Suchergebnisse

Final report ; Coralligenous is a hard-bottom mainly biogenic habitat, produced by the agglomeration of calcareous encrusting algae growing in dim-light conditions. It is characterized by high structural complexity and spatial heterogeneity, thus supporting rich biodiversity and a variety of sessile assemblages, shaping a typical and one of the most important habitats of the Mediterranean Sea. It produces goods (e.g. food, raw material) and services in several domains (e.g. CO2 sequestration, aesthetics and education). Pollution, smothering and abrasion from a variety of human activities may cause its degradation at a broad scale, whilst fishing and collection of organisms mainly affect target species. Its high aesthetic value may also induce frequentation by SCUBA divers, an additional cause of degradation. Coralligenous is also susceptible to invasive alien species. This habitat, which is of great ecological, socio-economic and cultural importance, is also under the pressures linked to global warming.CIGESMED's GOAL was to understand links between natural and anthropogenic pressures and coralligenous habitats as well as the effects on their functioning to define the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the coastal Mediterranean Sea and propose solutions for maintaining good environmental conditions.Coralligenous specific indices have been constructed and tested by scientists, marine natural parks and reserves managers, also through the implementation of a "citizen science" pilot network. The use of the newest data mining techniques and the development of visualization tools to sort, organize and illustrate very large heterogeneous sets of data constitute an original but complex approach. It permitted to mobilize, visualize and share large data collections, and to manage knowledge to study these habitats.The OUTCOME consists of: i) experimentation and results of new methods to build survey at large scales (testing operating process and materials during dive, photo analyses, population genetics, phylogenetic and metabarcoding approaches) ii) tools to diffuse new methods (website, services, training and field tools for scientists and citizen science, publications) and avoid indices misun-derstanding, iii) tools, methods and prototypes to provide datamining usable for an integrative assessment of the GES within the Framework of the Marine Strategy Directive (for this part, CIGESMED members initiated a new consortium using CIGESMED metadata and dataset to build graph representation, mine graphs and provide tools for environmental decision making). All the outcomes are freely accessible online on websites with open access, open source and open data.The overall achievement was to to bring together researchers (in ecology, economics, sociology, law, etc.) and managers in order to (i) identify the needs and to better address them, (ii) to determine interdisciplinary areas of research concerning the development and management of the coralligenous that could be the subject of a new [multidisciplinary / European / Mediterranean] research project.CIGESMED gathered scientists from France, Greece and Turkey, making it possible to assess the coralligenous habitat in a number of sites in both the northwestern Mediterranean basin and the Aegean-Levantine, under a common approach. Members of ten highly experienced marine ecology laboratories were involved.A total of 10 stations in France (in the Gulf of Lions), Greece (in the Ionian and the Aegean Seas) and Turkey (in the Aegean and the Levantine Seas) were selected to study coralligenous assemblages across the Mediterranean Sea. Analyses of photoquadrats (50x50 cm) and in situ visual observations revealed 313 species, belonging to 15 higher taxa. A total of 204 species were found in Turkey, 192 species in France and 109 species in Greece. Only fifty species were common in all sites. The abundance of the taxonomic groups in coralligenous habitats vary among sites and countries. The multivariate analysis revealed five main assemblages across the Mediterra-nean Sea. A number of important threats were withnessed to have an important impact on coralligenous, with the settlement of invasive alien species (e.g. Caulerpa cylindracea, Womersleyella setacea), sedimentation and factors causing algal bleaching being the most important ones.A new method and index were applied and tested in France (60 stations in Gulf of Lions and Provence) and Greece (4 stations in the Gulf of Corinth) to evaluate the health condition of coralligenous assemblages. This method (INDEX-COR), based on images analyses (60x40cm) and in situ observations, takes into account three metrics giving different levels of information: (i) the ratio "Sensitive-Tolerante Species", (ii) the observable taxonomic richness of the assemblages and (iii) the structural complexity. The global index combining these metrics was tested according to a global index of pressure. Reference conditions were defined in France to propose an interpretation grid to evaluate the status of coralligenous assemblages. This grid applied in Greece demonstrated the necessity to collecte multiple and complete dataset in order to define the reference conditions for the different Mediterranean sectors (e.g. Ionian Sea, Egean Sea and Cretan Sea). Finally, additional indices (CAI, COARSE and ESCA) were tested on the datasets obtained in France and Greece. The comparison of the results is still in progress. The first ones show the advantages and the limits of each index. They underline the need to achieve precisions on (i) their degree of sensitivity in the evaluation of the coralligenous assemblages and (ii) the impact of the different images analysis techniques.Although the global set of samples is still under analysis, the metabarcoding pilot study already gave very promising results for the assessment of coralligenous community species composition: many more species were identified than by eye, predicting a higher resolution than traditional approaches for monitoring and comparing coralligenous assemblages.A dedicated Citizen Science initiative was designed and launched in the course of the project, aiming to engage enthusiast divers in the study and monitoring of coralligenous assemblages through the gathering of basic information regarding spatial occurrence, assemblage structure and associated pressures and threats. The implementation platform comprises a data collection protocol and a multilingual website which serve both educational and data submission purposes. Online and paper educational documentation, as well as observation protocol guidelines are essential tools developed to train volunteer divers. Underwater slates based on the princi-ples of rapid visual assessment have also been developed and distributed to all participants for data collection. Geo-referenced data reporting focuses on: (a) basic topographic and abiotic features for the preliminary description of each site, and the creation of data series for sites receiving multiple visits; (b) presence and relative abundance of typical conspicuous species, as well as, (c) existence of pressures and imminent threats, for the characterization and assessment of coralligenous assemblages. More than 100 observation sets from across the Mediterranean have been registered to date by approximately 30 divers while 75 members have registered to the website, which remain active after the conclusion of the project.Metadata and data produced by the CIGESMED project have a high potential for use by several stakeholders involved in environmental management. Mapping this information needed to share common definitions on coralligenous components and allows starting building a micro thesaurus. The methodology is now developed and the first part of the thesaurus is online. A new consortium called IndexMed whose task is to index Mediterranean biodiversity data, makes it possible to build graphs in order to analyse the CIGESMED data and develop new solutions for coralligenous data mining.The outreach activity of the project included participation of the Consortium to an impressive number of Conferences, Symposia and Workshops, which made it possible to achieve not only the communication of the main objectives of the project but also the development of links with other projects, targeting Marine Biodiversity [e.g. EMBOS (The European Marine Biodiversity Observa-tory), LifeWatch (ESFRI Research Infrastruc-ture), DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status), VECTORS (VECTORS of Change in European Marine Ecosystems and their Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts) and EU BON (Building the European Biodiversity Observation Net-work)]. A flyer was developed to provide the basic information on the project. The project was also advertised during much larger events, in the premises of the participating institutes, such as open days (e.g. exhibitions for the Climate change, TEDx events). The target audience for the outreach activity consisted of researchers and scientists, students, educators, environmental managers, policy makers and stakeholders from all the economic sectors including industry. The means which were used were: (a) the project website, which until now shows a high number of visits recorded for a specialized one: 250,000 hits; (b) the production of 353 articles for the scientific audience and for the society at large. Five websites have been created from which information on the project is broadcasted.The methods and datasets produced by CIGESMED are disseminated to the STIC community, as free tools for studies to be used for any type of data sciences (data mining, data representation .), particularly through the means provided by IndexMed and through data qualification processes (which will need to be continuously improved to keep them relevant). This reusability of the data will be improved in particular by the production of data papers and future animations planned within the framework of the IndexMed consortiumThe Steering Committee consisting of all the WP leaders and the coordinator was responsible for all practical decision making, strategic planning and implementation.A Committee of External Advisors met at an annual basis, and aimed at providing advice on all aspects of the execution of the project to ensure CIGESMED to meet its objectives.

