Canopy-forming fucoid algae have an important role as ecosystem engineers on rocky intertidal shores, where they increase the abundance of species otherwise limited by exposure during low tide. The facilitative relationship between Ascophyllum nodosum and associated organisms was explored using a frond breakage experiment (100%, 50%, 25%, 0% intact-frond treatments) in southern England, to assess the consequences of disturbance. Understorey substratum temperature was on average 3°C higher in 0% and 25% intact-frond treatments than in plots with 50% and 100% intact fronds. Light (as PAR during low tide) doubled in 0% intact-frond treatments in comparison to other treatments (which had similar light levels). Mobile invertebrate species richness declined by on average 1 species per m2 in the treatments with only 25% and 0% intact fronds, and the abundance of Littorina obtusata declined by 2.4–4.2 individuals per m2 in the treatments with 25 and 0% intact fronds. Sessile taxa, including Osmundea pinnatifida and encrusting coralline algae, declined by half on average in the 0% intact-frond treatment. These results suggest that the ability of Ascophyllum to mediate environmental conditions to the understorey is the mechanism responsible for species distributed in the understorey (autogenic ecosystem engineering). The results of this study imply that a pulse disturbance resulting in a 50% breakage of Ascophyllum fronds significantly increases temperature and decreases the abundance of mobile invertebrates usually associated with Ascophyllum. Sessile taxa associated with Ascophyllum can, however, withstand disturbances down to 25% intact Ascophyllum fronds.

Cetacean stranding reports in the North Aegean Sea were recorded since 1998 from Strimonikos Gulf in Chalkidiki up to Alexandroupoli on the Turkish border and in a few northern Aegean islands. On site, the specimens were examined to identify species, gender, approximate age and, when possible, cause for stranding. A total of 26 filled stomachs of five cetacean species collected since 2002 were analysed: bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus (N = 8), common dolphins Delphinus delphis (N = 8), harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena (N = 5), striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba (N = 4) and Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus (N = 1). From the analysed stomachs it was found that the bottlenose dolphins fed mainly on snake blenny Ophidion barbatum (34%), bogue Boops boops (22%) and round sardinella Sardinella aurita (13%); common dolphins on round sardinella (17%), picarels Spicara spp. (10%) and Cocco's lantern fish Lobianchia gemellaris (9%); harbour porpoises on Gobidae (four-spotted goby Deltentosteus quadrimaculatus 41% and black goby Gobius niger 37%) and round sardinella (7%); striped dolphins on Myctophydae (Madeira lantern fish Ceratoscopelus maderensis 51%), and on Pfeffer's enople squid Abraliopsis morisii (10%) and bogue (8%); and Risso's dolphin exclusively on Teuthidae (31%), the umbrella squid Histioteuthis bonellii (30%) and the reverse jewel squid H. reversa (14%). The present work represents the first attempt to investigate the diet up to species level for several cetaceans in Greek waters and for harbour porpoises stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.

Macroalgal fouling communities are potentially useful as bioindicators in environmental monitoring as they are considered to be sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and the use of artificial substrata facilitates the implementation of standardized sampling strategies. The response of macroalgal fouling communities on buoys to changes in water quality was investigated with a view to the possible utilization of these assemblages in environmental monitoring programmes. Seven study sites were selected based on previously collected environmental data and Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was used to order sites according to beam attenuation coefficient (BAC) and concentration of dissolved nitrates and phosphates, relative to a minimally impacted reference site. At each site, all fouling macroalgae were collected from 10 buoys of standard shape and size, and were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Species composition and species dominance were highly variable among impacted sites, indicating that qualitative aspects of community structure may not be useful as indicators of changes in water quality. However, higher levels of nutrient enrichment and turbidity were associated with lower macroalgal species richness, lower overall abundances, and decreased diversities, and therefore these quantitative aspects of community structure are potentially useful as indicators of environmental change. Intermediate levels of turbidity and nutrient enrichment were associated with lower evenness, but did not influence species richness, suggesting that macroalgal abundances respond to changes in environmental conditions before species replacement occurs.

