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Mediterranean and Antactic Macro and Meiobenthos ecology
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Molluscs taxonomy and ecology
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Phycology: Taxonomy and ecology of Rhodolith beds (RBs). RBs are biogenic calcareous habitats formed by the aggregation of unattached non-geniculate coralline algae. They occur from tropical to polar waters and from the intertidal zone to 150 m depth. Mediterranean RBs are often unexplored habitats mainly present at elevated depths (>40 m). As ecosystem engineers, they support a high biodiversity of flora and fauna and host species of commercial interest. They are also relevant in climate regulation, through their carbonate production and deep benthic primary production. Nevertheless, RBs are highly vulnerable to anthropic disturbances, and for this reason, are monitored and protected at international level.
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Bioconstructions, such as coralligenous in the Mediterranean Sea, are considered among the most relevant habitats due to their biodiversity, harboring a high number of species and exhibit great structural complexity. Unfortunately, they are among the habitats more exposed to threats, in particular the fishing activities. Being usually characterized by the presence of species highly sensitive to human disturbance, their state represent a good indicator of environmental quality and their conservation is an international issue. The study of these habitats, starting from their characterization and the assessing of the different anthropogenic pressures and impacts on the most sensitive organisms, provide a tool to evaluate the state of the whole sea.
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The Conservation Biology aims at studying and monitoring the protection tools, such as Marine Protected Areas, in order to show their advantages for the local populations. Indeed, MPAs, in addition to the obvious biodiversity conservation, enhance human activities through, for example, the increase of commercial fish sizes and biomass and, at the same time, the increase of visitors flows that will perform sustainable marine activities, such as diving and yachting. Conservation Biology studies also allow for the assessment of MPAs efficiencies in order to identify possible gaps.
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Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a process considering all the activities and actions needed to conserve biodiversity, minimizing the losses for anthropic activities. MSP uses maps to create comprehensive picture of a marine area where both natural and human features are shown. This allows the use of heuristic software that solve a problem known in the literature as "the minimum representation problem " consisting in the reserve planning able to adequately represent and protect local biodiversity at the lowest possible anthropic activities cost.
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Environmental accounting is a tool useful for exploring three main dimensions related to the exploitation of natural resources both in the context of nature and human economy: 1) the assessment of environmental costs sustained by ecosystems for the generation and maintenance of natural capital stocks, 2) the assessment of goods and services that humans receive from ecosystems (i.e., the ecosystem services), and 3) the assessment of the impacts generated by human activities for the exploitation of natural resources. Environmental accounting allows a deeper understanding of ecosystems functioning while supporting managers and policy makers in charge for implementing management plans and policies rooted in the principle of sustainable development.
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Climate change is due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. This results in increasing seawater temperatures, rising sea level, and ocean acidification. General outlooks for biological and ecological responses to ocean warming include severe mortality events, distribution shifts, and reductions in body sizes of several marine species. Ocean acidification is expected to reduce calcification in marine calcifiers (e.g. corals, coralline algae) as well as influence other processes such as growth and reproduction. However, the possible response of marine ecosystems to these rapid changes has still to be deeply investigated and understood.
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Marine Litter
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