Final report ; Coralligenous is a hard-bottom mainly biogenic habitat, produced by the agglomeration of calcareous encrusting algae growing in dim-light conditions. It is characterized by high structural complexity and spatial heterogeneity, thus supporting rich biodiversity and a variety of sessile assemblages, shaping a typical and one of the most important habitats of the Mediterranean Sea. It produces goods (e.g. food, raw material) and services in several domains (e.g. CO2 sequestration, aesthetics and education). Pollution, smothering and abrasion from a variety of human activities may cause its degradation at a broad scale, whilst fishing and collection of organisms mainly affect target species. Its high aesthetic value may also induce frequentation by SCUBA divers, an additional cause of degradation. Coralligenous is also susceptible to invasive alien species. This habitat, which is of great ecological, socio-economic and cultural importance, is also under the pressures linked to global warming.CIGESMED's GOAL was to understand links between natural and anthropogenic pressures and coralligenous habitats as well as the effects on their functioning to define the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the coastal Mediterranean Sea and propose solutions for maintaining good environmental conditions.Coralligenous specific indices have been constructed and tested by scientists, marine natural parks and reserves managers, also through the implementation of a "citizen science" pilot network. The use of the newest data mining techniques and the development of visualization tools to sort, organize and illustrate very large heterogeneous sets of data constitute an original but complex approach. It permitted to mobilize, visualize and share large data collections, and to manage knowledge to study these habitats.The OUTCOME consists of: i) experimentation and results of new methods to build survey at large scales (testing operating process and materials during dive, photo analyses, population genetics, phylogenetic and metabarcoding approaches) ii) tools to diffuse new methods (website, services, training and field tools for scientists and citizen science, publications) and avoid indices misun-derstanding, iii) tools, methods and prototypes to provide datamining usable for an integrative assessment of the GES within the Framework of the Marine Strategy Directive (for this part, CIGESMED members initiated a new consortium using CIGESMED metadata and dataset to build graph representation, mine graphs and provide tools for environmental decision making). All the outcomes are freely accessible online on websites with open access, open source and open data.The overall achievement was to to bring together researchers (in ecology, economics, sociology, law, etc.) and managers in order to (i) identify the needs and to better address them, (ii) to determine interdisciplinary areas of research concerning the development and management of the coralligenous that could be the subject of a new [multidisciplinary / European / Mediterranean] research project.CIGESMED gathered scientists from France, Greece and Turkey, making it possible to assess the coralligenous habitat in a number of sites in both the northwestern Mediterranean basin and the Aegean-Levantine, under a common approach. Members of ten highly experienced marine ecology laboratories were involved.A total of 10 stations in France (in the Gulf of Lions), Greece (in the Ionian and the Aegean Seas) and Turkey (in the Aegean and the Levantine Seas) were selected to study coralligenous assemblages across the Mediterranean Sea. Analyses of photoquadrats (50x50 cm) and in situ visual observations revealed 313 species, belonging to 15 higher taxa. A total of 204 species were found in Turkey, 192 species in France and 109 species in Greece. Only fifty species were common in all sites. The abundance of the taxonomic groups in coralligenous habitats vary among sites and countries. The multivariate analysis revealed five main assemblages across the Mediterra-nean Sea. A number of important threats were withnessed to have an important impact on coralligenous, with the settlement of invasive alien species (e.g. Caulerpa cylindracea, Womersleyella setacea), sedimentation and factors causing algal bleaching being the most important ones.A new method and index were applied and tested in France (60 stations in Gulf of Lions and Provence) and Greece (4 stations in the Gulf of Corinth) to evaluate the health condition of coralligenous assemblages. This method (INDEX-COR), based on images analyses (60x40cm) and in situ observations, takes into account three metrics giving different levels of information: (i) the ratio "Sensitive-Tolerante Species", (ii) the observable taxonomic richness of the assemblages and (iii) the structural complexity. The global index combining these metrics was tested according to a global index of pressure. Reference conditions were defined in France to propose an interpretation grid to evaluate the status of coralligenous assemblages. This grid applied in Greece demonstrated the necessity to collecte multiple and complete dataset in order to define the reference conditions for the different Mediterranean sectors (e.g. Ionian Sea, Egean Sea and Cretan Sea). Finally, additional indices (CAI, COARSE and ESCA) were tested on the datasets obtained in France and Greece. The comparison of the results is still in progress. The first ones show the advantages and the limits of each index. They underline the need to achieve precisions on (i) their degree of sensitivity in the evaluation of the coralligenous assemblages and (ii) the impact of the different images analysis techniques.Although the global set of samples is still under analysis, the metabarcoding pilot study already gave very promising results for the assessment of coralligenous community species composition: many more species were identified than by eye, predicting a higher resolution than traditional approaches for monitoring and comparing coralligenous assemblages.A dedicated Citizen Science initiative was designed and launched in the course of the project, aiming to engage enthusiast divers in the study and monitoring of coralligenous assemblages through the gathering of basic information regarding spatial occurrence, assemblage structure and associated pressures and threats. The implementation platform comprises a data collection protocol and a multilingual website which serve both educational and data submission purposes. Online and paper educational documentation, as well as observation protocol guidelines are essential tools developed to train volunteer divers. Underwater slates based on the princi-ples of rapid visual assessment have also been developed and distributed to all participants for data collection. Geo-referenced data reporting focuses on: (a) basic topographic and abiotic features for the preliminary description of each site, and the creation of data series for sites receiving multiple visits; (b) presence and relative abundance of typical conspicuous species, as well as, (c) existence of pressures and imminent threats, for the characterization and assessment of coralligenous assemblages. More than 100 observation sets from across the Mediterranean have been registered to date by approximately 30 divers while 75 members have registered to the website, which remain active after the conclusion of the project.Metadata and data produced by the CIGESMED project have a high potential for use by several stakeholders involved in environmental management. Mapping this information needed to share common definitions on coralligenous components and allows starting building a micro thesaurus. The methodology is now developed and the first part of the thesaurus is online. A new consortium called IndexMed whose task is to index Mediterranean biodiversity data, makes it possible to build graphs in order to analyse the CIGESMED data and develop new solutions for coralligenous data mining.The outreach activity of the project included participation of the Consortium to an impressive number of Conferences, Symposia and Workshops, which made it possible to achieve not only the communication of the main objectives of the project but also the development of links with other projects, targeting Marine Biodiversity [e.g. EMBOS (The European Marine Biodiversity Observa-tory), LifeWatch (ESFRI Research Infrastruc-ture), DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status), VECTORS (VECTORS of Change in European Marine Ecosystems and their Environmental and Socio-Economic Impacts) and EU BON (Building the European Biodiversity Observation Net-work)]. A flyer was developed to provide the basic information on the project. The project was also advertised during much larger events, in the premises of the participating institutes, such as open days (e.g. exhibitions for the Climate change, TEDx events). The target audience for the outreach activity consisted of researchers and scientists, students, educators, environmental managers, policy makers and stakeholders from all the economic sectors including industry. The means which were used were: (a) the project website, which until now shows a high number of visits recorded for a specialized one: 250,000 hits; (b) the production of 353 articles for the scientific audience and for the society at large. Five websites have been created from which information on the project is broadcasted.The methods and datasets produced by CIGESMED are disseminated to the STIC community, as free tools for studies to be used for any type of data sciences (data mining, data representation .), particularly through the means provided by IndexMed and through data qualification processes (which will need to be continuously improved to keep them relevant). This reusability of the data will be improved in particular by the production of data papers and future animations planned within the framework of the IndexMed consortiumThe Steering Committee consisting of all the WP leaders and the coordinator was responsible for all practical decision making, strategic planning and implementation.A Committee of External Advisors met at an annual basis, and aimed at providing advice on all aspects of the execution of the project to ensure CIGESMED to meet its objectives.

