In September 2014 a group of 130 marine biologists from 26 countries assembled in the 49th European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS) held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The EMBS is a series of annual conferences providing presentations and dialogue in a fairly informal atmosphere – the perfect conditions for encouraging interactions on state-of-art issues in marine science in Europe and beyond. The 49th symposium, organized by the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, included four keynote lectures, 65 oral presentations and 92 poster contributions under the overarching theme ‘A variety of interactions in the marine environment’.

Benthic communities form an important component of the marine food chain. Their occurrence also provides information on the health of the ecosystem. A study was carried out to understand the distribution and abundance of macrobenthos along with sediment characteristics and physicochemical parameters in Visakhapatnam Harbour, a major port along the east coast of India. In all 84 macrobenthic taxa were reported from the port area of which 60 were polychaetes and 24 were other invertebrate taxa. Our observations revealed an increase in the number of polychaete species observed over the last 20 years from this region. An earlier study reported 38 polychaete species in 1975 and a year later the number of polychaete species reported was 12, indicating an increase in the number of polychaete species in the present study by about 150%. The macrobenthic abundance and dominance of species varied with the seasons. Pre-monsoon was dominated by Cirratulus sp., during monsoon tanaids were dominant indicating a seasonal shift in the occurrence and dominance of macrobenthos. During post-monsoon, Cossura coasta was dominant followed by Nephtys dibranchis and amphipods. Sediment characteristics (sand, silt and clay), organic carbon and dissolved oxygen were the important factors influencing the abundance and species diversity. The abundance of macrobenthic forms also varied with inner and outer harbour region. Higher species diversity was observed in the outer harbour suggesting the outer harbour has semi-polluted conditions such as higher dissolved oxygen (DO) and salinity, low nutrients (nitrite, nitrate and silicate) and low organic carbon in the sediment.

Back in 1963, the proto-punk band The Trashmen released the single Surfin’ bird (written by Frazier, White, Harris & Wilson Jr. and released in November 1963 by Garrett label; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow). Fifty years later and despite the obscure lyrics, the song remains iconic in western pop culture; e.g. through the recurrent appearance in the TV show Family Guy (e.g. I dream of Jesus episode, released on 5 October 2008; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184). It is thought that the line ‘everybody knows that the bird is the word’ was inspired by a highly successful and catchy radio jingle released/commissioned in post prohibitionist USA by the Gallo brothers to boost the sales of their inexpensive fortified Thunderbird wine: ‘What's the word? Thunderbird’ (http://www.absurdintellectual.com/2009/06/05/everybodys-heard-that-the-bird-is-the-word-but-its-not-what-they-think/). This illustrates how a simple and catchy message can have a profound and long-lasting influence on society.

The lagoon of Boughrara is the largest lagoon in Tunisia. For several decades it has been subject to the impact of increasing anthropogenic activities, and also to environmental stressors due to climate change and the low renewal of its waters. The present work is a contribution to the study of the functional organization of the benthic macrofauna of the lagoon of Boughrara 3 years after the extension of the channel ‘El Kantra’ which connects this lagoon to the open sea. In total, 13 stations facing the main prospective sources of disturbance and in areas likely to be more polluted were seasonally sampled during 2009–2010. Seasonal monitoring of the abiotic parameters shows a spatial heterogeneity linked to environmental and anthropogenic factors, including hydrodynamics, sedimentary texture and anthropogenic activities. The community of benthic macrofauna is generally poorly diversified at lagoonal-marine stations undergoing influences of both the marine and lagoon environment. The extreme seasons in terms of temperature and salinity seem to have an important role in the reduction of biodiversity in the lagoon of Boughrara. The trophic structure of the macrobenthic community is generally dominated by selective deposit feeders, and seems to be linked more to the availability of trophic resources than to disturbance.

