Abstract
The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity. Due to its high sensitivity to fishing activities, it has been classified as indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). However, the information on its habitat selection and large-scale spatial distribution in the Mediterranean Sea is poor. In this study a thorough literature review on the occurrence of L. glaberrima across the Mediterranean Sea was undertaken. Predictive modelling was carried out to produce the first continuous map of L. glaberrima suitable habitat in the central sector of the Mediterranean Sea. MaxEnt modeling was used to predict L. glaberrima probability of presence as a function of seven environmental predictors (bathymetry, slope, aspect North–South and East–West, kinetic energy due to currents at the seabed, seabed habitat types and sea bottom temperature). Our results show that bathymetry, slope and aspect are the most important factors driving L. glaberrima spatial distribution, while in less extent the other environmental variables. This study adds relevant information on the spatial distribution of vulnerable deep water corals in relation to the environmental factors in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides an important background for marine spatial planning especially for prioritizing areas for the conservation of VMEs.
Highlights
The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity
One of the main is represented by the inflow of the Atlantic Water stream (AW), flowing in the upper 50–100 m layer and coming from the Gibraltar Strait, which is transformed into Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean basin
This high AUC supported by a moderate-test gain indicates that the model built for the central sector of the Mediterranean Sea was powerful for predicting L. glaberrima habitat distribution
Summary
The black coral Leiopathes glaberrima is an important habitat forming species that supports benthic biodiversity. As of its life history traits (i.e. long-life span, slow grow rates, long reproductive cycle and low recruitments) and sensitivity to fishing activities, since 2013 L. glaberrima has been listed in the Annex II of the SPA/BD protocol of the Barcelona Convention For these reasons, a comprehensive spatial mapping of its distribution across the Mediterranean Sea is required so that management bodies can enhance appropriate conservation measures[21], L. glaberrima has been listed as indicator of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs)[24]. Protecting VMEs is a legal obligation for Regional Fishery Management Organizations since 2008 (under the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 59/25, 61/105 and 64/72), in addition the need for a sustainable management of deep-sea fisheries, while conserving VMEs, has been highlighted with several proposals by GFCM in 2017 These included both the adoption of environmental and biological indicators to identify VMEs location, and the establishment of an “encounter protocol” to avoid fishing on these vulnerable habitats. The adoption of new technologies (e.g. multibeam, echosounder, Remotely Operated Vehicle) can be helpful to increase the efficiency of seafloor mapping[7,25]
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