The study of copepod assemblages indicated the presence of 22 species and 12 families in the southern coast of Sfax, 20 species and 13 families in the northern coast and 14 species and 8 families in the Ghannouch area, with a dominance of Oithonidae (79, 51 and 43% in the southern, northern and Ghannouch coasts, respectively). The relative abundance and the richness diversity of Oithonidae were found to be the most relevant indicators of anthropogenic pollution. Oithona nana, Euterpina acutifrons and Acartia clausi differed significantly in abundance between these three areas under differing degrees of pollution. The study of the structure, composition and density of the copepod fauna showed that the southern coast was a pollution-resistant ecosystem (H′ = 1.49 ± 0.33 bits ind−1; 22 species; density = 51.375 ± 4.340 × 103 ind m−3) followed by Ghannouch area (H′ = 1.74 ± 0.28 bits ind−1; 15 species; density = 11.979 ± 5.651 × 103 ind m−3) and the northern coast, considered as a restored area (H′ = 1.95 ± 0.26 bits ind−1; 21 species; density = 6.516 ± 4.304 × 103 ind m−3). The three ecosystems can thus be classified according to their degree of resistance to the anthropogenic inputs based on the results of the physico-chemical parameters and the species diversity as follows: southern coast > Ghannouch area > northern coast.

Space is one of the primary limiting resources for organisms on the intertidal rocky shore. This paper examined the effect of reduced density on key traits (mortality and growth) on the intertidal barnacles, Chthamalus montagui and Semibalanus balanoides, on the mid-shore in Plymouth, UK. Intra- and interspecific treatments comprising of C. montagui and S. balanoides were manipulated to reduce densities at two similar sites. Changes in mortality and operculum growth were assessed over an 8-week period using digital photography. Covariates of growth included nearest neighbour distance, competition between closest pairs and initial size. Conflicting patterns were observed when comparing growth rates between treatments and sites. At Site 1, interspecific treatments had a lower growth rate than intraspecific treatments, whereas at Site 2, interspecific growth rates were higher. ANCOVA showed that nearest neighbour distance had no significant effect on growth, but when comparing differences in growth of closest neighbouring pairs, C. montagui treatment showed evidence of competition whereas S. balanoides did not. ANCOVA analysis indicated no difference in growth between each outcome of pair competition, suggesting winners are initially bigger than losers. Comparisons of mortality between treatments indicated mortality over time with no significant differences observed between treatments, but response surface methodology (RSM) revealed no effects of competition on mortality of S. balanoides, but negative effects of both intra- and interspecific competition on C. montagui survivorship. Examination of natural populations of barnacles in the mid-shore indicated there was strong spatial variation in growth rates, perhaps driven by small-scale differences within sites.

The population biology of the stout razor clam Tagelus plebeius is poorly understood, despite the species' current wide distribution, and the potential use of its Holocene shell deposits to infer past environmental and ecological conditions. This study investigates distribution and growth pattern of T. plebeius in the south-western Atlantic Mar Chiquita Coastal lagoon (37°32′S 57°19′W), Argentina. The population includes the oldest individuals (up to 27 years) reported so far with shell length up to 77.9 mm. A von Bertalanffy model with L∞ = 67.60 mm (95% CI = 64.55; 70.64), k = 0.181 year−1 (CI = 0.142; 0.218), and t0 = −0.77 (CI = −1.46; −0.08) best described their individual growth for the whole population. The higher density, growth rate k, t0 and maximum age and lower L∞ were in the low intertidal rather than in the medium intertidal, but there were no differences in density and age between medium and high intertidal. Given the results and the current knowledge on the effects of different factors influencing this species, we conclude that the distribution pattern and shell growth observed in our study reflect a response to metabolic necessities in combination with a strong influence of biological interactions.