The 2020's update of marine alien species list from Turkey yielded a total of 539 species belonging to 18 taxonomic groups, 404 of which have become established in the region and 135 species are casual. A total of 185 new alien species have been added to the list since the previous update of 2011. The present compilation includes reports of an ascidian species (Rhodosoma turcicum) new to the marine fauna of Turkey and range extensions of six species. Among the established species, 105 species have invasive characters at least in one zoogeographic region, comprising 19% of all alien species. Mollusca ranked first in terms of the number of species (123 species), followed by Foraminifera (91 species), Pisces (80 species) and Arthropoda (79 species). The number of alien species found in seas surrounding Turkey ranged from 28 (Black Sea) to 413 (Levantine Sea). The vectoral importance of the Suez Canal diminishes when moving from south to north, accounting for 72% of species introductions in the Levantine Sea vs. only 11% of species introductions in the Black Sea. Most alien species on the coasts of Turkey were originated from the Red Sea (58%), due to the proximity of the country to the Suez Canal. Shipping activities transported 39% of alien species, mainly from the Indo-Pacific area (20%) and the Atlantic Ocean (10%). Misidentified species (such as Pterois volitans, Trachurus declivis, etc.) and species those classified as questionable or cryptogenic were omitted from the list based on new data gathered in the last decade and expert judgements. The documented impacts of invasive species on socio-economy, biodiversity and human health in the last decade as well as the legislation and management backgrounds against alien species in Turkey are presented.

