Toso Andrea, Necci Francesca, Martines Alessandra, Lacorte Roberta, Toso Yann, Gianguzza Paola, Deidun Alan, Ungaro Nicola, Costantino Gaetano, Caforio Marianna, Giannuzzi Cosimo Gaspare, D'Onghia Francesco Marco, Strippoli Giuseppe, Barbone Enrico, Milisenda Giacomo, Piraino Stefano
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133, Palermo, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 28;15(1):18733. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02642-3.
As a seafood delicacy, the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is the most exploited echinoid species in the Mediterranean Sea, with a significant increase in total catches being reported over the last 2 decades. This work presents: (i) the findings from two demographic monitoring campaigns, conducted on P. lividus populations in summer 2023, at shallow depths within the coastal areas of Sicily and Apulia; (ii) a meta-analysis of the P. lividus density in the Mediterranean Sea over the last 30 years. In both sampled areas, the recorded individual density was lower than ever, with an average value of 0.2 ind/m. No significant difference in P. lividus density was detected between protected and non-protected areas. The observed rarity of the edible sea urchin is corroborated by a meta-regression analysis of data from 44 published articles over the period 1990-2020, showing that the decline of P. lividus populations in the Mediterranean Sea began in 2003, coincident with the occurrence of a pan-European heat wave and with the anomalous warming of the entire Mediterranean Sea.
作为一种海鲜美味，紫海胆（Paracentrotus lividus）是地中海地区被开发利用最多的海胆类物种，据报道在过去20年里总捕捞量显著增加。这项工作展示了：（i）2023年夏季在西西里岛和普利亚沿海地区浅水区对紫海胆种群进行的两次人口统计学监测活动的结果；（ii）对过去30年地中海地区紫海胆密度的荟萃分析。在两个采样区域，记录的个体密度均低于以往任何时候，平均值为0.2个/平方米。在保护区和非保护区之间未检测到紫海胆密度有显著差异。对1990 - 2020年期间44篇已发表文章的数据进行的荟萃回归分析证实了可食用海胆的罕见性，表明地中海地区紫海胆种群数量的下降始于2003年，与泛欧热浪的发生以及整个地中海的异常变暖同时出现。
