An ecosystem-based index for Mediterranean coralligenous reefs: A protocol to assess the quality of a complex key habitat.

Coralligenous reefs are among the most diverse Mediterranean ecosystems, particularly in the circalittoral zone. Shaped by calcified red algae, sponges, cnidarians, and bryozoans, they create a complex three-dimensional structure providing shelter for diverse fauna. These reefs develop either on steep rocky walls or as bioherms when calcified algae are the dominant organisms.

Dominance of Scorpaena maderensis among scorpaenids of littoral rocky reefs in Corsica (NW Mediterranean): Further evidence of Mediterranean Sea warming.

The population of Scorpaenidae was investigated in the Nature Reserve of Scàndula (Corsica, France, NW Mediterranean). While absent from Corsica a few decades ago, the Madeira rockfish Scorpaena maderensis is now the most abundant scorpaenid species in shallow rocky reef areas, far outnumbering Scorpaena notata and Scorpaena porcus. Considered as a subtropical species of Atlantic origin, the northward progression of the thermophilic S.

All shallow coastal habitats matter as nurseries for Mediterranean juvenile fish.

Coastal zones are ecosystems of high economic value but exposed to numerous disturbances, while they represent nurseries for many fish species, raising the issue of the preservation of their functions and services. In this context, the juvenile fish assemblages of all types of habitats present in shallow coastal zones were studied on the south-east coast of France using underwater visual censuses in warm (June-July 2014) and cold (April 2015) periods. A total of fourteen habitat types were characterized, which could be grouped into three broad categories, rocky substrates (natural and artificial), sedimentary bottoms with all levels of granulometry, and seagrass beds including Cymodocea nodosa and Posidonia oceanica meadows; the ecotones or interfaces between the three broad habitat categories were individualized as particular habitat types.

Functional traits unravel temporal changes in fish biomass production on artificial reefs.

Artificial reefs (ARs) are deployed worldwide as they are expected to support fisheries management. While the underlying mechanisms remain widely debated, production was recently determined as the most probable cause of increases in fish biomass. Changes in fish biomass in a temperate AR system were investigated from December 2008 to November 2015 by considering seven distinct functional groups, and isotopic functional indices were used to identify how these changes may have affected organic matter (OM) fluxes.

An ecosystem-based approach to assess the status of a Mediterranean ecosystem, the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow.

Biotic indices, which reflect the quality of the environment, are widely used in the marine realm. Sometimes, key species or ecosystem engineers are selected for this purpose. This is the case of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, widely used as a biological quality element in the context of the European Union Water Framework Directive (WFD).

Acoustic telemetry survey of the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) in the Marine Reserve of Cerbère-Banyuls: informations on the territoriality of this emblematic species.

The Marine Reserve of Cerbère-Banyuls represents a refuge for dusky grouper populations (Epinephelus marginatus). Density survey and observation of the reproductive behavior of this species have been conducted there for the last 30 years. However, information on the behavior or habitat utilization for this species during winter time is limited.