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The diversity of benthic communities on continental shelves is tightly linked to the diversity of habitats. Therefore, considering seascape habitat composition can help to gain insights into the spatial variability of benthic communities and move away from single-habitats approaches. This perspective needs different analytical methods, such as network analysis that enable the study of complex ecological interactions. This work explores the relationships between habitat and benthic species diversity in the Menorca Channel (the Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean). The seascape in the study area is a mosaic of alternating biogenic and sandy habitats that increases the total benthic species richness. Of the 442 benthic species included in the analyses, 286 species are shared by the six habitats identified, contributing to ecological connectivity across the seascape; 73 generalist species inhabit all six habitats simultaneously, however, 156 species are specialists and are linked to a single habitat, particularly to biogenic habitats, which increases specialization and the vulnerability of the species to habitat fragmentation. The network approach shows a tight link between epibenthic species diversity and the distribution of habitats over the continental shelf, providing essential information for optimal conservation strategies that move from a focus on protecting the most sensitive habitats to marine conservation schemes that encompass a diversity of habitats. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was funded by EU H2020 MaCoBioS (Grant Number 869710) and the original data was produced under LIFE + INDEMARES project: ‘‘Inventario y designación de la Red Natura 2000 en área marinas del Estado español’’. SdJ is supported by a Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Plan Estatal I + D + I, 2017- 2020; grant no. RyC2020-029062-I). AO was funded by the General Directorate for University Policy and Research of the Government of the Balearic Islands with a “Vicenç Mut” award Grant PD/002/2020. JM was the INDEMARES project coordinator in the Menorca Channel for the period 2009–2014.

Seagrasses, which are considered among the most ecologically valuable and endangered coastal ecosystems, have a narrowly limited distribution in the south-east Pacific, where Zostera chilensis is the only remaining relict. Due to water scarcity, desalination industry has grown in the last decades in the central-north coasts of Chile, which may be relevant to address in terms of potential impacts on benthic communities due to their associated high-salinity brine discharges to subtidal ecosystems. In this work, we assessed ecophysiological and cellular responses to desalination-extrapolable hypersalinity conditions on Z. chilensis. Mesocosms experiments were performed for 10 days, where plants were exposed to 3 different salinity treatments: 34 psu (control), 37 psu and 40 psu. Photosynthetic performance, H2O2 accumulation, and ascorbate content (reduced and oxidized) were measured, as well as relative gene expression of enzymes related to osmotic regulation and oxidative stress; these, at 1, 3, 6 and 10 days. Z. chilensis showed a decrease in photosynthetic parameters such as electron transport rate (ETRmax) and saturation irradiance (EkETR) under hypersalinity treatments, while non-photochemical quenching (NPQmax) presented an initial increment and a subsequent decline at 40 psu. H2O2 levels increased with hypersalinity, while ascorbate and dehydroascorbate only increased under 37 psu, although decreased along the experimental period. Increased salinities also triggered the expression of genes related to ion transport and osmolyte syntheses, but salinity-dependent up-regulated genes were mostly those related to the reactive oxygen species metabolism. The relict seagrass Z. chilensis has shown to withstand increased salinities that may be extrapolable to desalination effects in the short-term. As the latter is not fully clear in the long-term, and considering the restricted distribution and ecological importance, direct brine discharges to Z. chilensis meadows may not be recommended. F. Blanco-Murillo was supported by a grant from Universidad de Alicante (Grant ID: FPUUA98). The investigation was financed by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (888415) granted to C.A. Sáez. Contribution of project ANID InES I+D 2021 (INID210013) is also acknowledged.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Marine Non-Indigenous Species in Europe by 2020, and Predictions through Modelling and Horizon Scanning for 2050 [Abstract] The introduction of new non-indigenous species (NIS) in Spanish marine waters is addressed under Descriptor 2 of the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. National baseline inventories of NIS have been compiled and updated for the three subregions (Western Mediterranean Sea, WMED; Bay of Biscay–Iberian Coast, ABI; Macaronesia, AMA) with data from 1800 to 2021. An overall of 574 species were identified with an alien, cryptogenic, crypto-expanding, or debatable status, mostly invertebrates (~65%) and primary producers (~22%). Of 412 alien species, 80.51% were reported in ABI, 67.82% in WMED, and 66.67% in AMA. Cryptogenic species are more abundant in the WMED (25.25%), compared to AMA (19.77%) and ABI (18.46%). ABI harbors more established species (62.56%) than AMA (45.2%) and WMED (43.56%), contrary to casual records (AMA 31.64%, WMED 23.76%, ABI 13.85%). Invasive species are more abundant (14.36%) in WMED. The ‘transport-stowaway’ pathway accounted for 142 (79.33%), 123 (67.58%), and 169 (85.21%) records in WMED, ABI, and AMA, respectively. The second most common pathway was ‘transport-contaminant’ related to mariculture (~10% of the total), prevalently in ABI with 42 species (23.08%). The Canary Islands stand out for species introduced through oil platforms from throughout the world. ‘Unaided’ was a relevant pathway of secondary introduction into the WMED, particularly of Lessepsian species progressing westwards. Temporal trends in newly introduced species show similar behavior among subregions. This research was funded by Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, grant number 11_MM_ESMARES2. The APC was funded by the ESMARES2-C3 project

Multiple stressors are continuously deteriorating surface waters worldwide, posing many challenges for their conservation and restoration. Combined effect types of multiple stressors range from single-stressor dominance to complex interactions. Identifying prevalent combined effect types is critical for environmental management, as it helps to prioritise key stressors for mitigation. However, it remains unclear whether observed single and combined stressor effects reflect true ecological processes unbiased by sample size and length of stressor gradients. Therefore, we examined the role of sample size and stressor gradient lengths in 158 paired-stressor response cases with over 120,000 samples from rivers, lakes, transitional and marine ecosystems around the world. For each case, we split the overall stressor gradient into two partial gradients (lower and upper) and investigated associated changes in single and combined stressor effects. Sample size influenced the identified combined effect types, and stressor interactions were less likely for cases with fewer samples. After splitting gradients, 40 % of cases showed a change in combined effect type, 30 % no change, and 31 % showed a loss in stressor effects. These findings suggest that identified combined effect types may often be statistical artefacts rather than representing ecological processes. In 58 % of cases, we observed changes in stressor effect directions after the gradient split, suggesting unimodal stressor effects. In general, such non-linear responses were more pronounced for organisms at higher trophic levels. We conclude that observed multiple stressor effects are not solely determined by ecological processes, but also strongly depend on sampling design. Observed effects are likely to change when sample size and/or gradient length are modified. Our study highlights the need for improved monitoring programmes with sufficient sample size and stressor gradient coverage. Our findings emphasize the importance of adaptive management, as stress reduction measures or further ecosystem degradation may change multiple stressor-effect relationships, which will then require associated changes in management strategies. Scenarios of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services II programme, jointly supported by Belmont Forum, Biodiversa and the European Commission; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; Fénix Programme, Government of Cantabria; Augusto González de Linares, Programa de ayudas de la Universidad de Cantabria para contratos posdoctorales, grant number: POS-UC-2020-07; Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland); Marine Institute (Ireland); Basque Water Agency (URA) and Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao-Bizkaia (Spain); Cawthron Institute, New Zealand; Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand; Oranga Taiao Oranga Tangata research programme, New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment grant number MAUX1502; The project FRESHABIT LIFE IP (LIFE14/IPE/FI/023); USA National Science Foundation, Dimensions of Biodiversity Program (1831096); Irish Research Council Laureate Award (IRCLA/2017/112).

Coastal marine lagoons are environments highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures such as agriculture nutrient loading or runoff from metalliferous mining. Sediment microorganisms, which are key components in the biogeochemical cycles, can help attenuate these impacts by accumulating nutrients and pollutants. The Mar Menor, located in the southeast of Spain, is an example of a coastal lagoon strongly altered by anthropic pressures, but the microbial community inhabiting its sediments remains unknown. Here, we describe the sediment prokaryotic communities along a wide range of environmental conditions in the lagoon, revealing that microbial communities were highly heterogeneous among stations, although a core microbiome was detected. The microbiota was dominated by Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria and members of the Bacteroidia class. Additionally, several uncultured groups such as Asgardarchaeota were detected in relatively high proportions. Sediment texture, the presence of Caulerpa or Cymodocea, depth, and geographic location were among the most important factors structuring microbial assemblages. Furthermore, microbial communities in the stations with the highest concentrations of potentially toxic elements (Fe, Pb, As, Zn, and Cd) were less stable than those in the non-contaminated stations. This finding suggests that bacteria colonizing heavily contaminated stations are specialists sensitive to change., SI

Chitosan is a partially deacetylated linear polysaccharide composed of β‐1,4‐linked units of d‐glucosamine and N‐acetyl glucosamine. As well as a structural component of fungal cell walls, chitosan is a potent antifungal agent. However, the mode of action of chitosan is poorly understood. Here, we report that chitosan is effective for control of rice blast disease. Chitosan application impairs growth of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and has a pronounced effect on appressorium‐mediated plant infection. Chitosan inhibits septin‐mediated F‐actin remodelling at the appressorium pore, thereby preventing repolarization of the infection cell. Chitosan causes plasma membrane permeabilization of M. oryzae and affects NADPH oxidase‐dependent synthesis of reactive oxygen species, essential for septin ring formation and fungal pathogenicity. We further show that toxicity of chitosan to M. oryzae requires the protein kinase C‐dependent cell wall integrity pathway, the Mps1 mitogen‐activated protein kinase and the Nox1 NADPH oxidase. A conditionally lethal, analogue (PP1)‐sensitive mutant of Pkc1 is partially remediated for growth in the presence of chitosan, while ∆nox1 mutants increase their glucan : chitin cell wall ratio, rendering them resistant to chitosan. Taken together, our data show that chitosan is a potent fungicide which requires the cell integrity pathway, disrupts plasma membrane function and inhibits septin‐mediated plant infection. This work was supported by AGL 2015 66833-R grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and European H2020 Project MUSA-727624 and an EMBO Short-term Fellowship to FL-M. Work in NJT’s laboratory is supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.