The 2020's update of marine alien species list from Turkey yielded a total of 539 species belonging to 18 taxonomic groups, 404 of which have become established in the region and 135 species are casual. A total of 185 new alien species have been added to the list since the previous update of 2011. The present compilation includes reports of an ascidian species (Rhodosoma turcicum) new to the marine fauna of Turkey and range extensions of six species. Among the established species, 105 species have invasive characters at least in one zoogeographic region, comprising 19% of all alien species. Mollusca ranked first in terms of the number of species (123 species), followed by Foraminifera (91 species), Pisces (80 species) and Arthropoda (79 species). The number of alien species found in seas surrounding Turkey ranged from 28 (Black Sea) to 413 (Levantine Sea). The vectoral importance of the Suez Canal diminishes when moving from south to north, accounting for 72% of species introductions in the Levantine Sea vs. only 11% of species introductions in the Black Sea. Most alien species on the coasts of Turkey were originated from the Red Sea (58%), due to the proximity of the country to the Suez Canal. Shipping activities transported 39% of alien species, mainly from the Indo-Pacific area (20%) and the Atlantic Ocean (10%). Misidentified species (such as Pterois volitans, Trachurus declivis, etc.) and species those classified as questionable or cryptogenic were omitted from the list based on new data gathered in the last decade and expert judgements. The documented impacts of invasive species on socio-economy, biodiversity and human health in the last decade as well as the legislation and management backgrounds against alien species in Turkey are presented.

International audience ; Coralligenous outcrops represent a "hotspot" of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Algae and sessile invertebrate taxa (mainly sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates) structure the associated benthic assemblages and constitute remarkable seascapes. Nevertheless, this fragile habitat is submitted to a wide array of human impacts such as sewage outfalls, eutrophication, physical impacts linked to fishing and diving activities, as well as global warming effects. The current European legislative context (EU WFD, EU Habitat Directive, EU MSFD) imposes to reach or maintain a good environmental status for marine ecosystems. In this context, the MPA stakeholders need to have robust and accessible tools allowing the evaluation of the conservation state of the habitats. Concerning coralligenous bottoms, we propose a new method based on an integrated approach taking into account (i) the ratio between sensitive and tolerant species according to human impacts, (ii) the richness of macrotaxonomic descriptors assessed from direct observation (in situ or from images) and (iii) their structural complexity (basal, intermediate and upper layers present in coralligenous bottoms). These three metrics are combined into a global index called INDEX-COR. Datasets were acquired along the French coasts. In each site, 2 transects 15m long were installed on the bottom. Along each transect, 15 photo quadrats (40 cm x 60 cm) and 1 video were recorded and notes were taken by a SCUBA diver-Observer. This method was applied between 15 and 50 meters depth and can be also performed by a ROV (Remotely Operating Vehicule) or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). INDEX-COR is intended to be applied to other Mediterranean areas using metrics and species lists adapted to the different regional contexts.

