Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots
We investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the...
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/321 |
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| author | Guido Gnone Michela Bellingeri Sabina Airoldi Joan Gonzalvo Léa David Nathalie Di-Méglio Ana M. Cañadas Aylin Akkaya Tim Awbery Barbara Mussi Ilaria Campana Marta Azzolin Ayhan Dede Arda M. Tonay Clara Monaco Giuliana Pellegrino Paola Tepsich Aurelie Moulins Antonella Arcangeli Hélène Labach Aviad P. Scheinin Yaly Mevorach Roberto Carlucci Francesca C. Santacesaria Carla A. Chicote Manel Gazo Beatriz Tintore Jessica Alessi Alberta Mandich Luca Bittau Bruno Diaz Lopez Caroline Azzinari Gabriella La Manna Daniela Silvia Pace Donatella Decandia Alberto Castelli Silvio Nuti Marie-Catherine Santoni Alessandro Verga Nicolas Tomasi Cristina Giacoma Matteo Costantino Marta Falabrino Arianna Azzellino |
| author_facet | Guido Gnone Michela Bellingeri Sabina Airoldi Joan Gonzalvo Léa David Nathalie Di-Méglio Ana M. Cañadas Aylin Akkaya Tim Awbery Barbara Mussi Ilaria Campana Marta Azzolin Ayhan Dede Arda M. Tonay Clara Monaco Giuliana Pellegrino Paola Tepsich Aurelie Moulins Antonella Arcangeli Hélène Labach Aviad P. Scheinin Yaly Mevorach Roberto Carlucci Francesca C. Santacesaria Carla A. Chicote Manel Gazo Beatriz Tintore Jessica Alessi Alberta Mandich Luca Bittau Bruno Diaz Lopez Caroline Azzinari Gabriella La Manna Daniela Silvia Pace Donatella Decandia Alberto Castelli Silvio Nuti Marie-Catherine Santoni Alessandro Verga Nicolas Tomasi Cristina Giacoma Matteo Costantino Marta Falabrino Arianna Azzellino |
| author_sort | Guido Gnone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the Shannon diversity index as parameters for data analysis. The results show that cetacean diversity, in the context of the Mediterranean basin, is generally quite low when compared with the eastern Atlantic, as few species, namely the striped dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the fin whale, and the sperm whale, dominate over all the others. However, some areas, such as the Alboran Sea or the north-western Mediterranean Sea, which includes the Pelagos Sanctuary (the Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Interest located in the northern portion of the western basin), show higher levels of diversity and should be considered hotspots to be preserved. Primary production and seabed profile seem to be the two main drivers influencing the presence and distribution of cetaceans, with the highest levels of diversity observed in areas characterized by high levels of primary production and high bathymetric variability and gradient. This collective work underlines the importance of data sharing to deepen our knowledge on marine fauna at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea and encourages greater efforts in the networking process, also to accomplish the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, with particular reference to Descriptor 1: biological diversity is maintained. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:41:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3540553848541a6a5248ff4ced750d1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:41:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3540553848541a6a5248ff4ced750d12023-11-17T10:37:02ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-02-0115332110.3390/d15030321Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity HotspotsGuido Gnone0Michela Bellingeri1Sabina Airoldi2Joan Gonzalvo3Léa David4Nathalie Di-Méglio5Ana M. Cañadas6Aylin Akkaya7Tim Awbery8Barbara Mussi9Ilaria Campana10Marta Azzolin11Ayhan Dede12Arda M. Tonay13Clara Monaco14Giuliana Pellegrino15Paola Tepsich16Aurelie Moulins17Antonella Arcangeli18Hélène Labach19Aviad P. Scheinin20Yaly Mevorach21Roberto Carlucci22Francesca C. Santacesaria23Carla A. Chicote24Manel Gazo25Beatriz Tintore26Jessica Alessi27Alberta Mandich28Luca Bittau29Bruno Diaz Lopez30Caroline Azzinari31Gabriella La Manna32Daniela Silvia Pace33Donatella Decandia34Alberto Castelli35Silvio Nuti36Marie-Catherine Santoni37Alessandro Verga38Nicolas Tomasi39Cristina Giacoma40Matteo Costantino41Marta Falabrino42Arianna Azzellino43Acquario di Genova, Area Porto Antico, Ponte Spinola, 1, 16128 Genova, ItalyFondazione Acquario di Genova ONLUS, Area Porto Antico, Ponte Spinola, 1, 16128 Genova, ItalyTethys Research Institute, Viale G.B. Gadio, 2, 20121 Milano, ItalyTethys Research Institute, Viale G.B. Gadio, 2, 20121 Milano, ItalyEcoOcean Institut, 18 Rue des Hospices, 34090 Montpellier, FranceEcoOcean Institut, 18 Rue des Hospices, 34090 Montpellier, FranceMarine Geospatial Ecology Laboratory, Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USADMAD-Marine Mammals Research Association, 19 Mayis ahallesi Kaptan Arif Sokak Mehtap Apt. 54 Dukkan 20-1/1A, Kadikoy, 34738 Istanbul, TürkiyeScottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Oban PA37 1QA, UKOceanomare Delphis Onlus, Viale Rimembranze, 14, 47924 Rimini, ItalyAccademia del Leviatano Onlus, Via dell’Ospedaletto, 53/55, Fiumicino, 00054 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina, 13, 10123 Torino, ItalyFaculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No 2, Fatih, 34134 İstanbul, TürkiyeFaculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No 2, Fatih, 