In developing a holistic and innovative approach to determining the carrying capacity in marine finfish aquaculture, we carried out a modified Delphi exercise in which we asked industry experts to identify the factors influencing the production levels of the activity under different scenarios. We disseminated and discussed three rounds of questionnaires in sectoral roundtables and workshops with experts, culminating in the development of a simple formula that adapts production levels to the physical, ecological, social and economic conditions of the activity on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. We used this formula to approach the carrying capacity of the system. Based on the developed model and its theoretical application, we estimated the carrying capacity for floating cages on the Spanish Mediterranean coast at 117,162 t—about 1.5 times the current granted production level of 79,440 t. We therefore concluded that, subject to the execution of an in-situ validation of the model, the production level of floating nurseries on the Spanish Mediterranean coast could be increased by up to 47.5%., We thank all the experts involved in this study for their valuable insights during Delphi exercise. KT-G was funded by a postdoctoral tenure program Juan de la Cierva Formación (FJCI-2014-20100) and Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJCI-2017-34174) funded by Spanish National Research Agency. This study was funded by the Projects “Environmental Innovation Measures for the Development and Establishment of Protocols for Carrying Capacity for Aquaculture Sustainability (MIMECCA)”; “Marine Aquaculture Carrying Capacity Applied Models (MACCAM)”; “GLObal change Resilience in Aquaculture-2 (GLORiA2),” supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program and co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). It is also part of the LIFE IP INTEMARES Project “Integrated, innovative and participatory management of the Natura 2000 Network in the Spanish marine environment”. This study forms part of the ThinkInAzul programme and was supported by MCIN with funding from European Union NextGenerationEU (PRTR-C17·I1) and by Generalitat Valenciana (THINKINAZUL/2021/044-TOWARDS).

Seawater desalination has been considered an important solution for the water scarcity in coastal areas. Brazil has an 8,000 km long coastline where population and tourism have grown tremendously in the last years. Fortaleza is the fifth-largest city in Brazil with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, representing an important economic, recreational and touristic area in the Northeast. In addition, it is the city with the greatest gross domestic product (GDP) in the region, and ninth in the country. In the past 7 y, the dams that supply water to the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza have undergone droughts. This led the government to start a large-scale seawater desalination project that shall produce desalinated water at about 1.0 m3/s, for which plant location, water intake and brine disposal studies were performed. The most common environmental impact associated with desalination plants is the high concentration brine discharge. Aiming to evaluate the possible impact of such discharges, environmental modeling has become an important tool for projects, environmental management and studies, due to the complexity of these environments. With this tool, it is possible to integrate a large number of variables and processes to obtain a dynamic vision of those systems and evaluate present and future conditions. This work presents outcomes from brine discharge modeling in the water quality of the coast of Fortaleza, in particular, increased salinity, using Visual Plumes to evaluate near-field dilution and SisBaHiA (Environmental Hydrodynamic Base System) software to generate a hydrodynamic model and evaluate far-field dilution. Hydrodynamic models, forced by wind and tide, were coupled with a wave propagation model and then used in a Lagrangian transport model, which was fed by the outcomes of the near-field model. From the results generated, it was identified that the installation of the proposed desalination plant in Fortaleza does not compromise water quality and is consistent with the results reported in the literature, regarding the reduced impact caused by the disposal of this type of concentrate.

Populations of the Mediterranean fan mussel Pinna nobilis have progressively decreased over the last decades as a result of anthropogenic activities. The rate of decline has strongly increased since 2016, when a mass mortality event triggered by the parasite Haplosporidium pinnae occurred, and evidence exists that Mycobacterium species may also have played a major role in the event. Indeed, the epidemic has spread throughout the Mediterranean, although coastal lagoons seem to offer a degree of ‘resistance’ against the parasite. In the early 1980s, P. nobilis appeared in the Mar Menor lagoon and rapidly became an important component of the benthos. However, colonization of the lagoon by the fan mussel was cut short in 2016 when a massive mortality event occurred, possibly as a consequence of the environmental collapse that occurred in the lagoon, parallel to the mortality that the species suffered in the Mediterranean that same year. In this study, we estimated the spatial distribution of P. nobilis in the Mar Menor for 3 periods: 2003-2004, 2013 and 2016. The first 2 periods use published data, and the last period uses data collected in a new campaign. The probability of occurrence for the 3 periods was estimated using random forest and random forest regression-kriging models. The main environmental variables that determined the dispersion and colonization of the bivalve in the lagoon before 2016 are also identified.

Symplegma is a genus of compound ascidians (Fam. Styelidae) with warm water affinities and distribution in tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The first record of this genus (as S. viride) in the Mediterranean was from 1951 in the Levantine Sea, presumably entering the basin from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. Subsequently, it has been expanding its distributional range northward along the Levantine Sea coast, probably following the prevailing surface current direction. Recently, Symplegma has colonized the Aegean, Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, where it is spreading quickly, most likely mediated by shipping (i.e., hull fouling). Some specimens from the Ionian Sea (specifically from Tunisia, Malta) present opaque tunics resembling the Indo-Pacific Symplegma bahraini; however, morphological studies suggest that the genus in the Mediterranean Sea is represented by a single species, Symplegma brakenhielmi. The taxonomy of S. brakenhielmi, as well as its spreading routes and possible introduction vectors are analysed. © Ramos-Esplá et al., MAVA Foundation; Ege Üniversitesi: 16/SÜF/003, The surveys in Porto Marina El Alamein, Egypt were conducted within the framework of the MAPMED Project “MAnagement of Port areas in the MEDiterranean Sea Basin” funded by ENPI CBC MED Cross-Border Cooperation. The specimens of S. brakenhielmi from Kiyikislacik (Aegean Sea) were collected during a project funded by Ege University (16/SÜF/003). The surveys in Kuriat Island, Tunisia were conducted within the framework of the Supporting the management of the marine and coastal protected area of the Kuriat Islands executed by SPA/RAC in partnership with the Coastal Protection and Management Agency and Notre Grand Bleu NGO and funded by the MAVA Foundation. The authors acknowledge three anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that improved the quality of the manuscript., The surveys in Porto Marina El Alamein, Egypt were conducted within the framework of the MAPMED Project ?MAnagement of Port areas in the MEDiterranean Sea Basin? funded by ENPI CBC MED Cross-Border Cooperation. The specimens of S. brakenhielmi from Kiyikislacik (Aegean Sea) were collected during a project funded by Ege University (16/S?F/003). The surveys in Kuriat Island, Tunisia were conducted within the framework of the Supporting the management of the marine and coastal protected area of the Kuriat Islands executed by SPA/RAC in partnership with the Coastal Protection and Management Agency and Notre Grand Bleu NGO and funded by the MAVA Foundation. The authors acknowledge three anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that improved the quality of the manuscript.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Non-indigenous species (NIS) represent a serious problem worldwide, where ascidians are one of the most important taxa. However, little has been done to document the non-indigenous ascidians in Iceland, and over the past decade only two species had been recorded prior to the present study, Ciona intestinalis in 2007 and Botryllus schlosseri in 2011. To increase the knowledge of this taxon, extensive sampling was carried out in shallow waters around Iceland, during the summer 2018, in ports and on ropes of a long-line mussel aquaculture. In total, eleven species were identified, four native and seven NIS, of which Diplosoma listerianum, Ascidiella aspersa, Botrylloides violaceus, Molgula manhattensis and Ciona cf. robusta, are now reported for the first time in Iceland. The highest abundance of non-indigenous ascidians appeared among the ports in southwestern Iceland (Sandgerði, Hafnarfjörður). As pointed out for other regions, the most likely vector is maritime traffic (hull fouling and ballast water), although other vectors cannot be ruled out. The future expansion of these non-indigenous ascidians around Iceland must be monitored, where local maritime traffic could play an important role. Furthermore, global warming may facilitate the access and establishment of these species in colder areas with arctic influence (north and east of Iceland), which are likely still free of these species., This work was partly supported by the Suðurnes Regional Development Fund under grant no. 34/2017. One of the authors (ARE) received two grants for stays for research staff in foreign centers from the University of Alicante (2018) and from the Generalitat Valenciana (BEST2019 program).

The ecosystem formed by the marine flowering plant Posidonia oceanica is a biodiversity reservoir and provides many ecosystem services in coastal Mediterranean regions. Marine meiofauna is also a major component of that biodiversity, and its study can be useful in addressing both theoretical and applied questions in ecology, evolution, and conservation. We review the meiofaunal diversity in the meadow ecosystem of P. oceanica by combining a literature review and a case study. First, we gathered records of 672 species from 71 published studies, as well as unpublished sources, highlighting 4 species exclusive to this ecosystem. Eighteen of those studies quantified the spatial and temporal changes in species composition, highlighting habitat-specific assemblages that fluctuate following the annual changes experienced by these meadows. Hydrodynamics, habitat complexity, and food availability, all three inherently linked to the seagrass phenology, are recognized in the literature as the main factors shaping the complex distribution patterns of meiofauna in the meadows. These drivers have been identified mainly in studies of Copepoda and Nematoda, and their effect may depend ultimately on species-specific preferences. Second, we tested the generality of these observations using marine mites as a model group, showing that similar ecological preferences might be found in other less abundant meiofaunal groups. Overall, our study highlights the high diversity of meiofauna in meadows of P. oceanica compared with algae and sessile macrofauna associated with this seagrass and shows the complexity of the interactions and habitat use by meiofauna associated with the seagrass. Guillermo García-Gómez was supported by an Erasmus+ mobility fellowship, OLS ID 641798. Alejandro Martínez was supported by a European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions individual fellowship, project ANCAVE 745530. Nuria Sánchez was funded by the Research Talent Attraction Program for incorporation into research groups in the Community of Madrid (2019-T2/AMB-13328).

