A Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for Genetic Monitoring of Hard-Bottom Communities (ARMS-MBON)

Marine hard-bottom communities are undergoing severe change under the influence of multiple drivers, notably climate change, extraction of natural resources, pollution and eutrophication, habitat degradation, and invasive species. Monitoring marine biodiversity in such habitats is, however, challenging as it typically involves expensive, non-standardized, and often destructive sampling methods that limit its scalability. Differences in monitoring approaches furthermore hinders inter-comparison among monitoring programs. Here, we announce a Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) consisting of Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) with the aim to assess the status and changes in benthic fauna with genomic-based methods, notably DNA metabarcoding, in combination with image-based identifications. This article presents the results of a 30-month pilot phase in which we established an operational and geographically expansive ARMS-MBON. The network currently consists of 20 observatories distributed across European coastal waters and the polar regions, in which 134 ARMS have been deployed to date. Sampling takes place annually, either as short-term deployments during the summer or as long-term deployments starting in spring. The pilot phase was used to establish a common set of standards for field sampling, genetic analysis, data management, and legal compliance, which are presented here. We also tested the potential of ARMS for combining genetic and image-based identification methods in comparative studies of benthic diversity, as well as for detecting non-indigenous species. Results show that ARMS are suitable for monitoring hard-bottom environments as they provide genetic data that can be continuously enriched, re-analyzed, and integrated with conventional data to document benthic community composition and detect non-indigenous species. Finally, we provide guidelines to expand the network and present a sustainability plan as part of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (www.embrc.eu).

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Risk Factors for Fouling Biomass: Evidence from Small Vessels in Australia

10.1101/248567 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tracey Hollings ◽

Stephen E. Lane ◽

Keith R. Hayes ◽

Felicity R. McEnnulty ◽

Mark Green ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multilevel Modelling ◽

Median Number ◽

Antifouling Paint ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Small Vessels ◽

Fishing Vessels ◽

Wet Weight ◽

Non Indigenous Species ◽

The Relationship

AbstractInvasive marine non-indigenous species are a major threat to marine biodiversity and marine related industries. Recreational vessels are recognised as an important vector of non-indigenous species translocation, particularly the secondary translocation of species domestically.This paper reports on a novel application of multilevel modelling and multiple imputation to biomass samples gathered from the hull and other external surfaces of recreational yachts and fishing vessels in order to quantify the relationship between the wet biomass of biofouling and vessel-level characteristics. Unsurprisingly, we find that the number of days since the vessel was last cleaned was strongly related to the wet weight of biomass. The number of days since the vessel was last used was also related to the wet weight of biomass, yet differed depending on the vessel type. Similarly, the median number of trips undertaken by the vessel was related to the wet weight of biomass, and varied according to the type of antifouling paint used by the vessel. The relationship between vessel size, as measured by hull surface area, and wet weight biomass per sample unit area was not significant.In order to reduce the international and domestic spread of invasive species, small vessel owners should use an appropriate type of antifouling paint that suits their vessel’s operational profile, and be encouraged to maintain a maintenance

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Corrigendum to “Macrozoobenthos in the Adriatic Sea ports: Soft-bottom communities with an overview of non-indigenous species” [Mar. Pollut. Bull. 147 (2019) 159‐170]

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111924 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 111924

Author(s):

A. Travizi ◽

I. Balković ◽

T. Bacci ◽

F. Bertasi ◽

C. Cuicchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adriatic Sea ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Soft Bottom ◽

Bottom Communities ◽

Sea Ports ◽

Non Indigenous Species

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Essence of the patterns of cover and richness of intertidal hard bottom communities: a pan-European study

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315416001351 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 97 (3) ◽

pp. 525-538 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jonne Kotta ◽

Helen Orav-Kotta ◽

Holger Jänes ◽

Herman Hummel ◽

Christos Arvanitidis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boosted Regression Trees ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Temperature Anomalies ◽