Sponges are a key component of the deep-sea benthos, where they form structurally complex habitats and provide numerous ecosystem goods and services. However, there is still an enormous knowledge gap regarding the diversity, distribution and systematics of this group. This special volume presents the results of the 1st International Workshop on Taxonomy of Atlanto-Mediterranean Deep-Sea Sponges, whereby world experts worked together to start filling in this gap. Herein, new species are described, new sponge-dominated communities are reported, and diversity and distribution patterns are enlightened for this area.

The study aimed to unravel the interaction between ocean acidification and solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in Chaetoceros curvisetus. Chaetoceros curvisetus cells were acclimated to high CO2 (HC, 1000 ppmv) and low CO2 concentration (control, LC, 380 ppmv) for 14 days. Cell density, specific growth rate and chlorophyll were measured. The acclimated cells were then exposed to PAB (photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) + UV-A + UV-B), PA (PAR + UV-A) or P (PAR) for 60 min. Photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII), relative electron transport rate (rETR) and the recovery of ΦPSII were determined. HC induced higher cell density and specific growth rate compared with LC. However, no difference was found in chlorophyll between HC and LC. Moreover, ΦPSII and rETRs were higher under HC than LC in response to solar UVR. P exposure led to faster recovery of ΦPSII, both under HC and LC, than PA and PAB exposure. It appeared that harmful effects of UVR on C. curvisetus could be counteracted by ocean acidification simulated by high CO2 when the effect of climate change is not beyond the tolerance of cells.

The degree of development and operability of the indicators for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) using Descriptor 1 (D1) Biological Diversity was assessed. To this end, an overview of the relevance and degree of operability of the underlying parameters across 20 European countries was compiled by analysing national directives, legislation, regulations, and publicly available reports. Marked differences were found between countries in the degree of ecological relevance as well as in the degree of implementation and operability of the parameters chosen to indicate biological diversity. The best scoring EU countries were France, Germany, Greece and Spain, while the worst scoring countries were Italy and Slovenia. No country achieved maximum scores for the implementation of MSFD D1. The non-EU countries Norway and Turkey score as highly as the top-scoring EU countries. On the positive side, the chosen parameters for D1 indicators were generally identified as being an ecologically relevant reflection of Biological Diversity. On the negative side however, less than half of the chosen parameters are currently operational. It appears that at a pan-European level, no consistent and harmonized approach currently exists for the description and assessment of marine biological diversity. The implementation of the MSFD Descriptor 1 for Europe as a whole can therefore at best be marked as moderately successful.

Malcolm Roy Clarke, FRS (1930–2013) made lasting contributions to cephalopod biology through his productive research programme, his commitment to furthering cephalopod biology and his congenial spirit. His professional legacy includes many important contributions. He wrote over 150 scientific papers, book chapters and other scholarly works, including, the Discovery Report on the role of cephalopods in the diet of sperm whales in the Southern Hemisphere, he edited A handbook for the identification of cephalopod beaks, which made the study of trophic interactions more accessible, and with colleagues he developed and instituted the Cephalopod International Advisory Council to provide advice on cephalopods and a framework for international meetings. His impact on marine science was broad and longstanding.

Spatial variation in the structure of macrobenthic assemblages on intertidal flats is known to be related to different environmental variables. Most of the studies have observed that along the estuarine gradient, salinity is the most important variable driving the patterns of the macrobenthic assemblages. However, the great majority of studies have been done on single estuarine systems in temperate regions. We investigated the relationship between the macrobenthic assemblages in intertidal habitats and the environmental variables along three tropical estuaries. From lower to upper estuarine regions we sampled benthic macrofauna, salinity and sediments. The structure of the benthic assemblages was primarily related to salinity. There was a decrease in the number of taxa from the upper to the lower estuarine regions, indicating important deviation from Remane's model of estuarine diversity. There were important similarities of taxa abundance along different estuarine salinity gradients which can be properly tested in other tropical and temperate regions. We advocate that in order to adopt general and robust management practices it is essential to identify broad patterns and general rules governing estuarine systems.