Este artículo contiene 18 páginas, 4 figuras., Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) and mass mortality events (MMEs) of marine organisms are one of their main ecological impacts. Here, we show that during the 2015–2019 period, the Mediterranean Sea has experienced exceptional thermal conditions resulting in the onset of five consecutive years of widespread MMEs across the basin. These MMEs affected thousands of kilometers of coastline from the surface to 45 m, across a range of marine habitats and taxa (50 taxa across 8 phyla). Significant relationships were found between the incidence of MMEs and the heat exposure associated with MHWs observed both at the surface and across depths. Our findings reveal that the Mediterranean Sea is experiencing an acceleration of the ecological impacts of MHWs which poses an unprecedented threat to its ecosystems' health and functioning. Overall, we show that increasing the resolution of empirical observation is critical to enhancing our ability to more effectively understand and manage the consequences of climate change., This paper was supported by Euromarine. Joaquim Garrabou acknowledges the funding by the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” (CEX2019-000928-S), the MCIU/AEI/FEDER [HEATMED; RTI2018-095346-B-I00], Interreg-Med Programme MPA-Engage (1MED15_3.2_M2_337), the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Futuremares SEP-210597628). Nuria Teixido acknowledges the French National Research Agency (4Oceans-MOPGA grant, ANR-17-MPGA-0001) and internal funds from the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn. Gil Rilov was supported by the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Hocein Bazairi, Free Spinosa, and Vasilis Gerovasileiou acknowledge the funding by the MAVA Fondation (MedKeyHabitats I Project) and the European Commission (Ecap-MED II Project; projects implemented by UNEP/MAP-RAC/SPA). Alfonso Ramos was supported the CIESM “Tropical Signals,” Stelios Katsanevakis and Maria Sini were supported by the Project “Coastal Environment Observatory and Risk Management in Island Regions AEGIS+” (MIS 5047038), implemented within the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014–2020), co-financed by the Hellenic Government (Ministry of Development and Investments) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund), Stelios Katsanevakis, Maria Sini and Vasilis Gerovasileiou acknowledge the support of the MARISCA Project, co-funded by 85% by the EEA GRANTS, 2009–2014, and 15% by the Public Investments Programme (PIP) of the Hellenic Republic. Ivan Guala and Daniele Grech thanks thank the support of the project “Pinna nobilis—ricerca per la sopravvivenza: un'iniziativa di Citizen Science per tracciare la mortalità di massa di Pinna nobilis in Sardegna” project and the L/7 grant (CUP 87G17000070002) funded by the Regione Autonoma Sardegna. Jean-Baptiste Ledoux was funded by an assistant researcher contract framework of the RD Unit—UID/Multi/04423/2019—Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research—financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE2020—Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). This research was supported by the Strategic Funding UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 through national funds provided by the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the program PT2020. Bernat Hereu and Cristina Linares acknowledge the support of the long-term monitoring programme of the catalan Natural Parks, funded by the Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Cristina Linares acknowledges the support of the ICREA Academia programme. David Díaz acknowledges the support the research grant CTM2016-77027-R of the Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad and Program of Marines Strategies of Spain funded by MITERD. Jamila Ben Soussi was partially funded by the Fondation Albert 2 Monaco (MIMOSA Project) and the Tropical Signals Program of CIESM. Giovanni Chimienti was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (PON 2014–2020, AIM 1807508–1, Linea 1), by the Ente Parco Nazionale del Gargano (Research agreement with CoNISMa N. 21/2018), and by the National Geographic Society (Grant EC-176R-18). Nathaniel Bensoussan acknowledges financial support from the European Commission through the programme “Caroline Herschell” in the context of the action “Developing Downstream applications and services on BIO-PHYsical characterization of the seascape for COASTal management” (BIOPHYCOAST). Monica Montefalcone and Annalissa Azzola collected some of their data on MMEs in the frame of the project “Mare Caldo” funded by Greenpeace Italy. Núria Marbà acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministries of Economy and Competitiveness (CTM2012-32603, CGL2015-71809-P) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RTI2018-095441-B-C21). Diego K. Kersting acknowledges support by the postdoctoral fellowship programme Beatriu de Pinós funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research (Government of Catalonia) and the Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the European Union under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801370.

We first report the presence of a species of the genus Batophora in the Iberian Peninsula, in the Mar Menor lagoon (Murcia, SE Spain). We detected this macroalga in November 2021. However, according to some observations, it could have been present in the lagoon at least since 2016, being described as a “rare” form of Dasycladus vermicularis. A further survey made during May 2022 confirmed the presence of this species in much of the perimeter of the Mar Menor. Morphologic analyses are not conclusive regarding the species description, but most traits point to Batophora occidentalis or Batophora occidentalis var. largoensis. A consensus sequence from the rbcL barcode gene was compared by the Blastn tool showing its closeness to other Batophora specimens, yet the specific level was unresolved. The recent confirmation of a Batophora species in a littoral lagoon from Formentera (Balearic Islands) with similar morphologic characteristics could indicate that both putative introductions are connected. Further morphologic and genetic analyses are required in order to know the origin and expansion of this genus along the Mediterranean coasts.

Global climate change is expected to have detrimental effects on coastal ecosystems, with impacts observable at the local and regional levels, depending on factors such as light, temperature, and nutrients. Shifts in dominance between primary producers that can capitalize on carbon availability for photosynthesis will have knock-on effects on marine ecosystems, affecting their ecophysiological responses and biological processes. Here, we study the ecophysiological vulnerability, photoacclimation capacity, and tolerance responses as ecophysiological responses of the intertidal kelp Lessonia spicata (Phaeophyceae, Laminariales) during a year through different seasons (autumn, winter, spring, and summer) in the Pacific Ocean (central Chile). Six different daily cycle experiments were carried out within each season. A battery of different biochemical assays associated with antioxidant responses and in-vivo chlorophyll a fluorescence parameter showed that during spring and summer, there was an increase in photosynthetic capacity in the macroalgae, although their responses varied depending on light and nutrient availability in the course of the year. Lessonia spicata showed maximal photosynthesis and a similar photoinhibition pattern in summer compared to the other seasons, and the contents of nitrate and phosphorous in seawater were less in winter. Thus, high irradiance during spring and summer displayed a higher maximal electron transport rate (ETRmax), irradiance of saturation (Ek), non-photochemical quenching (NPQmax), nitrogen and carbon contents, and photoprotector compound levels. Antioxidant activity increased also in summer, the seasonal period with the highest oxidative stress conditions, i.e., the highest level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In contrast, under low irradiance, i.e., wintertime conditions, L. spicata demonstrated lower concentrations of the photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a and carotenoids. Our study suggests that macroalgae that are subjected to increased irradiance and water temperature under lower nutrient availability mediated by seasonal changes (expected to worsen under climate change) respond with higher values of productivity, pigment contents, and photoprotective compounds. Thus, our findings strengthen the available evidence to predict that algae in the order Laminariales, specifically L. spicata (kelp), could better proliferate, with lower vulnerability and greater acclimation, than other marine species subject to future expected conditions associated with climate change.

Background Pochonia chlamydosporia is an endophytic fungus used for nematode biocontrol that employs its cellular and molecular machinery to degrade the nematode egg-shell. Chitosanases, among other enzymes, are involved in this process. In this study, we improve the genome sequence assembly of P. chlamydosporia 123, by utilizing long Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) sequence reads. Combining this improved genome assembly with previous RNA-seq data revealed alternative isoforms of a chitosanase in the presence of chitosan. This study could open new insights into understanding fungal resistance to chitosan and root-knot nematode (RKN) egg infection processes. Results The P. chlamydosporia 123 genome sequence assembly has been updated using long-read PacBio sequencing and now includes 12,810 predicted protein-coding genes. Compared with the previous assembly based on short reads, there are 701 newly annotated genes, and 69 previous genes are now split. Eight of the new genes were differentially expressed in fungus interactions with Meloidogyne javanica eggs or chitosan. A survey of the RNA-seq data revealed alternative splicing in the csn3 gene that encodes a chitosanase, with four putative splicing variants: csn3_v1, csn3_v2, csn3_v3 and csn3_v4. When P. chlamydosporia is treated with 0.1 mg·mL− 1 chitosan for 4 days, csn3 is expressed 10-fold compared with untreated controls. Furthermore, the relative abundances of each of the four transcripts are different in chitosan treatment compared with controls. In controls, the abundances of each transcript are nil, 32, 55, and 12% for isoforms csn3_v1, csn3_v2, csn3_v3 and csn3_v4 respectively. Conversely, in chitosan-treated P. chlamydosporia, the abundances are respectively 80, 15%, 2—3%, 2—3%. Since isoform csn3_v1 is expressed with chitosan only, the putatively encoded enzyme is probably induced and likely important for chitosan degradation. Conclusions Alternative splicing events have been discovered and described in the chitosanase 3 encoding gene from P. chlamydosporia 123. Gene csn3 takes part in RKN parasitism process and chitosan enhances its expression. The isoform csn3_v1 would be related to the degradation of this polymer in bulk form, while other isoforms may be related to the degradation of chitosan in the nematode egg-shell.