Salema, Sarpa salpa is a commercial exploited species in the Atlantic Ocean with little available information for the essential population parameters, such as age, growth and reproduction. The present study aims to describe these parameters for S. salpa obtained off the coast of Portugal. Ages were estimated from the whole otolith readings; the minimum and the maximum ages observed were 0 and 14 years, respectively, corresponding to 5.2 and 41.4 cm of total length (TL). Whole otolith readings and back-calculation approaches were used to estimate the parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth function and the Akaike's information criterion value suggested that the second approach was the best one to describe the growth of salema: L∞ = 45.07 cm, k = 0.14 year−1 and t0 = −1.43 year. The species is a protandric hermaphrodite and the sex change process occurred between 28.6 and 40.9 cm TL. A short spawning season was identified, extending from September to November. The estimated length at first maturity for males was 24.5 cm TL, corresponding to an age of 2 years at first maturity. This species exhibited a determinate fecundity type and the relative annual fecundity varied between 462 and 2662 oocytes per gram of gutted weight.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of multiple environmental descriptors through an asymmetrical sampling design to detect possible impacts related to the Costa Concordia event on the coastal marine environment. The Costa Concordia shipwreck occurred on a submerged rocky reef in the north-western Mediterranean Sea and the wreck was removed 2 years later. To achieve the proposed objective two main coastal ecosystems, the seagrass Posidonia oceanica and coralligenous assemblages were studied using two ecological indices, PREI and ESCA, respectively. Both indices show a lower ecological quality in the disturbed sites compared with the control ones. Differences between the disturbed and control sites observed in both studied ecosystems would seem to indicate an increase of turbidity around the shipwreck as the most plausible cause of impact. The concurrent use of different ecological indices and asymmetrical sampling designs allowed detection of differences in ecological quality of the disturbed sites compared with the controls. This approach may represent an interesting tool to be employed in impact evaluation studies.

The temporal dynamics of ciliate community structure in a southern Chinese shrimp aquaculture facility were investigated during the period June–September 2012. A total of 53 species belonging to 37 genera and 17 orders were recorded based on analyses of eight samples. Ciliate abundance peaked between 16 August and 14 September 2012, while the maximum number of species occurred on 26 June 2012. Clear temporal patterns were observed in the ciliate community structure. The patterns of succession of the 10 most abundant species were consistent with the results of a Canonical Analysis of Principal coordinates (CAP) analysis. Correlation analyses showed that these patterns of succession were related to temporal changes in environmental variables. In summary, the results demonstrate that the ciliate community responds predictably to environmental variations and recovers from shrimp cultivation.

Beach ecosystems extend from dune to offshore areas along most coasts, and provide essential services that are not provided by any other ecosystem. Indeed, sandy systems contain unique biodiversity and supply nursery and foraging areas for numerous commercially important marine species, such as flatfish. However, these systems are threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressure. Green tides (GT, i.e. accumulations of green opportunistic macroalgae) are a major human-induced threat to marine ecosystems, from inshore to nearshore. This eutrophication process greatly affects both benthic invertebrate communities and flatfish communities, within sheltered and non- or microtidal systems. However, the responses of dynamic open macrotidal sandy systems to eutrophication in the form of macroalgal mats are not yet fully understood. In particular, understanding the effects of GT on two connected biological compartments (infauna and flatfish) within two connected habitats (intertidal and subtidal) is crucial. Here, we set out to assess the influence of several environmental variables, including Ulva biomass, on the variability in infauna and flatfish communities in both the intertidal and the subtidal at four sites impacted or not by GT. In total, 110 biodiversity samples were analysed with classic and novel analytical approaches. Our results demonstrate that the presence of GT specifically impacts intertidal macroinvertebrate communities. However, small effects of GT on subtidal infauna communities, as well as on species-specific flatfish at both intertidal and subtidal, were still detectable. Our findings underline the vulnerability of highly dynamic ecosystems exposed to anthropogenic stress, in particular intertidal sandy shores.

Sponges interact in various ways with a wide variety of organisms in benthic communities and ecological interactions may influence the distribution, abundance and diversity of these organisms in different sites. Although several studies have already been developed for Demospongiae, knowledge of ecological interactions in the class Calcarea is lacking. Some calcareous sponges are considered weak competitors for space and to have developed strategies to survive in highly dynamic environments, such as exploitation of micro refuges and epibiosis. We aimed to investigate the influence of intra- and interspecific interactions in the abundance, growth and lifespan of the calcareous sponge Clathrina aurea in south-eastern Brazil. Two peaks of abundance and area coverage were observed during the studied year, probably associated with reproductive effort. We found no evidence of intra- or interspecific competition between the sponge and the benthic community. Clathrina aurea was found using parts of other organisms as substrate (epibiosis), such as algae, demosponges and corals. It was seen that the interaction of the sponge with coral polyps positively affects the lifespan of sponge individuals and the interstices of corals probably promote a micro refuge for C. aurea against competitors for space and predators.

