The deep vault: a temporary refuge for temperate gorgonian forests facing marine heat waves
Type | Article | ||||||||
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Date | 2023 | ||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||
Author(s) | Bramanti Lorenzo1, Manea Elisabetta1, Giordano Bruna1, 2, Estaque Tristan3, Bianchimani Olivier3, Richaume Justine3, Mérigot Bastien7, Schull Quentin4, Sartoretto Stephane5, Garrabou Joaquim Garrabou6, Guizien Katell1 | ||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Laboratoire d’Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls sur Mer Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Sorbonne Université, Banyuls sur Mer, France 2 : Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy 3 : Septentrion Environnement, Campus Nature Provence, 89 Traverse Parangon, Marseille, France 4 : MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, IFREMER, IRD, CNRS, Sète, France 5 : Ifremer, LITTORAL, F-83500 La Seyne-sur-Mer, France 6 : Instituto de Ciencias del mar ICM-CSIC, Barcelona 7 : MARBEC, Univ. Montpellier, IFREMER, IRD, CNRS, Sète, France |
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Source | Mediterranean Marine Science (1108-393X) (National Documentation Centre (EKT)), 2023 , Vol. 24 , N. 3 , P. 601-609 | ||||||||
DOI | 10.12681/mms.35564 | ||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 3 | ||||||||
Keyword(s) | Mass mortality events, sea-fan, Mediterranean Sea, mesophotic, deep refuge, extreme events, temperate corals, habitat-forming species, climate change, octocorals | ||||||||
Abstract | Climate change poses a significant threat to coastal areas, marked by the increasing intensity and frequency of marine heat waves observed in various ecosystems around the world. Over the last 25 years, a vast number of Mediterranean populations of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata have been impacted by marine heatwaves. The last mass mortality occurred during the summer of 2022 in the Western Mediterranean Sea, affecting mostly shallow populations (down to 30 m depth). Here we provide an assessment of the health status of mesophotic P. clavata populations down to 90 m depth to investigate a depth refuge hypothesis. Results show that the impact of marine heat waves decreases with depth, with a significant drop in mortality below 40 m depth. These observations support the hypothesis of a depth refuge from marine heat waves that may allow, at least temporarily, the maintenance of P. clavata in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The present study strongly advocates for further investigations and monitoring of the mesophotic zone to chart potential areas that could serve as deep refuge for gorgonians. |
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