Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge
Submerged and semi-submerged marine caves are considered a European habitat of Community Interest as they preserve one of the most important biodiversity heritages in the Mediterranean and serve as refugia for endemic and/or “relict” species. Among sessile benthic taxa, caves represent significant r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/641 |
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| author | Caterina Longo Guadalupe Giménez Francesco Miscioscia Giuseppe Corriero |
| author_facet | Caterina Longo Guadalupe Giménez Francesco Miscioscia Giuseppe Corriero |
| author_sort | Caterina Longo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Submerged and semi-submerged marine caves are considered a European habitat of Community Interest as they preserve one of the most important biodiversity heritages in the Mediterranean and serve as refugia for endemic and/or “relict” species. Among sessile benthic taxa, caves represent significant reservoirs of sponge species richness and are well representative of the entire poriferan Mediterranean fauna. In order to assess the current knowledge of sponge species in marine caves along the Apulian coast, this study gathered data from the available literature (national and international scientific publications and grey literature) with original data, surveying 26 marine caves in the area. A total of 145 Porifera species were reported in marine caves on the Apulian coast, including 117 in the Tremiti archipelago, 33 along the Adriatic coast of Bari and 73 along the Salento Peninsula. Original data includes new records for nine species in the Corvine cave, two in the Murene cave and one in the Zinzulusa cave. Our results suggest that marine cave communities along the Apulian coast are not uniformly surveyed, being the caves of the Tremiti Islands and those of the Salento Peninsula among the best studied, while large stretches of the regional coast, although particularly rich in marine caves, are poorly investigated for their sponge fauna. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:57:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-294afe1e84014f699bb05627ce91e8df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:57:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-294afe1e84014f699bb05627ce91e8df2023-12-01T01:27:52ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-05-0115564110.3390/d15050641Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of KnowledgeCaterina Longo0Guadalupe Giménez1Francesco Miscioscia2Giuseppe Corriero3Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalySubmerged and semi-submerged marine caves are considered a European habitat of Community Interest as they preserve one of the most important biodiversity heritages in the Mediterranean and serve as refugia for endemic and/or “relict” species. Among sessile benthic taxa, caves represent significant reservoirs of sponge species richness and are well representative of the entire poriferan Mediterranean fauna. In order to assess the current knowledge of sponge species in marine caves along the Apulian coast, this study gathered data from the available literature (national and international scientific publications and grey literature) with original data, surveying 26 marine caves in the area. A total of 145 Porifera species were reported in marine caves on the Apulian coast, including 117 in the Tremiti archipelago, 33 along the Adriatic coast of Bari and 73 along the Salento Peninsula. Original data includes new records for nine species in the Corvine cave, two in the Murene cave and one in the Zinzulusa cave. Our results suggest that marine cave communities along the Apulian coast are not uniformly surveyed, being the caves of the Tremiti Islands and those of the Salento Peninsula among the best studied, while large stretches of the regional coast, although particularly rich in marine caves, are poorly investigated for their sponge fauna.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/641Poriferamarine cavesApulian coast |
| spellingShingle | Caterina Longo Guadalupe Giménez Francesco Miscioscia Giuseppe Corriero Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge Diversity Porifera marine caves Apulian coast |
| title | Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge |
| title_full | Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge |
| title_fullStr | Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge |
| title_short | Sponge Fauna of the Apulian Marine Caves (Southern Italy): Current State of Knowledge |
| title_sort | sponge fauna of the apulian marine caves southern italy current state of knowledge |
| topic | Porifera marine caves Apulian coast |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/641 |
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