Food is an important factor for the survival of juvenile fish. Knowledge of the diet of co-existing species helps clarify their relationships with each other. A number of Mugilidae species are known to co-exist in estuarine systems, raising the question of whether they compete for food resources. The feeding behaviours of five juvenile Mugilidae species were studied in the estuaries of Strymonikos (North Aegean Sea) using stomach content analysis. It was found that the species Chelon labrosus, Liza saliens and Mugil cephalus presented high feeding activity during summer and autumn and L. ramada and L. aurata during winter and spring. The diet overlap between the species was generally moderate to low and the pair L. saliens – M. cephalus exhibited the highest overlap in Richios estuarine system. The species do not appear to compete for common resources, probably because there is not always a spatiotemporal overlap, enough food is available or they exploit different resources. Four out of the five species exhibited similar patterns of feeding strategies with varying levels of specialization at an individual level and a rather generalized pattern at the population level. This more generalized feeding strategy may permit them to co-exist. Only M. cephalus showed a more specialized feeding behaviour, with a strong preference for microalgae. The absence of a general pattern for the trophic levels according to seasons, sizes or locations, also imply the opportunistic character of the species. Both season and fish size influenced the variation in the diet composition.

All over the world marine waters are under increasing pressure from human activities affecting marine ecosystems. Several EU Directives require assessment of the condition of marine environments; in particular the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) applies an ecosystem approach to the management of human activities. In this context, the mapping of pressures in a standardized and comparable way is a critical step to assess the spatial pattern, the temporal change and the ecological impacts of human pressures. Within the MSFD, one of the stressors directly affecting the seafloor is the Physical Loss (PL) pressure, representing the permanent or long-term alteration of marine habitats. The main purpose of this study was to propose a method to estimate the spatial extent of PL pressure in the framework of the Initial Assessment phase of the MSFD. Furthermore, considering that human activities PL-related cause the loss of benthic habitats, and that the Mediterranean sea is characterized by sensitive and protected habitats such as the biogenic substrates sensu MSFD, the distribution of PL pressure was overlaid with the distribution of the seabed habitats to estimate the loss of biogenic substrates. This study represents a useful tool for establishing the baseline condition for PL pressure, to compare future conditions and to evaluate different management scenarios. Moreover, it allows identification of the areas where pressure tends to accumulate as ‘hot spots’ on which to focus in future impact analyses and the areas where few stressors are present.

Cetaceans of Morocco have been poorly studied to date, and only sporadic information comes from scientific cruises for this group. In an attempt to learn more on the occurrence, distribution and relative abundances of cetaceans in Morocco, a stranding database was reconstructed from various sources (stranding reports from state agencies and newspaper clippings). This inventory documented 205 cases of stranding between 1980 and 2009. Most of the strandings and most confirmed cases of interactions with human activity (fishing, for dolphins; collisions, for whales) were reported in the Strait of Gibraltar and adjacent areas from the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Sixteen species were identified from the stranding database, of which seven species were the most abundant. These were striped dolphins, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, fin whales, sei whales, sperm whales and long-finned pilot whales. The fin and sei whales were present throughout the year and stranding of common and striped dolphins were minimal between September and December. The fin, sei and sperm whales seem to be present in Moroccan waters at birth and at different stages of their life cycle. Establishing an observation network of sufficient and sustainable density in Morocco is the most likely way to collect robust data for the calculation of credible population indicators for cetaceans. Monitoring will certainly improve through better collaboration among Moroccan institutions and a greater awareness in Moroccan civil society of environmental issues.

The presence of potentially toxic elements (PTE) was determined in different tissues of five selected marine organisms. The As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations were measured in the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa, the green alga Cladophora echinus, the red alga Gelidiella lubrica, the marine topshell Phorcus turbinatus and the littoral crab Carcinus aestuarii, as well as in seawater from Makirina Bay. The levels of As, Cd, Cu, Mn and Zn in the biota were found to exceed those in previously analysed sediments, indicating the bioaccumulation of these PTE. The biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) and concentration factor (CF) varied among different organisms. As regards the five selected species, C. nodosa, C. echinus and G. lubrica proved to be the strongest accumulators of Mn, while P. turbinatus and C. aestuarii showed a high capacity to accumulate As, Cd, Cu and Zn. These species can be considered as good ecological indicators in the assessment of PTE pollution in marine littoral environments.

