Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea)
The Aeolian Islands (Mediterranean Sea) host a unique hydrothermal system called the “Smoking Land” due to the presence of over 200 volcanic CO<sub>2</sub>-vents, resulting in water acidification phenomena and the creation of an acidified benthic environment. Here, we report the results...
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| author | Emanuela Fanelli Simone Di Giacomo Cristina Gambi Silvia Bianchelli Zaira Da Ros Michael Tangherlini Franco Andaloro Teresa Romeo Cinzia Corinaldesi Roberto Danovaro |
| author_facet | Emanuela Fanelli Simone Di Giacomo Cristina Gambi Silvia Bianchelli Zaira Da Ros Michael Tangherlini Franco Andaloro Teresa Romeo Cinzia Corinaldesi Roberto Danovaro |
| author_sort | Emanuela Fanelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Aeolian Islands (Mediterranean Sea) host a unique hydrothermal system called the “Smoking Land” due to the presence of over 200 volcanic CO<sub>2</sub>-vents, resulting in water acidification phenomena and the creation of an acidified benthic environment. Here, we report the results of a study conducted at three sites located at ca. 16, 40, and 80 m of depth, and characterized by CO<sub>2</sub> emissions to assess the effects of acidification on meio- and macrobenthic assemblages. Acidification caused significant changes in both meio- and macrofaunal assemblages, with a clear decrease in terms of abundance and a shift in community composition. A noticeable reduction in biomass was observed only for macrofauna. The most sensitive meiofaunal taxa were kinorhynchs and turbellarians that disappeared at the CO<sub>2</sub> sites, while the abundance of halacarids and ostracods increased, possibly as a result of the larger food availability and the lower predatory pressures by the sensitive meiofaunal and macrofaunal taxa. Sediment acidification also causes the disappearance of more sensitive macrofaunal taxa, such as gastropods, and the increase in tolerant taxa such as oligochaetes. We conclude that the effects of shallow CO<sub>2</sub>-vents result in the progressive simplification of community structure and biodiversity loss due to the disappearance of the most sensitive meio- and macrofaunal taxa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:34:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9385133b7b004ba396efdd5008398d72 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:34:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-9385133b7b004ba396efdd5008398d722023-11-23T18:51:27ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372022-02-0111232110.3390/biology11020321Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea)Emanuela Fanelli0Simone Di Giacomo1Cristina Gambi2Silvia Bianchelli3Zaira Da Ros4Michael Tangherlini5Franco Andaloro6Teresa Romeo7Cinzia Corinaldesi8Roberto Danovaro9Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyStazione Zoologica di Napoli Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80100 Naples, ItalyStazione Zoologica di Napoli Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80100 Naples, ItalyStazione Zoologica di Napoli Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80100 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning (SIMAU), Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyThe Aeolian Islands (Mediterranean Sea) host a unique hydrothermal system called the “Smoking Land” due to the presence of over 200 volcanic CO<sub>2</sub>-vents, resulting in water acidification phenomena and the creation of an acidified benthic environment. Here, we report the results of a study conducted at three sites located at ca. 16, 40, and 80 m of depth, and characterized by CO<sub>2</sub> emissions to assess the effects of acidification on meio- and macrobenthic assemblages. Acidification caused significant changes in both meio- and macrofaunal assemblages, with a clear decrease in terms of abundance and a shift in community composition. A noticeable reduction in biomass was observed only for macrofauna. The most sensitive meiofaunal taxa were kinorhynchs and turbellarians that disappeared at the CO<sub>2</sub> sites, while the abundance of halacarids and ostracods increased, possibly as a result of the larger food availability and the lower predatory pressures by the sensitive meiofaunal and macrofaunal taxa. Sediment acidification also causes the disappearance of more sensitive macrofaunal taxa, such as gastropods, and the increase in tolerant taxa such as oligochaetes. We conclude that the effects of shallow CO<sub>2</sub>-vents result in the progressive simplification of community structure and biodiversity loss due to the disappearance of the most sensitive meio- and macrofaunal taxa.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/2/321ocean acidificationshallow hydrothermal ventsmeiofaunamacrofaunabiodiversityMediterranean Sea |
| spellingShingle | Emanuela Fanelli Simone Di Giacomo Cristina Gambi Silvia Bianchelli Zaira Da Ros Michael Tangherlini Franco Andaloro Teresa Romeo Cinzia Corinaldesi Roberto Danovaro Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) Biology ocean acidification shallow hydrothermal vents meiofauna macrofauna biodiversity Mediterranean Sea |
| title | Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) |
| title_full | Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) |
| title_short | Effects of Local Acidification on Benthic Communities at Shallow Hydrothermal Vents of the Aeolian Islands (Southern Tyrrhenian, Mediterranean Sea) |
| title_sort | effects of local acidification on benthic communities at shallow hydrothermal vents of the aeolian islands southern tyrrhenian mediterranean sea |
| topic | ocean acidification shallow hydrothermal vents meiofauna macrofauna biodiversity Mediterranean Sea |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/2/321 |
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