Los denominados índices de biodiversidad son herramientas matemáticas de gran utilidad a la hora de establecer una valoración característica de uno o varios ambientes y sus interacciones, todo ello en función de las características físicas que se determinen en cada uno de dichos ambientes y las especies presentes. Sin embargo, estos índices no tienen un comportamiento uniforme y de manera universal. A veces debido a la inexistencia de criterios estandarizados. En este trabajo se propone un análisis matricial (implicando conceptos de sensibilidad y elasticidad) en base a la generación de modelos y datos por simulación. Se han propuesto ambientes (marinos y terrestres) con diferentes niveles de antropización. Una vez realizadas las simulaciones se calcularon índices de biodiversidad Alfa y Beta empleando los softwares R y PAST. De esta manera se puede decir que los índices de biodiversidad poseen unas sensibilidades y representatividades significativamente diferentes entre modelos simulados y softwares empleados. El concepto de Biodiversidad es muy subjetivo y difícil de medir y existe una gran dificultad a la hora de establecer unos criterios de empleo e interpretación unificados. El sistema de medición de la Biodiversidad no es independiente de los escenarios, como se comprueba en este trabajo. Y es difícil saber a priori cuál es el método que mejor se ajusta a los distintos tipos de condiciones. En este trabajo se han generado y simulado distintos escenarios o modelos, los que mejor se ajustan al cómputo de los softwares serían aquellos con ajustes cuadráticos, debido a que su cálculo y ajuste es mucho más sencillo, mientras que los que menor error cometen, y por tanto, se ajustan mejor a la realidad y a modelos más precisos serían aquellos ajustados a modelos generalizados incluyendo o no el Teorema de Bayes. Se ha comprobado que existen diferencias entre las metodologías de cálculo (debido al algoritmo) entre los dos softwares empleados (PAST y R), recomendando realizar estudios a posteriori que evalúen y revisen el impacto que esto podría suponer a la hora de medir la biodiversidad y evaluar la salud ambiental de los ecosistemas. Las respuestas de los índices Alfa calculados con R, la sensibilidad y elasticidad para todos los índices representan mejor las características de ambientes marinos y en mal estado, coincidiendo con sus elasticidades por lo que esos datos son representativos y se recomienda el empleo del software R para el cálculo de los índices de biodiversidad en casos de ambientes que se consideren acuáticos y con características de un estado muy antropizado o muy degradado. En relación a los índices Alfa calculados con PAST, la representación de las características en base a la sensibilidad son poco claras, siendo sensibles a ambientes marinos Menhinick, Heip, Sheldon y la Equitatividad y siendo el resto de índices sensibles al medio terrestre. En el caso de medios antropizados, la sensibilidad caracteriza mejor estados saludables salvo en el caso de Berger-Perker y Margalef, que se definen mejor por estados muy antropizados, coincidiendo en las elasticidades. Por ello, se recomendable utilizar el software PAST, para la caracterización de ambientes terrestres y en condiciones saludables, teniendo en cuenta que Menhinick, Heip, Sheldon y la Equitatividad se recomendarán para medios marinos y Berger-Perker y Margalef que se recomendarán para medios considerablemente degradados. Para el caso de los índices Beta se puede observar una tendencia de la sensibilidad hacia ambientes terrestres debido a presentar valores más altos. En el caso de ambientes antropizados la sensibilidad tiende a ambientes en peores condiciones. Por último cabe decir que todos las sensibilidades de los índices Beta coinciden con sus elasticidades por lo que son representativas y por tanto se podrían emplear indiferentemente del medio y las condiciones antrópicas.

Widely adoption of Information Technologies has resulted in the continuous growing of open data available on the Web. However, the lack of suitable mechanisms to understand open data sources hampers its reusability. One way to overcome this limitation is by means of Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) with proper documentation, nowadays being the existing very rudimentary, hard to follow, and sometimes incomplete or even inaccurate in most cases. In order to improve the documentation of Web APIs that access open data, this paper proposes a novel approach to automatically generate interactive Web API documentation, both machine and user readable. This process starts by analysing the documentation of an API to obtain important information, automatically constructing Natural Language descriptions of the main Web API concepts by applying Natural Language Processing (NLP), and specifically, language generation techniques. Then, the documentation is made interactive by making it available as a Web interface, offering easy access to open data provided by Web APIs. Therefore, the use and comprehension of the Web APIs is facilitated, thus promoting the reusability of open data. The feasibility of our approach is presented through a case study and an experiment with users, both showing the benefits of our approach. This work has been partially funded by the following projects: GVA-COVID19/2021/103, TIN2016-78103-C2-2-R, PROMETEU/2018/089, RTI2018-094653-B-C22, RTI2018-094649-B-I00, TIN2017-90773-REDT and COST Action CA18231.

Sea lice infestations have been a major problem for the global salmon farming industry for several decades. To date, few studies have addressed the measurement of lice abundance in plankton samples and a standardized method to quantify sea lice larvae in water samples is still lacking. This study aims to: (1) evaluate the methods used to detect sea lice larvae based on published data and (2) to determine experimentally the volume of filtered sea water needed to obtain precise estimates of sea lice larvae abundance at different lice densities. Twenty-eight publications were reviewed with particular attention to sampling method and depth, total filtrated volume, analysed volume and nauplii and maximum copepodite densities. Moreover, plankton samples were obtained in and around salmon farms to evaluate the optimal water volumes required to estimate sea lice larvae abundance. This study provides a sampling and analysis strategy for quantifying larval sea lice in plankton samples from a cost/benefit point of view. Quantification of sea lice larvae in the plankton communities would be more precise than indirect methods used today (i.e adult sea lice attached on salmonids), and suitable for validation of modelling tools predicting the spatiotemporal dispersal of lice and, hence, the risk of infestation of salmon farms. This study is part of the research projects “Abundance and distribution of sea lice larvae in relation to the three-dimensional current flow patterns around and within salmon farms” (LiceRisk: 254912/E40) funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

Plants are exposed to large number of threats caused by herbivores and pathogens which cause important losses on crops. Plant pathogens such as nematodes can cause severe damage and losses in food security crops worldwide. Chemical pesticides were extendedly used for nematode management. However, due to their adverse effects on human health and the environment, they are now facing strong limitations by regulatory organisations such as EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternative and efficient control measures, such as biological control agents or bio-based plant protection compounds. In this scenario, chitosan, a non-toxic polymer obtained from seafood waste mainly, is becoming increasingly important. Chitosan is the N-deacetylated form of chitin. Chitosan is effective in the control of plant pests and diseases. It also induces plants defence mechanisms. Chitosan is also compatible with some biocontrol microorganisms mainly entomopathogenic and nematophagous fungi. Some of them are antagonists of nematode pests of plants and animals. The nematophagous biocontrol fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia has been widely studied for sustainable management of nematodes affecting economically important crops and for its capability to grow with chitosan as only nutrient source. This fungus infects nematode eggs using hyphal tips and appressoria. Pochonia chlamydosporia also colonizes plant roots endophytically, stimulating plant defences by induction of salicylic and jasmonic acid biosynthesis and favours plant growth and development. Therefore, the combined use of chitosan and nematophagous fungi could be a novel strategy for the biological control of nematodes and other root pathogens of food security crops. This research was funded by PID2020-119734RB-I00 Project from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and by European Project H2020 MUSA no. 727624.

Hay a disposición una serie de videos públicos que complementan el tutorial de MyOcean del Capítulo 4 (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd7A9IeroEZgAnLudkqbXRAA8bxJrPXJe). El presente documento, financiado por el Programa de Investigación en Docencia Universitaria de la Universidad 2021-22 (Xarxa 5543) tiene el objetivo de facilitar el uso de una serie de herramientas que permitan el estudio y análisis del cambio climático en el ámbito universitario de forma transversal. La base de datos de Copernicus, Programa de Observación de la Tierra de la Unión Europea, en su sección marina (Copernicus Marine Service; https://marine.copernicus.eu/) alberga una infinidad de datos que pueden ser difíciles de manejar por docentes y estudiantes. En concreto, se pretende facilitar el empleo de la herramienta MyOcean de Copernicus (https://marine.copernicus.eu/access-data/ocean-visualisation-tools) a través de este manual y de un curso Moodle y Mooc que estarán disponibles en la web de la UA. REDES DE CALIDAD, INNOVACIÓN E INVESTIGACIÓN EN DOCENCIA UNIVERSITARIA. CONVOCATORIA 2021-22 Vicerrectorat de Transformació Digital. Institut de Ciències de l'Educació.

In the Mediterranean, anthropogenic pressures (specifically those involving nutrient loads) have been progressively moved to deeper off-shore areas to meet current policies dealing with the protection of marine biodiversity (e.g., European Directives). However, conservation efforts devoted to protecting Posidonia oceanica and other vulnerable marine habitats against anthropogenic pressures have dedicated very little attention to the deepest areas of these habitats. We studied the remote influence of off-shore nutrient discharge on the physiology and structure of deep P. oceanica meadows located nearest to an urban sewage outfall (WW; 1 km) and an aquaculture facility (FF; 2.5 km). Light reduction and elevated external nutrient availability (as indicated by high δ15N, total N and P content and N uptake rates of seagrass tissues) were consistent with physiological responses to light and nutrient stress. This was particularly evident in the sites located up to 2.5 km from the WW source, where carbon budget imbalances and structural alterations were more evident. These results provide evidence that anthropogenic nutrient inputs can surpass critical thresholds for the species, even in off-shore waters at distances within the km scale. Therefore, the critical distances between this priority habitat and nutrient discharge points have been underestimated and should be corrected to achieve a good conservation status., J.-C.J.’s PhD was funded by a grant from the University of Alicante. This research was funded by the POSINET2 project (Monitoring network of Posidonia oceanica meadow and climate change of the Murcia Region) of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (CN IEO-CSIC), the Department of Fishery and Aquaculture of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Water of the Murcia Region and by the UMBRAL project (Responses of marine benthic macrophytes to stress: critical transitions, resilience and management opportunities) financed by the National Plan of Research of the Spanish Government (CTM2017-86695-C3-2-R) to R.J.M. The research was also supported by project 19-ESMARES2-ANG funded by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of the Spanish government for the application of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in Spanish waters.

Historically, small-scale fisheries (SSFs) have largely been overlooked by fisheries scientists and management authorities at national and international levels [...]