This paper describes the hydrography and the larval fish assemblage of Guinea Bissau waters, and analyses the spatial distribution of the main families in relation to the oceanographic features of the area. Data were obtained during an oceanographic survey, undertaken between October and November 2008. In addition to 98 demersal fishing hauls, a total of 33 stations, located between 20 and 1000 m depth, were sampled for hydrography and ichthyoplankton. Data showed that Guinea-Bissauan surface waters are characterized by a strong thermohaline front that flows parallel to the bathymetry of the area. Warm surface waters (SST > 29°C) occupy the inner shelf, and colder (SST < 26°C), chlorophyll-a-rich waters take over the shelf break. Continental runoff seems responsible for the low salinity of the inner-shelf waters whereas the colder types bear thermohaline features typical of tropical Atlantic waters. These features define a scenario which favours the development of fish early life stages, reflected in the high abundance and diversity of fish larvae recorded. A total of 84 taxa of fish larvae were identified. Only the family Clupeidae accounted for 54.8% of the sampled larvae. Other important families were Carangidae (8.8%), Sparidae (8.4%) and Myctophidae (5.9%).

Large-scale blooms of dinoflagellates, such as Prorocentrum donghaiense and Karenia mikimotoi, have occurred frequently in the East China Sea (ECS) in recent decades. However, little is known about their effects on the entire life history of copepods. Under laboratory conditions, we investigated the effects of these two common dinoflagellates on the survival of Calanus sinicus individuals at different stages and on reproduction of this copepod. Compared with the control treatment (Skeletonema costatum), the presence of P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi decreased the survival rates of adults and nauplii during the 16 days of the experiment. Survival of nauplii decreased to 49% and 48%, respectively, relative to the nearly 80% survival of adults. Among the six stages of nauplii, individuals at NII and NIII were more susceptible to P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi. Lower egg production rates were also observed when copepods were exposed to P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi, and hatching success decreased only with exposure to P. donghaiense. These results suggest that blooms of the two common dinoflagellates may have detrimental effects on the survival of nauplii and the reproduction of C. sinicus, which may pose a major threat to the recruitment of C. sinicus.

The variations in the composition and structure of macroinvertebrate benthic communities in relationship with the marine sediment enrichment with heavy metals were investigated in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. Standard community parameters as well as the trophic and ecological structure were analysed in 18 stations sampled in six localities. Highest values of diversity descriptors (S, N and H′) were recorded in the less-polluted localities and vice versa. Besides, the results of AMBI and BENTIX indexes were also concordant with those obtained with the classical diversity parameters and matched with the sediment heavy metals distribution in the Gulf of Gabes. Compared with the northern and southern parts of the Gulf, the central area was found to be the most polluted and to host the most-affected benthic community. In addition, biotic indexes were found to be very useful tools to monitor the ecological quality status of benthic assemblages.

Desma-bearing sponges, also known as lithistids or rock sponges, are a group typical of bathyal environments throughout tropical and warm-temperate regions. In this study the lithistids collected in the course of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute eastern Atlantic 1991 campaign to Madeira, Selvagens and the Canary Islands were identified and assigned to eight species, representing eight genera and five families. Several constitute new records for these islands and one is a new species of Isabella, a genus thus far only known from the Norfolk Ridge in New Caledonia, that is here described and illustrated. Some considerations are made in regards to the diversity and biogeographical affinities of the Atlanto-Mediterranean lithistid sponges.

