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Environmental drivers of distribution and reef development of the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa

dc.contributor.authorChefaoui, Rosa
dc.contributor.authorCasado-Amezua, Pilar
dc.contributor.authorTemplado, Jose
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-20T15:07:10Z
dc.date.available2019-11-20T15:07:10Z
dc.date.issued2017-12
dc.description.abstractCladocora caespitosa is the only Mediterranean scleractinian similar to tropical reef-building corals. While this species is part of the recent fossil history of the Mediterranean Sea, it is currently considered endangered due to its decline during the last decades. Environmental factors affecting the distribution and persistence of extensive bank reefs of this endemic species across its whole geographic range are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the environmental response of C. caespitosa and its main types of assemblages using ecological niche modeling and ordination analysis. We also predicted other suitable areas for the occurrence of the species and assessed the conservation effectiveness of Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) for this coral. We found that phosphate concentration and wave height were factors affecting both the occurrence of this versatile species and the distribution of its extensive bioconstructions in the Mediterranean Sea. A set of factors (diffuse attenuation coefficient, calcite and nitrate concentrations, mean wave height, sea surface temperature, and shape of the coast) likely act as environmental barriers preventing the species from expansion to the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea. Uncertainties in our large-scale statistical results and departures from previous physiological and ecological studies are also discussed under an integrative perspective. This study reveals that Mediterranean MPAs encompass eight of the ten banks and 16 of the 21 beds of C. caespitosa. Preservation of water clarity by avoiding phosphate discharges may improve the protection of this emblematic species.
dc.description.sponsorshipSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [CTM2014-57949-R]
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00338-017-1611-8
dc.identifier.issn0722-4028
dc.identifier.issn1432-0975
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/12914
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAdriatic Sea
dc.subjectMass-mortality
dc.subjectHabitat use
dc.subjectTemperate
dc.subjectScleractinia
dc.subjectAnthozoa
dc.subjectGrowth
dc.subjectBanks
dc.subjectCalcification
dc.subjectHeterotrophy
dc.titleEnvironmental drivers of distribution and reef development of the Mediterranean coral Cladocora caespitosa
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/SFRH/SFRH%2FBPD%2F85040%2F2012/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/UID%2FMulti%2F04326%2F2013/PT
oaire.citation.endPage1209
oaire.citation.issue4
oaire.citation.startPage1195
oaire.citation.titleCoral Reefs
oaire.citation.volume36
oaire.fundingStreamSFRH
oaire.fundingStream5876
person.familyNameChefaoui
person.givenNameRosa
person.identifier.orcid0000-0001-5031-4858
person.identifier.ridD-3906-2009
person.identifier.scopus-author-id8636216500
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rightsopenAccess
rcaap.typearticle
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryb42b598d-1235-47a0-803c-9226c3c63173
relation.isProjectOfPublication6083d979-7c61-4cf4-bdff-8150ba313f1f
relation.isProjectOfPublication868b4818-3efa-4edb-9202-c464d64fd38f
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery868b4818-3efa-4edb-9202-c464d64fd38f

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