The use of marine protected areas can be an effective way to simultaneously achieve both conservation and fisheries management objectives. The creation of marine protected areas, in addition to many benefits, also entails several costs, including the need for financing to maintain adequate surveillance and conservation. The recent economic crisis significantly lowered budgets for the maintenance of Spanish Marine Protected Areas, that may have had serious consequences for the marine resources sustainability. In this study we evaluated the indirect impact of the 2008 economic crisis on the conservation of fish stocks in Marine Protected Areas. We compared the number of species, abundance and biomass levels of the ichthyofauna, and abundance and biomass of selected species in two marine reserves (Cabo de San Antonio and Tabarca Island) with control areas, two years before (2008 and 2010) and two years after (2014 and 2015) the budget cut. Results in San Antonio revealed a decrease in total abundance, total biomass and number of species after the crisis, which translates into a decrease in the reserve effect. While in Tabarca no reduction has been observed in these variables, so the reserve effect was maintained after the crisis. We have found that of the 18 species analyzed, in San Antonio the abundance and biomass of 8 and 6 species respectively have decreased after the crisis, while in Tabarca the abundance and biomass of 6 and 8 species respectively have decreased after the crisis. Therefore, surveillance in marine reserves is necessary for the conservation of the species. This research was funded through the 2013 call for realization of projects of emerging research of the University of Alicante (GRE13-11) and 2014 call for carrying out R&D projects for groups of emerging research of the Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2015/117). E. Arcas was supported by FPU Grant of the University of Alicante (UAFPU2019B-07).

Posidonia oceanica is a long-living and very slow-growing marine seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It produces large amounts of leaf material and rhizomes, which can reach the shore and build important banks known as “banquettes.” In recent years, interest in the potential uses of these P. oceanica banquettes has increased, and it was demonstrated that biomass extracts showed antioxidant, antifungal, and antiviral activities. The discovery of new compounds through the culture of microorganisms is limited, and to overcome this limitation, we performed a metagenomic study to investigate the microbial community associated with P. oceanica banquettes. Our results showed that the microbial community associated with P. oceanica banquettes was dominated by Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria. Pseudoalteromonas was the dominant genus, followed by Alteromonas, Labrenzia, and Aquimarina. The metagenome reads were binned and assembled into 23 nearly complete metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), which belonged to new families of Cyanobacteria, Myxococcota, and Granulosicoccaceae and also to the novel genus recently described as Gammaproteobacteria family UBA10353. A comparative analysis with 60 published metagenomes from different environments, including seawater, marine biofilms, soils, corals, sponges, and hydrothermal vents, indicated that banquettes have numbers of natural products and carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) similar to those found for soils and were only surpassed by marine biofilms. New proteins assigned to cellulosome modules and lignocellulose-degrading enzymes were also found. These results unveiled the diverse microbial composition of P. oceanica banquettes and determined that banquettes are a potential source of bioactive compounds and novel enzymes. IMPORTANCE Posidonia oceanica is a long-living and very slow-growing marine seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea that forms large amounts of leaf material and rhizomes, which can reach the shore and build important banks known as “banquettes.” These banquettes accumulate on the shore, where they can prevent erosion, although they also cause social concern due to their impact on beach use. Furthermore, Posidonia dry material has been considered a source of traditional remedies in several areas of the Mediterranean, and a few studies have been carried out to explore pharmacological activities of Posidonia extracts. The work presented here provides the first characterization of the microbiome associated with Posidonia banquettes. We carried out a metagenomic analysis together with an in-depth comparison of the banquette metagenome with 60 published metagenomes from different environments. This comparative analysis has unveiled the potential that Posidonia banquettes have for the synthesis of natural products, both in abundance (only surpassed by marine biofilms) and novelty. These products include mainly nonribosomal peptides and carbohydrate active enzymes. Thus, the interest of our work lies in the interest of Posidonia “waste” material as a source of new bioactive compounds and CAZymes.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is recognised as one of the largest threats to the sustainability of the world’s fisheries. The fight against IUU fishing activities has recently become a high priority in the international fisheries management agenda. While a number of academic contributions have sought to improve the understanding of the problem, data are still limited, especially in developing countries. In the absence of any information in this regard in Egypt, this contribution is the first attempt to report the available information about cases of Egyptian fishing vessels detained for fishing illegally in neighbouring countries, including the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The highest number of cases was observed in 2015 (7 cases) followed by 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2020 (each with 5 cases). The highest number of detained vessels by far was observed in 2020 (44 vessels) followed by 2015 (19 vessels). Tunisia was the country with the highest number of cases (17 cases) followed by Libya (10 cases), while Somalia detained the highest number of vessels (42 vessels) followed by Libya (22 vessels). The results shed light on the problems that led to this situation, starting with depleted fisheries, a poor monitoring system and a difficult economic situation in the fishing sector.

An emergent disease has relegated populations of the Mediterranean pen shell, Pinna nobilis L. critically endangered to sanctuaries featuring salinities outside the 36.5 to 39 range. Point pattern analysis was used in three areas of the Alfacs Bay (Ebro Delta) still hosting pen shells to assess the possible undergoing of disease spread by comparing the spatial distribution of live individuals vs. empty shells across spatial scales. We also evaluated the importance of other ecological aspects of conservation relevance such as the size distribution of individuals, and the possible association to seagrass habitats. The population assessment showed no recent mortality and a clear dominance of large adults among empty shells (97.3%) pointing to no disease spread during the study period. At the low spatial scale Nearest Neighbor (NN) analyses evidenced significant clustering (NN Ratios of 0.4–0.8), but in one of the zones NN distances were closer in empty shells than in live individuals, suggesting a former localized outbreak. At the larger spatial scale, MDSCA confirmed clustering patterns up to distances of 115 to 190 m, with higher aggregation of empty shells at the same study zone. The bay also featured low juvenile availability (3.2%), which risks the continuity of the population. No evidence for habitat or conspecific selection could be observed from abundance patterns and variation in NN across study regions. Our research provides a tool for assessing population condition in paralic environments, where salinity conditions tend to slow down disease spread, thus allowing a time gap for undertaking conservation decisions. Authors are grateful to the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge for supporting the Recupera Pinna project in the 2020 call for proposals. P. Prado was contracted under the INIA-CCAA cooperative research program for postdoctoral incorporation from the Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA).

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered as a valid tool for mitigating the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems. Their success depends upon their acceptance by implicated stakeholders and on the integration of the stakeholder groups into their management. This integration is especially important with regard to fishermen, whose interests are the most directly affected by MPAs. The relational coordination method posits that effective communication and supportive relationships among stakeholders result in positive stakeholder behaviors and a more effective management of the system. Applying its principles, we designed a survey to evaluate the satisfaction of fishermen associated with five MPAs in the Spanish Mediterranean and determine what mechanisms affect fishermen’s acceptance of MPAs. Our results demonstrate that effective communication is particularly important for good supportive relationships and satisfaction among fishermen and other stakeholder groups, as well as satisfaction with the MPA. Sharing objectives with fishermen through timely communication is the primary mechanism to improve fishermen's satisfaction and ameliorate perceptions towards MPA. To address this issue, we recommend more substantial integration of fishermen in the co-management of MPAs. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The Spanish Fulbright Commission funded Austin Miles’ time in Spain.

A range of different protocols and indices have been developed in recent years for the definition of Environmental Quality Standards in aquaculture. However, it can be difficult to compare these protocols or indices between different regions or different habitats due to spatial heterogeneity at different scales. We carried out a field study to estimate the effectiveness of experimental units (sediment-filled trays) as an environmental management tool. The experimental units were filled with two different sediments - sand and mud - and placed underneath two fish farm facilities for one month. Using polychaetes to assess the ecological status, AMBI and multidimensional analysis showed clear results, and had further value when combined with sulphide concentrations measures. Sandy experimental units had a greater sensitivity for the detection of organic matter enrichment. The species with the most pronounced responses in the facilities studied were Capitella capitata, Spiochaetopterus costarum, Capitella minima, Pseudopolydora pulchra and Aricidea (Strelzovia) claudiae in the fish farm, and Gallardoneris iberica, Micronephtys stammeri, Sternaspis scutata and Ampharete lindstroemi in the reference area without organic enrichment. Experimental units provide a complete and reliable source of information about the environmental quality status of fish farms, and with further refinement they could be used as a management tool for aquaculture monitoring. Experimental units could be used as a management tool for aquaculture monitoring; data of polychaete recolonization with AMBI and multidimensional analysis showed clear results. This project has been supported by Planes Nacionales de Acuicultura (JACUMAR) from the Spanish Government.

Context: A relevant question in requirements engineering is which set of functional requirements (FR) to prioritize and implement, while keeping non-functional requirements (NFR) balanced and optimized. Objective: We aim to provide empirical evidence that requirement engineers may perform better at the task of selecting FRs while optimizing and balancing NFRs using an alternative (automated) i* post-processed model, compared to the original i* model. Method: We performed a controlled experiment, designed to compare the original i* graphical notation, with our post-processed i* visualizations based on Pareto efficiency (a tabular and a radar chart visualization). Our experiment consisted of solving different exercises of various complexity for selecting FRs while balancing NFR. We considered the efficiency (time spent to correctly answer exercises), and the effectiveness (regarding time: time spent to solve exercises, independent of correctness; and regarding correctness of the answer, independent of time). Results: The efficiency analysis shows it is 3.51 times more likely to solve exercises correctly with our tabular and radar chart visualizations than with i*. Actually, i* was the most time-consuming (effectiveness regarding time), had a lower number of correct answers (effectiveness regarding correctness), and was affected by complexity. Visual or textual preference of the subjects had no effect on the score. Beginners took more time to solve exercises than experts if i* is used (no distinction if our Pareto-based visualizations are used). Conclusion: For complex model instances, the Pareto front based tabular visualization results in more correct answers, compared to radar chart visualization. When we consider effectiveness regarding time, the i* graphical notation is the most time consuming visualization, independent of the complexity of the exercise. Finally, regarding efficiency, subjects consume less time when using radar chart visualization than tabular visualization, and even more so compared to the original i* graphical notation. Sven Casteleyn is funded under the Ramón y Cajal Program of the Spanish Government, grant number RYC-2014-16606. This work has been partially supported by the Publi@City project (TIN2016-78103-C2-2-R) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

