this study, for the first time, the consequences of adopting different restoration targets and criteria on spatial restoration prioritization have been assessed at a regional scale, including the consideration of climate changes. We applied the decision-support tool Marxan, widely used in systematic conservation planning on Mediterranean macroalgal forests.

Climate change and species facilitation affect the recruitment of macroalgal marine forests.

Marine forests are shrinking globally due to several anthropogenic impacts including climate change. Forest-forming macroalgae, such as Cystoseira s.l.

Learning takes time: Biotic resistance by native herbivores increases through the invasion process.

As invasive species spread, the ability of local communities to resist invasion depends on the strength of biotic interactions. Evolutionarily unused to the invader, native predators or herbivores may be initially wary of consuming newcomers, allowing them to proliferate. However, these relationships may be highly dynamic, and novel consumer-resource interactions could form as familiarity grows.

The Aichi Biodiversity Targets: achievements for marine conservation and priorities beyond 2020.

In 2010 the Conference of the Parties (COP) for the Convention on Biological Diversity revised and updated a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, which included the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Here a group of early career researchers mentored by senior scientists, convened as part of the 4th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, reflects on the accomplishments and shortfalls under four of the Aichi Targets considered highly relevant to marine conservation: target 6 (sustainable fisheries), 11 (protection measures), 15 (ecosystem restoration and resilience) and 19 (knowledge, science and technology). We conclude that although progress has been made towards the targets, these have not been fully achieved for the marine environment by the 2020 deadline.

Differential effects of pollution on adult and recruits of a canopy-forming alga: implications for population viability under low pollutant levels.

Marine macroalgal forests are highly productive and iconic ecosystems, which are seriously threatened by number of factors such as habitat destruction, overgrazing, ocean warming, and pollution. The effect of chronic, but low levels of pollutants on the long-term survival of the canopy-forming algae is not well understood. Here we test the effects of low concentrations (found in good quality water-bodies) of nitrates, heavy metals copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), and herbicides (glyphosate) on both adults and recruits of Carpodesmia crinita, a Mediterranean canopy forming macroalga.

Biodiversity loss in a Mediterranean ecosystem due to an extreme warming event unveils the role of an engineering gorgonian species.

Stochastic perturbations can trigger major ecosystem shifts. Marine systems have been severely affected in recent years by mass mortality events related to positive thermal anomalies. Although the immediate effects in the species demography affected by mortality events are well known, information on the mid- to long-term effects at the community level is much less documented.

Restoration of a Canopy-Forming Alga Based on Recruitment Enhancement: Methods and Long-Term Success Assessment.

Marine forests dominated by macroalgae have experienced noticeable regression along some temperate and subpolar rocky shores. Along continuously disturbed shores, where natural recovery is extremely difficult, these forests are often permanently replaced by less structured assemblages. Thus, implementation of an active restoration plan emerges as an option to ensure their conservation.