International audience ; Coralligenous outcrops represent a "hotspot" of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Algae and sessile invertebrate taxa (mainly sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates) structure the associated benthic assemblages and constitute remarkable seascapes. Nevertheless, this fragile habitat is submitted to a wide array of human impacts such as sewage outfalls, eutrophication, physical impacts linked to fishing and diving activities, as well as global warming effects. The current European legislative context (EU WFD, EU Habitat Directive, EU MSFD) imposes to reach or maintain a good environmental status for marine ecosystems. In this context, the MPA stakeholders need to have robust and accessible tools allowing the evaluation of the conservation state of the habitats. Concerning coralligenous bottoms, we propose a new method based on an integrated approach taking into account (i) the ratio between sensitive and tolerant species according to human impacts, (ii) the richness of macrotaxonomic descriptors assessed from direct observation (in situ or from images) and (iii) their structural complexity (basal, intermediate and upper layers present in coralligenous bottoms). These three metrics are combined into a global index called INDEX-COR. Datasets were acquired along the French coasts. In each site, 2 transects 15m long were installed on the bottom. Along each transect, 15 photo quadrats (40 cm x 60 cm) and 1 video were recorded and notes were taken by a SCUBA diver-Observer. This method was applied between 15 and 50 meters depth and can be also performed by a ROV (Remotely Operating Vehicule) or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). INDEX-COR is intended to be applied to other Mediterranean areas using metrics and species lists adapted to the different regional contexts.

International audience ; Coralligenous outcrops represent a "hotspot" of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Algae and sessile invertebrate taxa (mainly sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates) structure the associated benthic assemblages and constitute remarkable seascapes. Nevertheless, this fragile habitat is submitted to a wide array of human impacts such as sewage outfalls, eutrophication, physical impacts linked to fishing and diving activities, as well as global warming effects. The current European legislative context (EU WFD, EU Habitat Directive, EU MSFD) imposes to reach or maintain a good environmental status for marine ecosystems. In this context, the MPA stakeholders need to have robust and accessible tools allowing the evaluation of the conservation state of the habitats. Concerning coralligenous bottoms, we propose a new method based on an integrated approach taking into account (i) the ratio between sensitive and tolerant species according to human impacts, (ii) the richness of macrotaxonomic descriptors assessed from direct observation (in situ or from images) and (iii) their structural complexity (basal, intermediate and upper layers present in coralligenous bottoms). These three metrics are combined into a global index called INDEX-COR. Datasets were acquired along the French coasts. In each site, 2 transects 15m long were installed on the bottom. Along each transect, 15 photo quadrats (40 cm x 60 cm) and 1 video were recorded and notes were taken by a SCUBA diver-Observer. This method was applied between 15 and 50 meters depth and can be also performed by a ROV (Remotely Operating Vehicule) or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). INDEX-COR is intended to be applied to other Mediterranean areas using metrics and species lists adapted to the different regional contexts.

International audience ; Coralligenous outcrops represent a "hotspot" of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Algae and sessile invertebrate taxa (mainly sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates) structure the associated benthic assemblages and constitute remarkable seascapes. Nevertheless, this fragile habitat is submitted to a wide array of human impacts such as sewage outfalls, eutrophication, physical impacts linked to fishing and diving activities, as well as global warming effects. The current European legislative context (EU WFD, EU Habitat Directive, EU MSFD) imposes to reach or maintain a good environmental status for marine ecosystems. In this context, the MPA stakeholders need to have robust and accessible tools allowing the evaluation of the conservation state of the habitats. Concerning coralligenous bottoms, we propose a new method based on an integrated approach taking into account (i) the ratio between sensitive and tolerant species according to human impacts, (ii) the richness of macrotaxonomic descriptors assessed from direct observation (in situ or from images) and (iii) their structural complexity (basal, intermediate and upper layers present in coralligenous bottoms). These three metrics are combined into a global index called INDEX-COR. Datasets were acquired along the French coasts. In each site, 2 transects 15m long were installed on the bottom. Along each transect, 15 photo quadrats (40 cm x 60 cm) and 1 video were recorded and notes were taken by a SCUBA diver-Observer. This method was applied between 15 and 50 meters depth and can be also performed by a ROV (Remotely Operating Vehicule) or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). INDEX-COR is intended to be applied to other Mediterranean areas using metrics and species lists adapted to the different regional contexts.