Marine coastal ecosystems are facing structural and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging. Measures of change can be done by comparing the observed ecosystem status to a purposely defined reference condition. In this paper, a geospatial modelling approach based on 2D mapping and morphodynamic data was used to predict the natural position of the upper limit (i.e., the landward continuous front) of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows settled on soft bottom. This predictive model, formerly developed at the regional spatial scale, was here applied for the first time at the Mediterranean spatial scale in eight coastal areas of Spain, France, Italy, and Greece showing different coastal morphologies and hydrodynamic characteristics, and affected by a number of natural and/or human local disturbances. The model was effective in measuring the regression (i.e., seaward withdrawal) of the meadow upper limit. In all the meadows investigated the upper limit was regressed, laying deeper than the reference condition, with the proportion of regression ranging from 17.7% to 98.9%. The highest values of regression were found in Spain and in France, and were consistent with the highest levels of fragmentation detected with map analysis and of coastal pressures. This geospatial modelling approach represents an effective tool to define the reference conditions when proper pristine areas or historical data are not available, thus allowing the assessment of long-time changes experienced by seagrass ecosystems due to human impacts.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are considered key tools for achieving the sustainability of coastal fisheries by allowing habitat and species conservation by means of use regulations and active management. The effects of protection are more visible in slow-growing, high site fidelity and late-maturing species such as dusky grouper, a flagship species for all the fishermen and divers in the Mediterranean Sea. We studied the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper at Tabarca Island Marine Protected Area (TIMPA) in order to: (a) describe its temporal pattern; (b) evaluate the relationships among reproductive behavior and environmental factors and (c) verify the effects of social structure on reproductive activity. We observed all the behavior patterns previously reported in other studies besides the final spawn event. Our results evidenced that the monthly average density of dusky groupers tended to increase when temperature rose close to the seabed and without defined temporal limits for reproductive behavior. Among the environmental factors considered, visibility exhibited a very strong effect on the reproductive behavior of dusky grouper, interacting significantly with seabed temperature and thermocline. Regarding the effects of social structure, reproductive activity was positively correlated with the presence of large-sized individuals. We have discussed the differential facts of the reproductive activity of dusky groupers observed at TIMPA relating the results to the biogeographical location, the patterns of the environmental drivers (such as the seabed temperature per day, the thermocline, the visibility, the stream force, the photoperiod and the divers per day) and the structure of the habitat. These negative results contrast with the existing knowledge and generate new working hypotheses useful to improve the efficiency of MPAs and the sustainability of coastal fisheries. This research was funded by the Unidad de Biología Marina at the University of Alicante, and by the General Secretary of Maritime Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food).

En los últimos años, han sido muchos los estudios que han pretendido abordar el conocimiento de los diferentes mecanismos e interacciones que determinan el comportamiento y la presencia de las diferentes especies en los ecosistemas marinos. En este sentido, la modelización ecosistémica ha demostrado ser fundamental a la hora de explicar el efecto de la pesca, no únicamente sobre sus especies objetivo, sino también en el conjunto de las especies que conforman dicho ecosistema sometido a explotación. Desde su concepción, esta tesis tuvo como objetivo la actualización de los estudios existentes relacionados con las redes tróficas que caracterizan la zona de estudio, la costa este del Mediterráneo español (denominada como GSA6 por la Comisión General de Pesquerías del Mediterráneo, CGPM). Además de la actualización y ampliación del conocimiento de la ecología trófica del área de estudio, se ha construido un modelo de redes tróficas mediante el empleo del software Ecopath para la zona del Golfo de Alicante (GoA), un ecosistema marino incluido dentro de la zona de estudio. Así pues, a lo largo de la tesis se ha podido articular y comprobar una hipótesis que siempre visitaba nuestro pensamiento: que existen ciertas características en el ecosistema marino del GoA que lo diferencian de sus ecosistemas vecinos, debido en gran medida a sus singularidades tanto oceanográficas como biológicas y ecológicas. Con esta motivación, se estudiaron los hábitos alimenticios de 61 especies de peces existentes en la zona de estudio pertenecientes a diferentes niveles tróficos. La mayoría de las muestras fueron analizadas durante las prospecciones anuales llevadas a cabo durante las campañas oceanográficas de arrastre de fondo denominadas MEDITS en la zona de estudio. El estudio comprendió el periodo 2011-2018, durante el cual se analizaron un total de 16588 contenidos estomacales. En el captítulo II, el primer paso consistió en determinar la idoneidad del tamaño mínimo muestral necesario para describir la dieta de cada una de las especies. Este proceso se hizo mediante el uso de curvas de acumulación de presas. Así pues, se aplicó la metodología de curvas de presas acumuladas para determinar si el número de estómagos analizados era suficiente para representar el espectro trófico de cada uno de los depredadores estudiados. Es más, para dar una mayor consistencia y robustez a este método, se aplicó una aproximación matemática mediante el uso de la función de Clench. Es importante resaltar que éste es el primer estudio en el que se aplica dicha aproximación matemática en especies marinas en el Mediterráneo. En el capítulo III, una vez descritas las dietas de cada una de las especies analizadas, se identificaron los principales grupos de especies que explotan recursos tróficos similares. Seguidamente, el estudio se centró en cómo los factores ambientales tales como el tipo de hábitat, la latitud y la profundidad, afectaron a la estructura y organización de estos grupos tróficos. Para ello se utilizaron cuatro indicadores principales; el índice de diversidad de Shannon, la biomasa, el nivel trófico promedio y la composición específica de la comunidad de peces. Los principales hallazgos destacaron cómo los factores ambientales estudiados condicionaron la estructura de la composición específica de la comunidad íctica. Con respecto a las tres variables investigadas, la profundidad pareció afectar particularmente a la diversidad y la composición de la comunidad de peces. En el caso del gradiente latitudinal, éste sólo pareció afectar a la composición de la comunidad de peces, mostrando consistencia a lo largo de un eje latitudinal norte-sur. Además, se encontró que el tipo de hábitat es significativo en la estructura de la comunidad de peces, mientras que el nivel trófico promedio fue el único indicador que no se vio afectado significativamente por las variables ambientales investigadas. Por otro lado, en el capítulo IV, investigamos el caso particular de siete especies pertenecientes al orden de los Gadiformes con el propósito de explorar aspectos importantes de la ecología trófica tales como los cambios ontogenéticos en su dieta, las interacciones tróficas (tanto inter- como intra-específicas), así como sus estrategias de alimentación. Las especies estudiadas fueron: marujito (Gadiculus argenteus), barbada (Gaidropsarus biscayensis), maruca azul (Molva macrophthalma), merluza europea (Merluccius merluccius), bacaladilla (Micromesistius poutassou), brótola de fango (Phycis blennoides) y la faneca (Trisopterus minutus). Los resultados mostraron que las siete especies estudiadas experimentaron cambios en su estrategia trófica ligados al desarrollo ontogenético. En consecuencia, se observó un aumento en el nivel trófico de la especie con el crecimiento, exceptuando el caso de Gaidropsarus biscayensis y Trisopterus minutus. Del mismo modo, se comprobó cómo las especies son capaces de ocupar diferentes nichos tróficos, desarrollando desde estrategias oportunistas hasta los comportamientos piscívoros más altamente especializados. De esta forma se pudieron distinguir cuatro estrategias de alimentación dentro de las especies coexistentes así como entre las diferentes clases de talla seleccionadas a lo largo del área de estudio. Igualmente resultó interesante el estudio del grado de solapamiento de las diferentes estrategias tróficas, arrojando luz sobre los patrones ecológicos existentes dentro de la comunidad de peces. Finalmente, en el capítulo V se desarrolló un modelo trófico para caracterizar el ecosistema del Golfo de Alicante e investigar sus singularidades con respecto a sus ecosistemas vecinos. Es decir, el modelo ecosistémico localizado en el Golfo de Cádiz (GoC), al suroeste de GoA y el modelo del Mediterráneo Noroccidental (NWM), ubicado al norte de GoA. Este modelo de balance de masas se ha implementado siguiendo el enfoque incorporado en el software Ecopath, uno de los modelos más utilizados a la hora de representar las redes tróficas marinas, abordando cuestiones relevantes para la gestión pesquera. El área de estudio modelada para el año 2011 abarcó una superficie total de 7085 km2, incluyendo la plataforma continental y el talud superior, cubriendo profundidades a partir de los 50 m hasta los 800 m. Para construir el modelo, se seleccionaron un total de 45 grupos funcionales que incluyeron todos los componentes de la red trófica (peces, mamíferos marinos, aves marinas, invertebrados, productores primarios y grupos de detrito). La aproximación realizada en el Golfo de Alicante reveló la peculiar organización de este ecosistema. Esto contrasta con los resultados obtenidos en los ecosistemas vecinos comparados, poniendo de manifiesto que las principales diferencias encontradas están relacionadas con la baja producción primaria existente en el GoA. A pesar de los altos valores tanto de eficiencias ecotróficas como de tasas de mortalidad, los resultados del Golfo de Alicante evidenciaron una menor presión pesquera, lo cual apunta a un nivel de sobreexplotación moderado en el Golfo de Alicante. Por tanto, estos resultados sugieren que GoA es un ecosistema estable y maduro, donde la eficiencia se logra principalmente a partir de un uso eficiente de los detritos. Por tanto, podría decirse que el GoA se caracteriza por tratarse de un sistema maduro pero pobre en nutrientes, lo que sugiere la existencia de un delicado equilibrio entre el aporte de nutrientes y la explotación del detrito. Por consiguiente, el Golfo de Alicante presenta un mayor nivel de complejidad de los flujos internos, lo cual se correlaciona con una situación de estabilidad y madurez. Esto indica que el sistema se parece más a una red, en contraste con la mayor linealidad detectada en la red trófica de los ecosistemas vecinos del NWM y GoC. De ahí la evidencia, según Odum, que el GoA se encuentre en una etapa de desarrollo superior, donde se mantiene eficiente y estable dentro de sus pobres condiciones, pero al mismo tiempo delicado y vulnerable, ya que depende del uso eficiente y circular de su biomasa.