34134 İstanbul, TürkiyeAssociazione Marecamp, Lungomare Scardamiano, 1, Aci Castello, 95021 Catania, ItalyKetos, Corso Italia, 58, 95127 Catania, ItalyFondazione CIMA, Via A. Magliotto, 2, 17100 Savona, ItalyFondazione CIMA, Via A. Magliotto, 2, 17100 Savona, ItalyInstitute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati, 48, 00144 Roma, ItalyMIRACETI, Place des Traceurs de Pierres, La Couronne, 13500 Martigues, FranceMorris Kahn Research Station, Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, IsraelMorris Kahn Research Station, Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Koushy Ave., Mount Carmel, Haifa 3498838, IsraelCoNISMa, Piazzale Flaminio, 9, 00196 Roma, ItalyJonian Dolphin Conservation, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 1, 74123 Taranto, ItalySUBMON, Carrer d’Ortigosa, 14, 08003 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Diagonal, 643, 08028 Barcelona, SpainArchipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Mesokampos-Pythagoreio, 83103 Samos, GreeceMeRiS-Mediterraneo Ricerca e Sviluppo APS, Via Genova, 5, 92026 Favara, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, University of Genoa, Corso Europa, 26, 16132 Genova, ItalySEA ME Sardinia, Via delle Ginestre, 6, 07024 La Maddalena, ItalyBottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, Av. de Beiramar, 192, 36980 O Grove, SpainAssociation BREACH, 11 Rue des Matins Bleus, 66300 Ponteilla, FranceMareterra Onlus, St. S’Anna Pollina, 160, 07041 Alghero, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Roma, ItalyAssociazione CRAMA, Via Principe di Piemonte, 2, 07046 Porto Torres, ItalyDipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Via Derna, 1, 56126 Pisa, ItalyCE.TU.S Cetacean Research Centre, Villa Borbone, Via dei Tigli, 55049 Viareggio, ItalyOffice de l’Environnement de la Corse, Réserve Naturelle des Bouches de Bonifacio, 14 Avenue J. Nicoli, 20250 Corte, FranceGolfo Paradiso Whale Watching, Via Piero Schiaffino, 14/5, 16032 Camogli, ItalyAssociation CARI Corse, lotissement A Strenna, Route du Calvaire, 20250 Corte, FranceGaia Research Institute Onlus, Corso Moncalieri, 68B, 10133 Torino, ItalyThalassa, Via Pietro Giuria 6/BIS, 10125 Torino, ItalyWWF Switzerland, Piazza Indipendenza, 6, 6500 Bellinzona, SwitzerlandPolitecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyWe investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the Shannon diversity index as parameters for data analysis. The results show that cetacean diversity, in the context of the Mediterranean basin, is generally quite low when compared with the eastern Atlantic, as few species, namely the striped dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, the fin whale, and the sperm whale, dominate over all the others. However, some areas, such as the Alboran Sea or the north-western Mediterranean Sea, which includes the Pelagos Sanctuary (the Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Interest located in the northern portion of the western basin), show higher levels of diversity and should be considered hotspots to be preserved. Primary production and seabed profile seem to be the two main drivers influencing the presence and distribution of cetaceans, with the highest levels of diversity observed in areas characterized by high levels of primary production and high bathymetric variability and gradient. This collective work underlines the importance of data sharing to deepen our knowledge on marine fauna at the scale of the whole Mediterranean Sea and encourages greater efforts in the networking process, also to accomplish the requirements of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, with particular reference to Descriptor 1: biological diversity is maintained.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/321Shannon indexprevalenceprimary productionchlorophyllhabitatseabed |
| spellingShingle | Guido Gnone Michela Bellingeri Sabina Airoldi Joan Gonzalvo Léa David Nathalie Di-Méglio Ana M. Cañadas Aylin Akkaya Tim Awbery Barbara Mussi Ilaria Campana Marta Azzolin Ayhan Dede Arda M. Tonay Clara Monaco Giuliana Pellegrino Paola Tepsich Aurelie Moulins Antonella Arcangeli Hélène Labach Aviad P. Scheinin Yaly Mevorach Roberto Carlucci Francesca C. Santacesaria Carla A. Chicote Manel Gazo Beatriz Tintore Jessica Alessi Alberta Mandich Luca Bittau Bruno Diaz Lopez Caroline Azzinari Gabriella La Manna Daniela Silvia Pace Donatella Decandia Alberto Castelli Silvio Nuti Marie-Catherine Santoni Alessandro Verga Nicolas Tomasi Cristina Giacoma Matteo Costantino Marta Falabrino Arianna Azzellino Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots Diversity Shannon index prevalence primary production chlorophyll habitat seabed |
| title | Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots |
| title_full | Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots |
| title_fullStr | Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots |
| title_short | Cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: Encounter Rate, Dominant Species, and Diversity Hotspots |
| title_sort | cetaceans in the mediterranean sea encounter rate dominant species and diversity hotspots |
| topic | Shannon index prevalence primary production chlorophyll habitat seabed |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/321 |
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