Danovaro
Roberto
Danovaro
Roberto
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ArticleIdentifying priorities for the protection of deep Mediterranean Sea ecosystems through an integrated approach(Frontiers Media, 2021-07-22) Fanelli, Emanuela ; Bianchelli, Silvia ; Foglini, Federica ; Canals, Miquel ; Castellan, Giorgio ; Güell-Bujons, Queralt ; Galil, Bella S. ; Goren, Menachem ; Evans, Julian ; Fabri, Marie-Claire ; Vaz, Sandrine ; Ciuffardi, Tiziana ; Schembri, Patrick J. ; Angeletti, Lorenzo ; Taviani, Marco ; Danovaro, RobertoBenthic habitats of the deep Mediterranean Sea and the biodiversity they host are increasingly jeopardized by increasing human pressures, both direct and indirect, which encompass fisheries, chemical and acoustic pollution, littering, oil and gas exploration and production and marine infrastructures (i.e., cable and pipeline laying), and bioprospecting. To this, is added the pervasive and growing effects of human-induced perturbations of the climate system. International frameworks provide foundations for the protection of deep-sea ecosystems, but the lack of standardized criteria for the identification of areas deserving protection, insufficient legislative instruments and poor implementation hinder an efficient set up in practical terms. Here, we discuss the international legal frameworks and management measures in relation to the status of habitats and key species in the deep Mediterranean Basin. By comparing the results of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and of expert evaluation (EE), we identify priority deep-sea areas for conservation and select five criteria for the designation of future protected areas in the deep Mediterranean Sea. Our results indicate that areas (1) with high ecological relevance (e.g., hosting endemic and locally endangered species and rare habitats),(2) ensuring shelf-slope connectivity (e.g., submarine canyons), and (3) subject to current and foreseeable intense anthropogenic impacts, should be prioritized for conservation. The results presented here provide an ecosystem-based conservation strategy for designating priority areas for protection in the deep Mediterranean Sea.
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ArticleA unique and threatened deep water coral-bivalve biotope new to the Mediterranean Sea offshore the Naples megalopolis(Nature Research, 2019-03-04) Taviani, Marco ; Angeletti, Lorenzo ; Cardone, Frine ; Montagna, Paolo ; Danovaro, RobertoThe Gulf of Naples is an example of the most beautiful and biodiverse marine regions of the Mediterranean Sea and of the most impacted areas in terms of industrial activities, large contaminated areas, resource exploitation, infrastructures at sea and maritime transportation. We conducted Remotely Operated Vehicle surveys in the Dohrn Canyon in the Tyrrhenian Sea at approximately 12 NM off Naples metropolitan area, and revealed a hotspot of deep-sea benthic biodiversity of sessile fauna at ca. 400 m depth. The hard bottoms are characterized by a high abundance of charismatic species, such as the habitat forming cold-water corals (CWC) Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa, Desmophyllum dianthus in association with the large size bivalves Acesta excavata and Neopycnodonte zibrowii. This CWC-bivalve co-occurrence represents a novel biotope for the Mediterranean Sea, which coexists with the evidence of severe anthropogenic threats, such as illegal dumping and fishery malpractices that were visually documented during the survey. We recommend the adoption of specific protection measures to preserve these unique deep-sea assemblages showing the uncommon co-existence of such a number of deep-sea species in a single habitat.