Stable isotope compositions were studied in particulate organic matter (POM), zooplankton and different trophic groups of teleosts to compare food chains based on plankton at two sites (lagoon and outer slope) in a New Caledonian coral reef. For each trophic compartment, δ13C values were always lower in the outer slope than in the lagoon. This result may be explained by potential differences in POM composition between the two environments, suggesting that the two food chains are based on different primary sources of carbon. In contrast, δ15N values did not vary between the lagoon and the outer slope, indicating that these two food chains presented similar length and trophic levels, despite being distinguishable.

The Syllidae subfamilies Eusyllinae, Anoplosyllinae and Autolytinae, as well as the incertae sedis genera (Aguado et al., 2012), were studied from samples collected in shallow water from fjords and channels in Chilean Patagonia. One new species Paraehlersia kawesqar sp. nov. is described. The genus Nudisyllis Knox & Cameron, 1970 is recorded for the first time for Chile, while the species Brachysyllis infuscata (Ehlers, 1901a) and Syllides japonica Imajima, 1966 are recorded for the first time for continental Chile. Finally, Syllides articulosa Ehlers, 1897 and Epigamia sp. are also reported. The majority of the species were found inside tubes of the polychaete worm Chaetopterus cf. variopedatus (Renier, 1804) – a new habitat for syllid polychaetes. This work is an important contribution to the knowledge of syllids in Chile and to the polychaete fauna of the Patagonian region generally.

This study presents patterns of spatial and temporal variation in the meiofaunal community and nematode associations on the volcanic sandy beaches of Trindade Island, a remote oceanic island in the South-east Atlantic Ocean. Samples were collected in August (rainy season) and December 2014 (dry season) on four beaches (Tartarugas, Parcel, Cabritos and Portugueses) at three zones of the intertidal (high, mid and low). A total of 10 meiofaunal groups were found. Copepods (31%) and nematodes (27%) dominated the meiofauna in all beaches and zones, regardless of the season. Nematodes were comprised mainly of non-selective deposit feeders, with a total of 27 genera from 12 families, with Cyatholaimidae, Xyalidae and Oncholaimidae as the most diverse and abundant. Significant differences were found in the meiofaunal community, as well as in nematode associations, among seasons and intertidal zones but not among beaches. The sediment characteristics were the main drivers regulating the structure of meiobenthic fauna in Trindade Island. Our findings are also compared to other studies focusing on the meiofauna and nematodes of oceanic islands with carbonate and volcanic sediments; the major patterns are herein presented.

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus M.) local population off west Istria in the North-eastern Adriatic has received no prior study of abundance and distribution despite the habitat's relevance for the preservation of this key species in the marine ecosystem. The research area comprises part of the NATURA 2000 network which was predominantly established here for these dolphins. Official data regarding the local population's status in the region are currently marked as deficient. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide the first population data for the area. Boat-based survey work was carried out from April to September 2012–2015 using a mark–recapture photo-identification method. Prior to this period a random data collection was used to study distribution, since 2001, to cover the area of 927 km2 lying between Umag to lighthouse Albanež in the south. 143 bottlenose dolphins were photo-identified to date with the average group size of 9.27 ± 6.53 animals. Several abundance models were used, from which the Markovian robust model proved the best fit and predicted between 47–142 dolphins along the west Istria coast. A few individuals were also identified in Slovenia, indicating a bigger home range along the 98 km length of the studied area. There is an indication of a regular year round presence of dolphins. The west Istria coast constitutes an important feeding and breeding ground. The region should develop a sustainable plan to manage those human activities negatively impacting the dolphins. Therefore the present study is of relevance for the implementation of management directives for their conservation.

Polymastiidae (Porifera: Demospongiae) of the Nordic and Siberian Seas are revised and compared with the related species of the North Atlantic based on the morphological data from the type and comparative material and the molecular data from fresh samples. Twenty species from six polymastiid genera are recorded. Two species, Polymastia svenseni from Western Norway and Spinularia njordi from the Norwegian Sea, are new to science. One species, Polymastia andrica, is new to the Nordic Seas and two species, Polymastia cf. bartletti and P. penicillus, are new to the Scandinavian Coast. Distribution of the polymastiids in the North Atlantic and Arctic is discussed and the allegedly wide distribution of Spinularia sarsii and S. spinularia is questioned.