Department of Biology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
CoNISMa, Roma, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2020 May 22;10(1):8504. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-65266-9.
A forest of the black coral Antipathella subpinnata was found from 52 to 80 m depth in three different sites at Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA; Mediterranean Sea), with two of them hosting a monospecific forest on horizontal and vertical substrates. Colonies of A. subpinnata showed a mean density between 0.22 ± 0.03 and 2.40 ± 0.26 colonies m (maximum local values of 2.4-7.2 colonies m). The link between the local distribution of A. subpinnata and the main oceanographic features confirmed the fundamental role of the currents in shaping the distribution of the species in presence of hard substrata. This black coral forest represents the only one known thus far in the Adriatic Sea, but it could be linked with other unseen forests all over the Mediterranean Sea. The associated megafauna highlights the importance of these forests as habitat for species of both conservation and commercial importance but, at the same time, makes such habitat a target for fishing practices, as many lost fishing gears were found within the coral forest. The enlargement of the MPA borders and the enforcement of controls in the area of the A. subpinnata forest is urgently needed for the proper conservation of this protected species.
在特列米蒂群岛海洋保护区（地中海）的三个不同地点，在 52 至 80 米深的地方发现了一片黑珊瑚 Antipathella subpinnata 森林，其中两个地点在水平和垂直基质上都有单一种群的森林。A. subpinnata 的殖民地的平均密度在 0.22 ± 0.03 和 2.40 ± 0.26 株 m（最大局部值为 2.4-7.2 株 m）之间。A. subpinnata 的局部分布与主要海洋特征之间的联系证实了海流在硬底质存在的情况下塑造该物种分布的基本作用。这片黑珊瑚森林是迄今为止在亚得里亚海发现的唯一一片森林，但它可能与地中海其他未被发现的森林有关。相关的大型动物突出了这些森林作为具有保护和商业重要性的物种的栖息地的重要性，但同时也使这些栖息地成为捕鱼活动的目标，因为在珊瑚林中发现了许多丢失的渔具。迫切需要扩大海洋保护区的边界并在 A. subpinnata 森林地区加强控制，以保护这一受保护物种。