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ArticleA blueprint for an inclusive, global deep-sea ocean decade field program(Frontiers Media, 2020-11-25) Howell, Kerry L. ; Hilario, Ana ; Allcock, A. Louise ; Bailey, David ; Baker, Maria C. ; Clark, Malcolm R. ; Colaço, Ana ; Copley, Jonathan T. ; Cordes, Erik E. ; Danovaro, Roberto ; Dissanayake, Awantha ; Escobar Briones, Elva ; Esquete, Patricia ; Gallagher, Austin J. ; Gates, Andrew R. ; Gaudron, Sylvie M. ; German, Christopher R. ; Gjerde, Kristina M. ; Higgs, Nicholas D. ; Le Bris, Nadine ; Levin, Lisa A ; Manea, Elisabetta ; McClain, Craig ; Menot, Lenaick ; Mestre, Mireia ; Metaxas, Anna ; Milligan, Rosanna J. ; Muthumbi, Agnes W. N. ; Narayanaswamy, Bhavani E. ; Ramalho, Sofia P. ; Ramirez-Llodra, Eva ; Robson, Laura M. ; Rogers, Alex D. ; Sellanes, Javier ; Sigwart, Julia D. ; Sink, Kerry ; Snelgrove, Paul V. R. ; Stefanoudis, Paris V. ; Sumida, Paulo Y. ; Taylor, Michelle L. ; Thurber, Andrew R. ; Vieira, Rui P. ; Watanabe, Hiromi K. ; Woodall, Lucy C. ; Xavier, Joana R.The ocean plays a crucial role in the functioning of the Earth System and in the provision of vital goods and services. The United Nations (UN) declared 2021–2030 as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Roadmap for the Ocean Decade aims to achieve six critical societal outcomes (SOs) by 2030, through the pursuit of four objectives (Os). It specifically recognizes the scarcity of biological data for deep-sea biomes, and challenges the global scientific community to conduct research to advance understanding of deep-sea ecosystems to inform sustainable management. In this paper, we map four key scientific questions identified by the academic community to the Ocean Decade SOs: (i) What is the diversity of life in the deep ocean? (ii) How are populations and habitats connected? (iii) What is the role of living organisms in ecosystem function and service provision? and (iv) How do species, communities, and ecosystems respond to disturbance? We then consider the design of a global-scale program to address these questions by reviewing key drivers of ecological pattern and process. We recommend using the following criteria to stratify a global survey design: biogeographic region, depth, horizontal distance, substrate type, high and low climate hazard, fished/unfished, near/far from sources of pollution, licensed/protected from industry activities. We consider both spatial and temporal surveys, and emphasize new biological data collection that prioritizes southern and polar latitudes, deeper (> 2000 m) depths, and midwater environments. We provide guidance on observational, experimental, and monitoring needs for different benthic and pelagic ecosystems. We then review recent efforts to standardize biological data and specimen collection and archiving, making “sampling design to knowledge application” recommendations in the context of a new global program. We also review and comment on needs, and recommend actions, to develop capacity in deep-sea research; and the role of inclusivity - from accessing indigenous and local knowledge to the sharing of technologies - as part of such a global program. We discuss the concept of a new global deep-sea biological research program ‘Challenger 150,’ highlighting what it could deliver for the Ocean Decade and UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.
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ArticleDeep, diverse and definitely different : unique attributes of the world's largest ecosystem(Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union, 2010-09-22) Ramirez-Llodra, Eva ; Brandt, A. ; Danovaro, Roberto ; De Mol, B. ; Escobar Briones, Elva ; German, Christopher R. ; Levin, Lisa A. ; Arbizu, P. Martinez ; Menot, Lenaick ; Buhl-Mortensen, P. ; Narayanaswamy, Bhavani E. ; Smith, Craig R. ; Tittensor, D. P. ; Tyler, Paul A. ; Vanreusel, A. ; Vecchione, M.The deep sea, the largest biome on Earth, has a series of characteristics that make this environment both distinct from other marine and land ecosystems and unique for the entire planet. This review describes these patterns and processes, from geological settings to biological processes, biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. It concludes with a brief discussion of current threats from anthropogenic activities to deep-sea habitats and their fauna. Investigations of deep-sea habitats and their fauna began in the late 19th century. In the intervening years, technological developments and stimulating discoveries have promoted deep-sea research and changed our way of understanding life on the planet. Nevertheless, the deep sea is still mostly unknown and current discovery rates of both habitats and species remain high. The geological, physical and geochemical settings of the deep-sea floor and the water column form a series of different habitats with unique characteristics that support specific faunal communities. Since 1840, 28 new habitats/ecosystems have been discovered from the shelf break to the deep trenches and discoveries of new habitats are still happening in the early 21st century. However, for most of these habitats the global area covered is unknown or has been only very roughly estimated; an even smaller – indeed, minimal – proportion has actually been sampled and investigated. We currently perceive most of the deep-sea ecosystems as heterotrophic, depending ultimately on the flux on organic matter produced in the overlying surface ocean through photosynthesis. The resulting strong food limitation thus shapes deep-sea biota and communities, with exceptions only in reducing ecosystems such as inter alia hydrothermal vents or cold seeps. Here, chemoautolithotrophic bacteria play the role of primary producers fuelled by chemical energy sources rather than sunlight. Other ecosystems, such as seamounts, canyons or cold-water corals have an increased productivity through specific physical processes, such as topographic modification of currents and enhanced transport of particles and detrital matter. Because of its