Macrophytobenthos and the ecological status of coastal waters around Sicily

Abstract

This article gives a picture of recent studies on the phytobenthos of Sicily, paying particular attention to research carried out in the last 10–15 years. Twenty new taxa have been described from Sicily, and floristic studies have recorded 823 taxa at the specific and infraspecific levels. Vegetational studies have been used to verify changes that have possibly occurred in Sicilian areas over the last 30 years. Particular attention was also paid to 22 taxa considered to have been introduced into the Mediterranean Sea and which are found along the Sicilian coast. Applied research dealt mainly with management of the territory, promotion of a sustainable development model for the coastal zone, and using macroalgal communities to assess the quality of Sicilian waters. Finally, some suggestions for studies that should be carried out to increase phytobenthic knowledge of Sicilian coastal waters are made.