International audience ; Coralligenous outcrops represent a "hotspot" of Mediterranean marine biodiversity. Algae and sessile invertebrate taxa (mainly sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans and tunicates) structure the associated benthic assemblages and constitute remarkable seascapes. Nevertheless, this fragile habitat is submitted to a wide array of human impacts such as sewage outfalls, eutrophication, physical impacts linked to fishing and diving activities, as well as global warming effects. The current European legislative context (EU WFD, EU Habitat Directive, EU MSFD) imposes to reach or maintain a good environmental status for marine ecosystems. In this context, the MPA stakeholders need to have robust and accessible tools allowing the evaluation of the conservation state of the habitats. Concerning coralligenous bottoms, we propose a new method based on an integrated approach taking into account (i) the ratio between sensitive and tolerant species according to human impacts, (ii) the richness of macrotaxonomic descriptors assessed from direct observation (in situ or from images) and (iii) their structural complexity (basal, intermediate and upper layers present in coralligenous bottoms). These three metrics are combined into a global index called INDEX-COR. Datasets were acquired along the French coasts. In each site, 2 transects 15m long were installed on the bottom. Along each transect, 15 photo quadrats (40 cm x 60 cm) and 1 video were recorded and notes were taken by a SCUBA diver-Observer. This method was applied between 15 and 50 meters depth and can be also performed by a ROV (Remotely Operating Vehicule) or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). INDEX-COR is intended to be applied to other Mediterranean areas using metrics and species lists adapted to the different regional contexts.

Spatial priorities for the conservation of three key Mediterranean habitats, i.e. seagrass Posidonia oceanica meadows, coralligenous formations, and marine caves, were determined through a systematic planning approach. Available information on the distribution of these habitats across the entire Mediterranean Sea was compiled to produce basin-scale distribution maps. Conservation targets for each habitat type were set according to European Union guidelines. Surrogates were used to estimate the spatial variation of opportunity cost for commercial, non-commercial fishing, and aquaculture. Marxan conservation planning software was used to evaluate the comparative utility of two planning scenarios: (a) a whole-basin scenario, referring to selection of priority areas across the whole Mediterranean Sea, and (b) an ecoregional scenario, in which priority areas were selected within eight predefined ecoregions. Although both scenarios required approximately the same total area to be protected in order to achieve conservation targets, the opportunity cost differed between them. The whole-basin scenario yielded a lower opportunity cost, but the Alboran Sea ecoregion was not represented and priority areas were predominantly located in the Ionian, Aegean, and Adriatic Seas. In comparison, the ecoregional scenario resulted in a higher representation of ecoregions and a more even distribution of priority areas, albeit with a higher opportunity cost. We suggest that planning at the ecoregional level ensures better representativeness of the selected conservation features and adequate protection of species, functional, and genetic diversity across the basin. While there are several initiatives that identify priority areas in the Mediterranean Sea, our approach is novel as it combines three issues: (a) it is based on the distribution of habitats and not species, which was rarely the case in previous efforts, (b) it considers spatial variability of cost throughout this socioeconomically heterogeneous basin, and (c) it adopts ecoregions as the most appropriate level for large-scale planning.

Spatial priorities for the conservation of three key Mediterranean habitats, i.e. seagrass Posidonia oceanica meadows, coralligenous formations, and marine caves, were determined through a systematic planning approach. Available information on the distribution of these habitats across the entire Mediterranean Sea was compiled to produce basin-scale distribution maps. Conservation targets for each habitat type were set according to European Union guidelines. Surrogates were used to estimate the spatial variation of opportunity cost for commercial, non-commercial fishing, and aquaculture. Marxan conservation planning software was used to evaluate the comparative utility of two planning scenarios: (a) a whole-basin scenario, referring to selection of priority areas across the whole Mediterranean Sea, and (b) an ecoregional scenario, in which priority areas were selected within eight predefined ecoregions. Although both scenarios required approximately the same total area to be protected in order to achieve conservation targets, the opportunity cost differed between them. The whole-basin scenario yielded a lower opportunity cost, but the Alboran Sea ecoregion was not represented and priority areas were predominantly located in the Ionian, Aegean, and Adriatic Seas. In comparison, the ecoregional scenario resulted in a higher representation of ecoregions and a more even distribution of priority areas, albeit with a higher opportunity cost. We suggest that planning at the ecoregional level ensures better representativeness of the selected conservation features and adequate protection of species, functional, and genetic diversity across the basin. While there are several initiatives that identify priority areas in the Mediterranean Sea, our approach is novel as it combines three issues: (a) it is based on the distribution of habitats and not species, which was rarely the case in previous efforts, (b) it considers spatial variability of cost throughout this socioeconomically heterogeneous basin, and (c) it adopts ecoregions as the most appropriate level for large-scale planning.