unique abiotic attributes, the deep sea hosts a specialized fauna. Although there are no phyla unique to deep waters, at lower taxonomic levels the composition of the fauna is distinct from that found in the upper ocean. Amongst other characteristic patterns, deep-sea species may exhibit either gigantism or dwarfism, related to the decrease in food availability with depth. Food limitation on the seafloor and water column is also reflected in the trophic structure of heterotrophic deep-sea communities, which are adapted to low energy availability. In most of these heterotrophic habitats, the dominant megafauna is composed of detritivores, while filter feeders are abundant in habitats with hard substrata (e.g. mid-ocean ridges, seamounts, canyon walls and coral reefs). Chemoautotrophy through symbiotic relationships is dominant in reducing habitats. Deep-sea biodiversity is among of the highest on the planet, mainly composed of macro and meiofauna, with high evenness. This is true for most of the continental margins and abyssal plains with hot spots of diversity such as seamounts or cold-water corals. However, in some ecosystems with particularly "extreme" physicochemical processes (e.g. hydrothermal vents), biodiversity is low but abundance and biomass are high and the communities are dominated by a few species. Two large-scale diversity patterns have been discussed for deep-sea benthic communities. First, a unimodal relationship between diversity and depth is observed, with a peak at intermediate depths (2000–3000 m), although this is not universal and particular abiotic processes can modify the trend. Secondly, a poleward trend of decreasing diversity has been discussed, but this remains controversial and studies with larger and more robust data sets are needed. Because of the paucity in our knowledge of habitat coverage and species composition, biogeographic studies are mostly based on regional data or on specific taxonomic groups. Recently, global biogeographic provinces for the pelagic and benthic deep ocean have been described, using environmental and, where data were available, taxonomic information. This classification described 30 pelagic provinces and 38 benthic provinces divided into 4 depth ranges, as well as 10 hydrothermal vent provinces. One of the major issues faced by deep-sea biodiversity and biogeographical studies is related to the high number of species new to science that are collected regularly, together with the slow description rates for these new species. Taxonomic coordination at the global scale is particularly difficult, but is essential if we are to analyse large diversity and biogeographic trends. Because of their remoteness, anthropogenic impacts on deep-sea ecosystems have not been addressed very thoroughly until recently. The depletion of biological and mineral resources on land and in shallow waters, coupled with technological developments, are promoting the increased interest in services provided by deep-water resources. Although often largely unknown, evidence for the effects of human activities in deep-water ecosystems – such as deep-sea mining, hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, fishing, dumping and littering – is already accumulating. Because of our limited knowledge of deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and because of the specific life-history adaptations of many deep-sea species (e.g. slow growth and delayed maturity), it is essential that the scientific community works closely with industry, conservation organisations and policy makers to develop robust and efficient conservation and management options.
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ArticleMajor impacts of climate change on deep-sea benthic ecosystems(University of California Press, 2017-02-23) Sweetman, Andrew K. ; Thurber, Andrew R. ; Smith, Craig R. ; Levin, Lisa A. ; Mora, Camilo ; Wei, Chih-Lin ; Gooday, Andrew J. ; Jones, Daniel O. B. ; Rex, Michael ; Yasuhara, Moriaki ; Ingels, Jeroen ; Ruhl, Henry A. ; Frieder, Christina A. ; Danovaro, Roberto ; Würzberg, Laura ; Baco, Amy R. ; Grupe, Benjamin ; Pasulka, Alexis ; Meyer, Kirstin S. ; Dunlop, Katherine Mary ; Henry, Lea-Anne ; Roberts, J. MurrayThe deep sea encompasses the largest ecosystems on Earth. Although poorly known, deep seafloor ecosystems provide services that are vitally important to the entire ocean and biosphere. Rising atmospheric greenhouse gases are bringing about significant changes in the environmental properties of the ocean realm in terms of water column oxygenation, temperature, pH and food supply, with concomitant impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. Projections suggest that abyssal (3000–6000 m) ocean temperatures could increase by 1°C over the next 84 years, while abyssal seafloor habitats under areas of deep-water formation may experience reductions in water column oxygen concentrations by as much as 0.03 mL L–1 by 2100. Bathyal depths (200–3000 m) worldwide will undergo the most significant reductions in pH in all oceans by the year 2100 (0.29 to 0.37 pH units). O2 concentrations will also decline in the bathyal NE Pacific and Southern Oceans, with losses up to 3.7% or more, especially at intermediate depths. Another important environmental parameter, the flux of particulate organic matter to the seafloor, is likely to decline significantly in most oceans, most notably in the abyssal and bathyal Indian Ocean where it is predicted to decrease by 40–55% by the end of the century. Unfortunately, how these major changes will affect deep-seafloor ecosystems is, in some cases, very poorly understood. In this paper, we provide a detailed overview of the impacts of these changing environmental parameters on deep-seafloor ecosystems that will most likely be seen by 2100 in continental margin, abyssal and polar settings. We also consider how these changes may combine with other anthropogenic stressors (e.g., fishing, mineral mining, oil and gas extraction) to further impact deep-seafloor ecosystems and discuss the possible societal implications.