Tidal Regime ◽

Bottom Communities ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

Sessile Invertebrates ◽

Hard Bottom Communities ◽

Anthropogenic Drivers ◽

European Seas

Coastal ecosystems are highly complex and driven by multiple environmental factors. To date we lack scientific evidence for the relative contribution of natural and anthropogenic drivers for the majority of marine habitats in order to adequately assess the role of different stressors across the European seas. Such relationship can be investigated by analysing the correlation between environmental variables and biotic patterns in multivariate space and taking into account non-linearities. Within the framework of the EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) programme, hard bottom intertidal communities were sampled in a standardized way across European seas. Links between key natural and anthropogenic drivers and hard bottom communities were analysed using Boosted Regression Trees modelling. The study identified strong interregional variability and showed that patterns of hard bottom macroalgal and invertebrate communities were primarily a function of tidal regime, nutrient loading and water temperature (anomalies). The strength and shape of functional form relationships varied widely however among types of organisms (understorey algae composing mostly filamentous species, canopy-forming algae or sessile invertebrates) and aggregated community variables (cover or richness). Tidal regime significantly modulated the effect of nutrient load on the cover and richness of understorey algae and sessile invertebrates. In contrast, hydroclimate was more important for canopy algae and temperature anomalies and hydroclimate separately or interactively contributed to the observed patterns. The analyses also suggested that climate-induced shifts in weather patterns may result in the loss of algal richness and thereby in the loss of functional diversity in European hard bottom intertidal areas.

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Macrozoobenthos in the Adriatic Sea ports: Soft-bottom communities with an overview of non-indigenous species

Marine Pollution Bulletin ◽

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.016 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 147 ◽

pp. 159-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Travizi ◽

I. Balković ◽

T. Bacci ◽

F. Bertasi ◽

C. Cuicchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adriatic Sea ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Soft Bottom ◽

Bottom Communities ◽

Sea Ports ◽

Non Indigenous Species

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Meta-analysis on the ecological impacts of widely spread non-indigenous species in the Baltic Sea

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147375 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 147375

Author(s):

Henn Ojaveer ◽

Jonne Kotta ◽

Okko Outinen ◽

Heli Einberg ◽

Anastasija Zaiko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Baltic Sea ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

The Baltic Sea ◽

The Baltic ◽

Non Indigenous Species

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Regionalization of benthic hard-bottom communities across the Pourtalès Terrace, Florida

Deep Sea Research Part I Oceanographic Research Papers ◽

10.1016/j.dsr.2021.103514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 172 ◽

pp. 103514

Author(s):

Brian K. Walker ◽

Charles Messing ◽

Jana Ash ◽

Sandra Brooke ◽

John K. Reed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bottom Communities ◽

Hard Bottom Communities

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Ecological status assessment and non-indigenous species in industrial and fishing harbours of the Gulf of Gabès (central Mediterranean Sea)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-14729-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nawfel Mosbahi ◽

Jean-Philippe Pezy ◽

Lassad Neifar ◽

Jean-Claude Dauvin

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Ecological Status ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Central Mediterranean ◽

Gulf Of Gabes ◽

Gulf Of Gabès ◽

Central Mediterranean Sea ◽

Ecological Status Assessment ◽

Status Assessment ◽

Non Indigenous Species

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First Record of the Alien Species Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017 in Fresh Waters of Sardinia and Insight into Its Genetic Variability

Life ◽

10.3390/life11070606 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 606

Author(s):

Daria Sanna ◽

Ilenia Azzena ◽

Fabio Scarpa ◽

Piero Cossu ◽

Angela Pira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variability ◽

Alien Species ◽

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Mitochondrial Gene ◽

First Record ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Fresh Waters ◽

Mediterranean Island ◽

Marbled Crayfish ◽

Non Indigenous Species

In the fresh waters of Sardinia (Italy), the non-indigenous crayfish species Procambarus clarkii has been reported from 2005, but, starting from 2019, there have been several reports of a new non-indigenous crayfish in southern and central areas of this Mediterranean island, and its morphology suggests that this species may be the marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis. Forty-seven individuals of this putative species were analyzed, using the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I as molecular marker to identify this crayfish and investigate the level of genetic variability within the recently established population. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were carried out on a dataset including sequences from the Sardinian individuals and from all congenerics available in GenBank. Results showed that the new Sardinian crayfish belong to the species P. virginalis. All the sequences belonging to P. virginalis from European countries are identical, with only few exceptions found among Sardinian individuals. In conclusion, this paper highlights the occurrence of a new further alien species in the Sardinian fresh waters, which are already characterized by the high presence of non-indigenous species.

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