Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Lecce, Italy; Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy.
Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Beni Culturali (DBC), University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze Marine (CNR-ISMAR), Bologna, Italy.
Adv Mar Biol. 2018;79:61-136. doi: 10.1016/bs.amb.2018.05.001. Epub 2018 Jun 30.
Marine bioconstructions are biodiversity-rich, three-dimensional biogenic structures, regulating key ecological functions of benthic ecosystems worldwide. Tropical coral reefs are outstanding for their beauty, diversity and complexity, but analogous types of bioconstructions are also present in temperate seas. The main bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea are represented by coralligenous formations, vermetid reefs, deep-sea cold-water corals, Lithophyllum byssoides trottoirs, coral banks formed by the shallow-water corals Cladocora caespitosa or Astroides calycularis, and sabellariid or serpulid worm reefs. Bioconstructions change the morphological and chemicophysical features of primary substrates and create new habitats for a large variety of organisms, playing pivotal roles in ecosystem functioning. In spite of their importance, Mediterranean bioconstructions have not received the same attention that tropical coral reefs have, and the knowledge of their biology, ecology and distribution is still fragmentary. All existing data about the spatial distribution of Italian bioconstructions have been collected, together with information about their growth patterns, dynamics and connectivity. The degradation of these habitats as a consequence of anthropogenic pressures (pollution, organic enrichment, fishery, coastal development, direct physical disturbance), climate change and the spread of invasive species was also investigated. The study of bioconstructions requires a holistic approach leading to a better understanding of their ecology and the application of more insightful management and conservation measures at basin scale, within ecologically coherent units based on connectivity: the cells of ecosystem functioning.
海洋生物建构物是富含生物多样性的三维生物成因结构，调节着全球海底生态系统的关键生态功能。热带珊瑚礁以其美丽、多样性和复杂性而著称，但类似的生物建构物也存在于温带海域。地中海的主要生物建构物包括珊瑚礁、石珊瑚藻礁、深海冷水珊瑚、Lithophyllum byssoides 栈道、由浅水珊瑚 Cladocora caespitosa 或 Astroides calycularis 形成的珊瑚礁、以及沙蚕或盘管虫虫礁。生物建构物改变了初级基质的形态和化学物理特征，为大量生物创造了新的栖息地，在生态系统功能中起着关键作用。尽管它们很重要，但地中海生物建构物并没有像热带珊瑚礁那样受到同样的关注，它们的生物学、生态学和分布知识仍然是零散的。所有关于意大利生物建构物空间分布的数据都已收集，并附有关于其生长模式、动态和连通性的信息。这些栖息地由于人为压力（污染、有机物富化、渔业、沿海开发、直接物理干扰）、气候变化和入侵物种的传播而退化的情况也得到了调查。对生物建构物的研究需要采用整体方法，以更好地了解它们的生态学，并在基于连通性的生态上连贯的单元（即生态系统功能的细胞）内，在流域尺度上应用更具洞察力的管理和保护措施。
