Department of Biology and CoNISMa LRU, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
CoNISMa, Rome, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2021 Oct 19;11(1):20703. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-00162-4.
The effects of global warming have been addressed on coral reefs in tropical areas, while it is still unclear how coral forests are reacting, particularly at temperate latitudes. Here we show how mesophotic coral forests are affected by global warming in the Mediterranean Sea. We highlight how the current warming trend is causing the lowering of the thermocline and it is enhancing mucilaginous blooms. These stressors are facilitating a massive macroalgal epibiosis on living corals, here reported for the first time from different areas in the Western and Central Mediterranean Sea. We provide a focus of this phenomenon at Tremiti Islands Marine Protected Area (Adriatic Sea), were the density of the endemic red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata decreased of up to 47% in 5 years, while up to the 96% of the living corals showed signs of stress and macroalgal epibiosis. Only populations deeper than 60 m depth were not touched by this emerging phenomenon. Spot observations performed at Tuscan Archipelago and Tavolara Marine Protected Area (Tyrrhenian Sea) suggest that this this combination of stressors is likely widespread at basin scale.
全球变暖对热带地区的珊瑚礁产生了影响，但目前尚不清楚珊瑚林的反应如何，特别是在温带地区。在这里，我们展示了中光层珊瑚林是如何受到地中海全球变暖的影响的。我们强调了当前的变暖趋势如何导致温跃层下降，并增强了黏液状的水华。这些压力因素正在促进生活珊瑚上大规模的大型藻类附生，这里首次从地中海西部和中部的不同地区报道了这种现象。我们提供了在特米蒂群岛海洋保护区（亚得里亚海）的这一现象的焦点，在那里，特有红色柳珊瑚 Paramuricea clavata 的密度在 5 年内减少了多达 47%，而高达 96%的活珊瑚显示出压力和大型藻类附生的迹象。只有水深超过 60 米的种群没有受到这种新出现现象的影响。在托斯卡纳群岛和塔沃拉腊海洋保护区（第勒尼安海）进行的现场观察表明，这种压力因素的组合可能在盆地范围内广泛存在。