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ArticleThe ocean sampling day consortium(BioMed Central, 2015-06-19) Kopf, Anna ; Bicak, Mesude ; Kottmann, Renzo ; Schnetzer, Julia ; Kostadinov, Ivaylo ; Lehmann, Katja ; Fernandez-Guerra, Antonio ; Jeanthon, Christian ; Rahav, Eyal ; Ullrich, Matthias S. ; Wichels, Antje ; Gerdts, Gunnar ; Polymenakou, Paraskevi ; Kotoulas, Georgios ; Siam, Rania ; Abdallah, Rehab Z. ; Sonnenschein, Eva C. ; Cariou, Thierry ; O’Gara, Fergal ; Jackson, Stephen ; Orlic, Sandi ; Steinke, Michael ; Busch, Julia ; Duarte, Bernardo ; Caçador, Isabel ; Canning-Clode, Joao ; Bobrova, Oleksandra ; Marteinsson, Viggo ; Reynisson, Eyjolfur ; Loureiro, Clara Magalhaes ; Luna, Gian Marco ; Quero, Grazia Marina ; Loscher, Carolin R. ; Kremp, Anke ; DeLorenzo, Marie E. ; Øvreås, Lise ; Tolman, Jennifer ; LaRoche, Julie ; Penna, Antonella ; Frischer, Marc ; Davis, Timothy ; Katherine, Barker ; Meyer, Christopher P. ; Ramos, Sandra ; Magalhaes, Catarina ; Jude-Lemeilleur, Florence ; Aguirre-Macedo, Ma Leopoldina ; Wang, Shiao ; Poulton, Nicole ; Jones, Scott ; Collin, Rachel ; Fuhrman, Jed A. ; Conan, Pascal ; Alonso, Cecilia ; Stambler, Noga ; Goodwin, Kelly ; Yakimov, Michail M. ; Baltar, Federico ; Bodrossy, Levente ; Van De Kamp, Jodie ; Frampton, Dion M. F. ; Ostrowski, Martin ; Van Ruth, Paul ; Malthouse, Paul ; Claus, Simon ; Deneudt, Klaas ; Mortelmans, Jonas ; Pitois, Sophie ; Wallom, David ; Salter, Ian ; Costa, Rodrigo ; Schroeder, Declan C. ; Kandil, Mahrous M. ; Amaral, Valentina ; Biancalana, Florencia ; Santana, Rafael ; Pedrotti, Maria Luiza ; Yoshida, Takashi ; Ogata, Hiroyuki ; Ingleton, Timothy ; Munnik, Kate ; Rodriguez-Ezpeleta, Naiara ; Berteaux-Lecellier, Veronique ; Wecker, Patricia ; Cancio, Ibon ; Vaulot, Daniel ; Bienhold, Christina ; Ghazal, Hassan ; Chaouni, Bouchra ; Essayeh, Soumya ; Ettamimi, Sara ; Zaid, El Houcine ; Boukhatem, Noureddine ; Bouali, Abderrahim ; Chahboune, Rajaa ; Barrijal, Said ; Timinouni, Mohammed ; El Otmani, Fatima ; Bennani, Mohamed ; Mea, Marianna ; Todorova, Nadezhda ; Karamfilov, Ventzislav ; ten Hoopen, Petra ; Cochrane, Guy R. ; L’Haridon, Stephane ; Bizsel, Kemal Can ; Vezzi, Alessandro ; Lauro, Federico M. ; Martin, Patrick ; Jensen, Rachelle M. ; Hinks, Jamie ; Gebbels, Susan ; Rosselli, Riccardo ; De Pascale, Fabio ; Schiavon, Riccardo ; dos Santos, Antonina ; Villar, Emilie ; Pesant, Stephane ; Cataletto, Bruno ; Malfatti, Francesca ; Edirisinghe, Ranjith ; Herrera Silveira, Jorge A. ; Barbier, Michele ; Turk, Valentina ; Tinta, Tinkara ; Fuller, Wayne J. ; Salihoglu, Ilkay ; Serakinci, Nedime ; Ergoren, Mahmut Cerkez ; Bresnan, Eileen ; Iriberri, Juan ; Fronth Nyhus, Paul Anders ; Bente, Edvardsen ; Karlsen, Hans Erik ; Golyshin, Peter N. ; Gasol, Josep M. ; Moncheva, Snejana ; Dzhembekova, Nina ; Johnson, Zackary ; Sinigalliano, Christopher D. ; Gidley, Maribeth Louise ; Zingone, Adriana ; Danovaro, Roberto ; Tsiamis, Georgios ; Clark, Melody S. ; Costa, Ana Cristina ; El Bour, Monia ; Martins, Ana M. ; Collins, R. Eric ; Ducluzeau, Anne-Lise ; Martinez, Jonathan ; Costello, Mark J. ; Amaral-Zettler, Linda A. ; Gilbert, Jack A. ; Davies, Neil ; Field, Dawn ; Glockner, Frank OliverOcean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits.