Abstract
The global decline of brown algal forests along rocky coasts is causing an exceptional biodiversity loss. Regardless of conservation efforts, different techniques have been developed for large-scale restoration strategies in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study we tested ex situ pilot restoration of Gongolaria barbata (=Treptacantha barbata) for the first time in Slovenian coastal waters. Healthy apical fronds of the species were collected and the development of recruits on clay tiles was followed under laboratory conditions for 20 days. Despite the experimental difficulties experienced, especially due to the lack of antibiotics to prevent the growth of the biofilm, G. barbata recruits were outplanted in the sea on two concrete plates with 48 tiles each, protected by purpose-built cages to avoid grazing by herbivorous fish. The high survival rate of juveniles after four months in the field (89% of the tiles on the plate that was constantly protected) suggests that outplanting G. barbata is an operable approach for restoration efforts in the northern Adriatic Sea. Our first experiment in Slovenian coastal waters provides new information for the optimization of the best practices during the laboratory cultivation and addresses the early steps of restoration and introduction of young thalli in the natural environment.
Full Text
Topics from this Paper
Biodiversity Loss
Northern Adriatic Sea
Herbivorous
Fronds
Clay Tiles
+ Show 5 more
Create a personalized feed of these topics
Get StartedSimilar Papers
Plants
Jan 26, 2021
Jan 26, 2021
Journal of Marine Systems
Jul 1, 2000
Apr 14, 2021
Fisheries Research
May 1, 2018
bioRxiv
Sep 18, 2019
Cahiers De Biologie Marine
Jan 1, 2018
Environmental Pollution
Mar 1, 2018
Aug 1, 2015
Journal of Operational Oceanography
Feb 12, 2016
Progress in Oceanography
Sep 1, 2021
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Jul 1, 2020
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
Sep 21, 2023