En diciembre de 2019 se detectó una nueva enfermedad respiratoria aguda, la enfermedad denominada como COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) en la ciudad de Wuhan, provincia de Hubei, China. Desde el momento en el que se decretó la enfermedad como pandémica en marzo de 2019, los gobiernos con competencias en la gestión de la pandemia han impuesto diferentes medidas para mitigar la propagación del virus SARS-CoV-2. Esta situación demanda la necesidad de conocer con la máxima precisión posible la evolución de la enfermedad en cada región para así tomar las mejores decisiones en la gestión de la pandemia. Una de las metodologías más usadas durante la pandemia para predecir la propagación de la enfermedad fue la construcción de redes neuronales artificiales (ANN). Con este método, basado en el aprendizaje profundo, se ha realizado una predicción de la COVID-19 de diferentes municipios de la Comunidad de Madrid. Las predicciones a partir de redes neuronales podrían cambiar drásticamente la gestión de esta y futuras pandemias, dejando entrever la posibilidad de que las medidas sean más específicas para cada región.

La hipersalinidad puede causar estrés osmótico asociado a la deshidratación y a la gradual acumulación de iones en el medio intracelular, lo cual es capaz de inducir a un estrés y daño oxidativo debido a la sobreproducción de especies reactivas de oxígeno (ROS). Esto puede generar una reducción en el desempeño fotosintético e inducir la síntesis de moléculas antioxidantes como ascorbato (ASC) y glutatión (GSH), así como la expresión de genes que codifican para proteínas antioxidantes y para enzimas relativas a tolerancia salina. Naturalmente, el aumento de salinidad en el medio ambiente marino puede ser observado en los periodos de bajamar del intermareal, cuando eventos de evaporación y desecación producen hipersalinidad. Asimismo, el exceso de sales en el medio marino se genera por efectos antrópicos, como en el caso de desalinización de agua de mar para obtener agua dulce. Este proceso, realizado por plantas de desalación, genera un efluente residual de salmuera, generalmente, descartada hacia el medio submareal, lo cual podría provocar un estrés osmótico en las comunidades bentónicas marinas. El objetivo de esta Tesis fue determinar mecanismos de tolerancia a nivel fisiológico y metabólico de macroalgas para tolerar hipersalinidad, así como también evaluar su potencial uso como herramientas de biotecnología ambiental para el monitoreo de salmueras de desalación. Primero, se evaluó la exposición a hipersalinidad de dos poblaciones de la macroalga verde intermareal Ulva compressa, provenientes del intermareal de una localidad contaminada (Ventanas) y una no contaminada (Cachagua). Los resultados mostraron que aumento de la salinidad causó perturbaciones a nivel fisiológico y metabólico en ambas poblaciones. Pero la población de proveniente Ventanas mostró un metabolismo deprimido, observado por un menor rendimiento fotosintético, mayor estrés y daño oxidativo y la sobreexpresión de genes que codifican para enzimas antioxidantes. Esto confirmaría que el largo historial de exposición a diferentes contaminantes de la población intervendría en las respuestas de estrés salino, causando respuestas de tolerancia interpoblacional de las especies de macroalgas. Segundo, se analizó la exposición a la descarga de salmuera de la macroalga parda Ectocarpus a través de experimentos de trasplantes en sitios cercanos a la tubería de descarga (10 y 30 m) de una planta de desalación de agua de mar en Antofagasta, Chile. Los resultados evidenciaron la disminución de la actividad fotosintética, el aumento del estrés y daño oxidativo, la acumulación de ASC, y un decrecimiento de glutatión. También se promovió la sobreexpresión de enzimas relativas a tolerancia salina y enzimas antioxidantes. Este estudio aportó con información para entender los mecanismos de tolerancia frente al estrés salino e identificó biomarcadores celulares para monitorear la salmuera de desalación. Tercero, a través de experimentos de laboratorio con la macroalga parda Dyctiota kunthii, proveniente del Pacífico Norte de Chile, en Antofagasta y otro experimento sobre la especie Dictyota dichotoma del Mar Mediterráneo de España, de Alicante, se compararon en ambas especies, las respuestas a la exposición a valores de hipersalinidades, similares a los encontrados en una descarga de salmuera. Los resultados mostraron un incremento de la producción primaria y requerimientos de luz en ambas especies en condiciones de hipersalinidad, a pesar de una alta acumulación de H2O2 en D. kunthii y el decrecimiento de la eficiencia fotosintética de D. dichotoma. Esto sugirió que ambas especies tendrían estrategias celulares distintas, las cuales se activarían en condiciones de hipersalinidad. Probablemente, estas respuestas estarían vinculadas a la historia de adaptación local de las especies. Cuarto, se evaluó el efecto de la salmuera a través de dos experimentos de trasplante cercanos a la tubería de descarga, el primero a través de la exposición de la especie D. kunthii a la salmuera de una planta de desalación de Antofagasta y otro experimento por medio de la exposición de D. dichotoma a la salmuera de una planta de desalación de Alicante. Los resultados mostraron que la exposición a salmuera causó mayores efectos negativos en D. kunthii identificados por la disminución de la producción primaria y los requerimientos de luz y el exceso de la disipación de energía a través de calor. Mientras que en D. dichotoma se observó un decrecimiento de la máxima fluorescencia, eficiencia fotosintética en los sitios influenciados por salmuera, mientras que la disminución de producción primaria e irradiancia de saturación solo se observó en el trasplante más cercano a la descarga de salmuera. El estrés oxidativo aumentó en ambas especies en los sitios impactados por la salmuera, pero en el caso de D. kunthii fue observado solo en el primer tiempo, volviendo a valores basales a los 7 días, mientras que en D. dichotoma el mayor estrés oxidativo se obtuvo al término del experimento. Este estudio, es un enfoque práctico que podría ser considerado para evaluar potencial impacto por salmuera de desalación. Como conclusión, con esta Tesis se demostró que todas especies de macroalgas utilizadas en este trabajo tuvieron diferentes estrategias celulares de tolerancia para enfrentar la condición de hipersalinidad, y que estas respuestas estarían vinculadas con el tipo de experimentación (sales artificiales o salmuera), especie-especificidad y la historia de adaptación local de cada especie. La relevancia de esta Tesis doctoral es demostrar que la perspectiva interdisciplinar favorece el entendimiento de los mecanismos de tolerancia hacia la hipersalinidad y, para este fin, existen herramientas metodológicas transversales provenientes de la fisiología, bioquímica y molecular que pueden ser aplicadas a nivel internacional y que son viables para incorporar en el sistema de monitoreo ambiental de impacto por salmuera.

Este artículo contiene 13 páginas, 5 figutas, 3 tablas., The resilience of an ecological unit encompasses resistance during adverse conditions and the capacity to recover. We adopted a ‘resistance-recovery’ framework to experimentally partition the resilience of a foundation species (the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa). The shoot abundances of nine seagrass meadows were followed before, during and after simulated light reduction conditions. We determined the significance of ecological, environmental and genetic drivers on seagrass resistance (% of shoots retained during the light deprivation treatments) and recovery (duration from the end of the perturbed state back to initial conditions). To identify whether seagrass recovery was linearly related to prior resistance, we then established the connection between trajectories of resistance and recovery. Finally, we assessed whether recovery patterns were affected by biological drivers (production of sexual products—seeds—and asexual propagation) at the meadow-scale. Resistance to shading significantly increased with the genetic diversity of the meadow and seagrass recovery was conditioned by initial resistance during shading. A threshold in resistance (here, at a ca. 70% of shoot abundances retained during the light deprivation treatments) denoted a critical point that considerably delays seagrass recovery if overpassed. Seed densities, but not rhizome elongation rates, were higher in meadows that exhibited large resistance and quick recovery, which correlated positively with meadow genetic diversity. Our results highlight the critical role of resistance to a disturbance for persistence of a marine foundation species. Estimation of critical trade-offs between seagrass resistance and recovery is a promising field of research to better manage impacts on seagrass meadows., This work was funded by a project (RESIGRASS, CGL2014- 58829) supported by the Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (MINECO, Government of Spain).

Climate change makes plant‐parasitic nematodes (PPN) an increasing threat to commercial crops. PPN can be managed sustainably by the biocontrol fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia (Pc). Chitosan generated from chitin deacetylation enhances PPN parasitism by Pc. In this work, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of Pc for chitosan resistance and root‐knot nematode (RKN) parasitism, using transcriptomics. Chitosan and RKN modify the expression of Pc genes, mainly those involved in oxidation–reduction processes. Both agents significantly modify the expression of genes associated to 113 GO terms and 180 Pc genes. Genes encoding putative glycoproteins (Pc adhesives) to nematode eggshell, as well as genes involved in redox, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism trigger the response to chitosan. We identify genes expressed in both the parasitic and endophytic phases of the Pc lifecycle; these include proteases, chitosanases and transcription factors. Using the Pathogen—Host Interaction database (PHI‐base), our previous RNA‐seq data and RT‐PCR of Pc colonizing banana we have investigated genes expressed both in the parasitic and endophytic phases of Pc lifecycle. This work was supported by H2020 MUSA 727624 European Project.