The authors regret that Table 2 of the article (ZENETOS et al., 2011) contained some errors. The errors pertain to nomenclature changes and the distribution/establishment success of alien species in the Mediterranean MSFD areas.

The state-of-art on alien species in the Mediterranean Sea is presented, making distinctions among the four subregions defined in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive: (i) the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED); (ii) the Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED); (iii) the Adriatic Sea (ADRIA); and (iv) the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMED). The updated checklist (December 2010) of marine alien species within each subregion, along with their acclimatization status and origin, is provided. A total of 955 alien species is known in the Mediterranean, the vast majority of them having being introduced in the EMED (718), less in the WMED (328) and CMED (267) and least in the Adriatic (171). Of these, 535 species (56%) are established in at least one area. Despite the collective effort of experts who attempted in this work, the number of introduced species remains probably underestimated. Excluding microalgae, for which knowledge is still insufficient, aliens have increased the total species richness of the Mediterranean Sea by 5.9%. This figure should not be directly read as an indication of higher biodiversity, as spreading of so many aliens within the basin is possibly causing biotic homogenization. Thermophilic species, i.e. Indo-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Tropical Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, and circum(sub)tropical, account for 88.4% of the introduced species in the EMED, 72.8% in the CMED, 59.3% in the WMED and 56.1% in the Adriatic. Cold water species, i.e. circumboreal, N Atlantic, and N Pacific, make up a small percentage of the introduced species, ranging between 4.2% and 21.6% and being more numerous in the Adriatic and less so in the EMED. Species that are classified as invasive or potentially invasive are 134 in the whole of the Mediterranean: 108 are present in the EMED, 76 in the CMED, 53 in the Adriatic and 64 in the WMED. The WMED hosts most invasive macrophytes, whereas the EMED has the lion's share in polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs and fish.

More than 60 marine non-indigenous species (NIS) have been removed from previous lists and 84 species have been added, bringing the total to 986 alien species in the Mediterranean [775 in the eastern Mediterranean (EMED), 249 in the central Mediterranean (CMED), 190 in the Adriatic Sea (ADRIA) and 308 in the western Mediterranean (WMED)]. There were 48 new entries since 2011 which can be interpreted as approximately one new entry every two weeks. The number of alien species continues to increase, by 2-3 species per year for macrophytes, molluscs and polychaetes, 3-4 species per year for crustaceans, and 6 species per year for fish. The dominant group among alien species is molluscs (with 215 species), followed by crustaceans (159) and polychaetes (132). Macrophytes are the leading group of NIS in the ADRIA and the WMED, reaching 26-30% of all aliens, whereas in the EMED they barely constitute 10% of the introductions. In the EMED, molluscs are the most species-rich group, followed by crustaceans, fish and polychaetes. More than half (54%) of the marine alien species in the Mediterranean were probably introduced by corridors (mainly Suez). Shipping is blamed directly for the introduction of only 12 species, whereas it is assumed to be the most likely pathway of introduction (via ballasts or fouling) of another 300 species. For approximately 100 species shipping is a probable pathway along with the Suez Canal and/or aquaculture. Approximately 20 species have been introduced with certainty via aquaculture, while >50 species (mostly macroalgae), occurring in the vicinity of oyster farms, are assumed to be introduced accidentally as contaminants of imported species. A total of 18 species are assumed to have been introduced by the aquarium trade. Lessepsian species decline westwards, while the reverse pattern is evident for ship-mediated species and for those introduced with aquaculture. There is an increasing trend in new introductions via the Suez Canal and via shipping. ; The research leading to these results ...