The hydroid and hydromedusa fauna of Russian Arctic seas, totalling 161 species, has been revised taxonomically and biogeographically. Diversity is highest in the Barents Sea, where 133 species are known to occur. Species composition of Hydrozoa throughout Russian Eurasia is decidedly uniform, with marked similarity among all regional faunistic lists. An assemblage of Arctic ubiquitists, a majority of them boreal-Arctic species, comprise the main element of hydrozoans in all Arctic seas. This faunistic main element is responsible for the faunal uniformity observed from one sea to the next across thousands of kilometres along the northern Eurasian coast. Exceptions occur in marginal regions including western parts of the Barents Sea and south-eastern parts of the Chukchi Sea, where species distribution area contours (named as ‘synperates’) come close together. Based on a biogeographic analysis of faunistic data and species distributions of Hydrozoa, all temperate and cold waters of the Eurasian seas and the Central Polar Basin were referred to a single Arctatlantic biogeographic realm. Biogeographic subdivisions within this realm have rather low hierarchical rank, the result of low endemism, high faunal similarity across the northern seas, and predominance of a North Atlantic fauna in Russian northern seas as far as the easternmost Chukchi Sea.

Taxonomic composition and seasonal dynamics of density of phytoplankton, heterotrophic bacteria, ciliates, holoplankton, meroplankton and zoobenthos of mud bottom sediments were studied in 2010–2011 in the Liman ‘Zmeinoe Ozero’. Twelve non-native species of fauna were recorded, that penetrated into the Liman with ships' ballast water (established species – 6, cryptogenic species – 2, casual species – 4). The basic ‘groups of risk’ of invasions are tintinnids infusorians, neritic species of copepods and spionid polychaetes. The attempt to define the degree of vulnerability of the recipient ecosystem to biological invasions is made on the basis of an energy balance method. The prognosis of biological pollution of the north-eastern Black Sea by ships' ballast waters was executed.

The Adriatic Sea, being a semi-closed and shallow basin, is more sensitive to anthropogenic impact than other areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Given the crucial role of meiofauna in the marine ecosystems, temporal series of data on this benthic assemblage are fundamental to give new insights into the health status of this basin. A data set (decade 2002–2012) on the meiofauna of two river mouths (Foglia and Metauro) close to a Natural Park (Monte San Bartolo, Central Adriatic Sea) has been analysed and related to several environmental parameters. In particular, changes in the meiofaunal structure, abundance and diversity have been investigated in order to evaluate possible variations of ecological quality status (EQS), in accordance with the Water Framework Directive. The structure of the meiofaunal assemblage appeared significantly different in the period studied, with a higher abundance of annelids in 2002 and an increase of nematodes in the following sampling campaigns. Among the faunal parameters, the Shannon and Pielou indices suggested a decline of the EQS over time, likely mainly due to the negative effect of chlorophyll-a peaks, which may highlight the influence of eutrophication phenomena and an enhancement of the organic matter supply. The lowering of the EQS of the study area suggests the need to intensify management and conservation efforts in the coastal systems, and supports the use of the meiofaunal assemblage as a useful bioindicator.

Understanding the role played by sunken vessels in Mediterranean marine ecosystems is acquiring increasing importance. The aim of this research was to study the fish communities associated with four shipwrecks, by means of underwater visual censuses performed by a remotely operated vehicle, and to test the differences in composition of fish assemblages between these shipwrecks and the adjacent soft bottoms, considered as control sites. Multivariate analysis on the total fish assemblage showed significant differences between wrecks and controls. Results also showed higher levels of species richness and abundance near all wrecks than at a short distance from them on soft bottoms, thus indicating that these sunken vessels, thanks to their higher habitat complexity, act as artificial reefs, attracting aggregations of fish species and leading to a greater diversification of the local fish assemblage. Nevertheless, shipwrecks, which are an ideal target for recreational fishermen, could contribute to the over-exploitation of some high-value fish species, such as Mycteroperca rubra, Dentex dentex and Diplodus spp., attracted by the artificial hard substrate of the vessel-reefs. The recent European directives suggest an urgent need for a better understanding of the crucial role played by these potential sources of pollutants on marine environments and ecosystems. An ecosystem approach to study and monitor these pollutant sources is, therefore, mandatory for appropriate remediation and/or mitigation of the potential negative effects on a productive and healthy ocean.