Este artículo contiene 18 páginas, 4 figuras. ; Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, buried in scattered repositories or in the personal databases of experts. Through an initiative to collect, harmonize and make such unpublished data for marine alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea available, a large dataset comprising 5376 records was created. It includes records of 239 alien or cryptogenic taxa (192 Animalia, 24 Plantae, 23 Chromista) from 19 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of records, the most reported Phyla in descending order were Chordata, Mollusca, Chlorophyta, Arthropoda, and Rhodophyta. The most recorded species was Caulerpa cylindracea, followed by Siganus luridus, Magallana sp. (cf. gigas or angulata) and Pterois miles. The dataset includes records from 1972 to 2020, with the highest number of records observed in 2018. Among the records of the dataset, Dictyota acutiloba is a first record for the Mediterranean Sea. Nine first country records are also included: the alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla, the cube boxfish Ostracion cubicus, and the cleaner shrimp Urocaridella pulchella from Israel; the sponge Paraleucilla magna from Libya and Slovenia; the lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus from Cyprus; the bryozoan Celleporaria vermiformis and the polychaetes Prionospio depauperata and Notomastus aberans from Malta. ; The publication of this article is supported by the Open Access Publishing Fund of the International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species (INVASIVESNET; www.invasivesnet.org). Stelios Katsanevakis, Maria Sini and Konstantinos Tsirintanis were supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the "First Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant" (Project Number: HFRI-FM17-1597). Enalia Physis acknowledges Pantelis Patsalou for his support with field-logistics and links with fishers. Fiona Tomas would like to acknowledge funding from FECYT FCT- 14-9319 (¡OJO A LAS INVASORAS! BIODIVERSIDAD Y ESPECIES INVASORAS DEL MEDITERRÁNEO BALEAR). Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Thanos Dailianis and Maria Sini acknowledge the support by the MARISCA project (www.marisca.eu), co-funded (85%) by EEA GRANTS, 2009–2014, and the Public Investments Program (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic (15%). Razy Hoffman acknowledges funding by Yad-Hanadiv foundation, through the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Israel Nature and Parks Authority (An integrated program for establishing biological baselines and monitoring protocols for marine reserves in the Israeli Mediterranean Sea). Argyro Zenetos and Paraskevi K. Karachle would like to thank the citizenscientists collaborating with the Ellenic Network on Aquatic Invasive Species (ELNAIS – elnais.hcmr.gr). Nikolaos Doumpas, Ioannis Giovos, Periklis Kleirou and Francesco Tiralongo would like to thank all the citizen-scientists that contributed with their shared records and data in the citizen-science project "Is it alien to you? Share it!!!" (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/104915386661854/). Data from Gyaros Island marine reserve were collected under the "GyarosMPA" project, funded by "MAVA Fondation pour la Nature". Data from Corsica coastline were mainly collected in the framework of the "Corsica Alien Network" initiated by "Office de l'Environnement de la Corse". Carla Morri and Carlo Nike Bianchi received financial support from FFARB (funds for basic research activities) by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. Ergün Taşkın has been supported by TÜBİTAK, Ankara, Turkey (Project Number: 114Y238). The Slovenian authors would like to acknowledge their financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P1-0237) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia. Mehmet Fatih Huseyinoglu thanks University of Kyrenia's Scientific Research Project numbered GRN-20191-004. Fabio Crocetta was funded by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TD1209 Alien Challenge project. The FRI (HAO DEMETER) team is very grateful to the Marine Strategy Project for financial support. Records of NIS in Jbel Moussa, the National Park of Al Hoceima and Cap des Trois Fourches sites from Morocco were obtained during surveys conducted within the framework of the MedKeyHabitats and the MedMPAnet Projects implemented by UNEP/MAP-RAC/SPA in close collaboration with the Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts et à la Lutte Contre la Désertification (HCEFLCD) and financially supported by RAC/SPA, Tunisia and the MAVA Foundation, Switzerland (MedKeyHabitats Project) and the European Commission (EC), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation to Development (AECID), and the French Global Environment Facility (MedMPAnet Project). Jamila Ben Souissi was partially funded by BiodivMex /Chantier MISTRALS. Konstantinos Tsiamis sampling records were retrieved during his post in the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, which he would like to thank for. Periklis Kleitou and Demetris Kletou were supported by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union – RELIONMED project [Grant Agreement LIFE16 NAT/ CY/000832]. Some of the data included in the dataset were obtained through the marine citizen science platform Observadores del Mar www.observadoresdelmar.es with the support of FECYT FCT-17-12469, LIFE IP Intemares and Fundació Marilles, and through the citizen science site of the Italian Marine Protected Area of "Regno di Nettuno" (islands of Ischia, Procida and Vivara): www.citizensciencerdn.org. Most data from Lebanon were retrieved from social media dedicated to citizen science (Facebook group: Sea Lebanon https://www.facebook.com/ groups/109615625861815/) or fishers and scuba divers WhatsApp groups). Jamila Rizgalla wishes to thank the administration of Regatta for granting a free pass to conduct field surveys and the security personnel for providing a safe environment. Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi was supported by European Community's Seventh Framework Program VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors). The long lasting collaboration with the ICES Working Group on Introductions and Transfer of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) has been a good forum where many information and ideas could be exchanged within some of the authors (Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi, Argyro Zenetos, Agnese Marchini, and a wider community of scientists working on biological invasions). A. Rosso and R. Sanfilippo received grants from the Catania University Research Plan 2016/2018. Data from Kuriat island were collected under the "Kuriat project", funded by "MAVA Fondation pour la Nature" executed by SPA/RAC in partnership with the Coastal Protection and Management Agency (APAL) and Notre Grand Bleu (NGB) NGO. The AIS/ERA (Environment and Resources Authority) Maltese data were obtained from the EU funded project EMFF 8.3.1 under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014–2020 with a total cost of €1.6 million in public eligible EMFF funds (75% EU 25% MT), managed by AIS/ERA (Environment and Resources Authority). The ultimate goals of this European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF 2014–2020) project are to devise a holistic approach towards marine monitoring and develop a comprehensive database of data collected about the Maltese waters. ; Peer reviewed