Marine aquaculture releases mollusc shell debris which can accumulate on the seabed. Due to its low degradability, mollusc shell debris becomes integrated into the sediment, modifying both its structure and associated biogeochemical processes. These changes are expected to influence the biological assemblages within the sediment, which play a key role in the biogeochemical processes due to bioturbation. We performed an in-situ experiment to test the effects of mollusc shell-hash on the bioturbation capacity of the macrofaunal assemblages within the sediments affected by marine aquaculture. The aquaculture facilities chosen were a fish farm in an oligotrophic area of the Mediterranean over a sandy sediment, and a mussel farm in the Atlantic located in an estuary over silty sediment. Mollusc shell-hash promoted macrofaunal assemblages with a high bioturbation potential, regardless of the influence of aquaculture. Nevertheless, in the sediment from the mussel-farm, the shell-hash did not have a marked effect on the macrofaunal assemblages. The effect of shell-hash on promoting macrofaunal communities with a high bioturbation potential capacity is therefore dependent on the existing environmental conditions in the area, including the natural organic matter input and grain size of the sediment. Shell-hash could be used a strategy to improve the ecosystem function of sediments as a circular economy-oriented management practice. This research was funded by the project CGL2015-70136-R from the Spanish National Agency for Research (MINECO/FEDER). CS was funded by the University of Alicante (Ref. UATALENTO 17-11).

Environmental genomics is a promising field for monitoring biodiversity in a timely fashion. Efforts have increasingly been dedicated to the use of bacteria DNA derived data to develop biotic indices for benthic monitoring. However, a substantial debate exists about whether bacteria‐derived data using DNA metabarcoding should follow, for example, a taxonomy‐based or a taxonomy‐free approach to marine bioassessments. Here, we showcase the value of DNA‐based monitoring using the impact of fish farming as an example of anthropogenic disturbances in coastal areas and compare the performance of taxonomy‐based and taxonomy‐free approaches in detecting environmental alterations. We analysed samples collected near to the farm cages and along distance gradients from two aquaculture installations, and at control sites, to evaluate the effect of this activity on bacterial assemblages. Using the putative response of bacterial taxa to stress we calculated the taxonomy‐based biotic index microgAMBI. The distribution of individual amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), as a function of a gradient in sediment acid volatile sulphides, was then used to derive a taxonomy‐free bacterial biotic index specific for this data set using a de novo approach based on quantile regression splines. Our results show that microgAMBI revealed a organically enriched environment along the gradient. However, the de novo biotic index outperformed microgAMBI by providing a higher discriminatory power in detecting changes in abiotic factors directly related to fish production, whilst allowing the identification of new ASVs bioindicators. The de novo strategy applied here represents a robust method to define new bioindicators in regions or habitats where no previous information about the response of bacteria to environmental stressors exists. This work was partially funded by the project CGL2015-70136-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the EU ERDF funding program. E.A. and S.C. are supported by funding from a collaboration between KAUST and Saudi Aramco within the framework of the Saudi Aramco –KAUST Center for Marine Environmental Observations. K.T.-G. is supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innnovación y Universidades through the Juan de la Cierva Incorporación program (IJCI-2017-34174).

La presente guía incluye aquellas especies de elasmobranquios que han sido documentadas en los ambientes marinos del litoral de la Región de Murcia. Se han identificado un total de 31 especies de tiburones y rayas. Cada una de ellas está descrita en una ficha que incluye diversos apartados como morfología, hábitat biología y comportamiento, presiones y amenazas, estatus y curiosidades. Además, por primera vez, se presenta un mapa actualizado de la distribución de cada especie en base a los datos obtenidos en todas las fuentes de información disponibles en el momento de la elaboración del documento. El objetivo de esta guía es que se convierta en un recurso divulgativo para ser utilizada como manual de campo por aquellas personas interesadas en ampliar su conocimiento sobre estos animales imprescindibles en el desarrollo de la vida marina y que son grandes desconocidos para gran parte de la ciudadanía. Se trata de la primera guía disponible sobre tiburones y rayas presentes en la Región de Murcia y pretende servir de referencia para otras publicaciones de ámbito regional, estatal e internacional. Esta publicación forma parte del proyecto TIBURCIA: Tiburones y rayas de la Región de Murcia, desarrollado por Ecologistas en Acción de la Región de Murcia, financiado por GALPEMUR, Grupo de Acción Local de Pesca y Acuicultura de la Región de Murcia, entidad sin ánimo de lucro colaboradora con la Consejería de Agua, Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Medio Ambiente de la Región de Murcia para la gestión de la prioridad 4 del FEMP en la implantación de su Estrategia de Desarrollo Local Participativa. Los porcentajes de financiación son el 85% del Fondo Europeo Marítimo y de la Pesca y el 15% de la Región de Murcia.

Marine heat waves (MHWs) are periods of extremely high seawater temperature that affect marine ecosystems in several ways. Anthozoans (corals and gorgonians) and Porifera (sponges) are usually among the taxa most affected by MHWs. Both are holobiont entities that form complex interactions with a wide range of microbes, which are an essential part of these organisms and play key roles in their health status. Here, we determine microbial community changes suffered in two corals (Cladocora caespitosa and Oculina patagonica), one gorgonian (Leptogorgia sarmentosa) and one sponge (Sarcotragus fasciculatus) during the 2015 MHW. The microbial communities were different among hosts and displayed shifts related to host health status, with a higher abundance in necrosed tissues of Ruegeria species or of potential pathogens like Vibrio. We also carry out a meta-analysis using 93 publicly accessible 16S rRNA gene libraries from O. patagonica, C. caespitosa and L. sarmentosa to establish a Mediterranean core microbiome in these species. We have identified one Ruegeria OTU that maintained a stable and consistent association with these species, which was also related to tissue necrosis in their hosts. Therefore, Ruegeria sp. could play an important and still underexplored role in the health status of its hosts. This work has been carried out within the CIESM project “Tropical Signals” and it was funded by the European Union’s framework program Horizon 2020 (LEIT-BIO-2015-685474, Metafluidics, to JA).

13 pages, 3 tables, 5 figures, The COVID-19 global pandemic has had severe, unpredictable and synchronous impacts on all levels of perishable food supply chains (PFSC), across multiple sectors and spatial scales. Aquaculture plays a vital and rapidly expanding role in food security, in some cases overtaking wild caught fisheries in the production of high-quality animal protein in this PFSC. We performed a rapid global assessment to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related emerging control measures on the aquaculture supply chain. Socio-economic effects of the pandemic were analysed by surveying the perceptions of stakeholders, who were asked to describe potential supply-side disruption, vulnerabilities and resilience patterns along the production pipeline with four main supply chain components: a) hatchery, b) production/processing, c) distribution/logistics and d) market. We also assessed different farming strategies, comparing land- vs. sea-based systems; extensive vs. intensive methods; and with and without integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, IMTA. In addition to evaluating levels and sources of economic distress, interviewees were asked to identify mitigation solutions adopted at local / internal (i.e., farm-site) scales, and to express their preference on national / external scale mitigation measures among a set of a priori options. Survey responses identified the potential causes of disruption, ripple effects, sources of food insecurity, and socio-economic conflicts. They also pointed to various levels of mitigation strategies. The collated evidence represents a first baseline useful to address future disaster-driven responses, to reinforce the resilience of the sector and to facilitate the design reconstruction plans and mitigation measures, such as financial aid strategies, M.C.M.'s research activity was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (Grant agreement no. 835589, MIRROR Project). People at the Laboratory of Ecology have been funded by the PRIN-MAHRES project (Ministry of Italian Research; MUR - 017MHHWBN_003 Linea C) and by the Interreg Italia-Malta HARMONY 2016 (Grant C1-3.1-31). C. Pita and A. Nogueira would like to thank FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds. J.M.F. Babarro thanks project PID2019-106008RB-C21 for support through Spanish Government funds. The authors would like to thank also the ERASMUS+-FISHAQU project (No. 610071-EPP-1-2019-1-PT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

For decades, inputs of nutrients and organic matter into the Mar Menor coastal lagoon have favored the change from an original oligotrophic to a eutrophic state. The lagoon reached a stage of severe eutrophication and “environmental collapse” during the spring of 2016. This paper describes the massive growth of Serpulidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) forming large aggregations and reef structures after the environmental collapse caused by the eutrophic crisis. Four species belonging to the genera Hydroides and Serpula were identified; the identified species are Hydroides elegans, Hydroides dianthus, Serpula concharum, and Serpula vermicularis. The presence of bi-operculate and tri-operculate specimens is also documented in this study.

Este artículo contiene 24 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas., This work is the result of an international research effort to determine the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine recreational fishing. Changes were assessed on (1) access to fishing, derived from lockdowns and other mobility restrictions; (2) ecosystems, because of alterations in fishing intensity and human presence; (3) the blue economy, derived from alterations in the investments and expenses of the fishers; and (4) society, in relation to variations in fishers’ health and well-being. For this, a consultation with experts from 16 countries was carried out, as well as an international online survey aimed at recreational fishers, that included specific questions designed to capture fishers’ heterogeneity in relation to behavior, skills and know-how, and vital involvement. Fishers’ participation in the online survey (5,998 recreational fishers in 15 countries) was promoted through a marketing campaign. The sensitivity of the fishers’ clustering procedure, based on the captured heterogeneity, was evaluated by SIMPER analysis and by generalized linear models. Results from the expert consultation highlighted a worldwide reduction in marine recreational fishing activity. Lower human-driven pressures are expected to generate some benefits for marine ecosystems. However, experts also identified high negative impacts on the blue economy, as well as on fisher health and well-being because of the loss of recreational fishing opportunities. Most (98%) of the fishers who participated in the online survey were identified as advanced, showing a much higher degree of commitment to recreational fishing than basic fishers (2%). Advanced fishers were, in general, more pessimistic about the impacts of COVID19, reporting higher reductions in physical activity and fish consumption, as well as poorer quality of night rest, foul mood, and raised more concerns about their health status. Controlled and safe access to marine recreational fisheries during pandemics would provide benefits to the health and well-being of people and reduce negative socioeconomic impacts, especially for vulnerable social groups., This work was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (RECREGES II project under Grant ED481B2018/017, and Grupo de Referencia Competitiva GI-2060 AEMI, under Grant ED431C2019/11). PP acknowledges economic support of the project Grupo de Trabajo Sobre Pesca Marítima Recreativa en España, funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Spanish Ministerio Para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, co-funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. SV acknowledges the financial support of the EQUALSEA project ERC Consolidator Grant Agreement No. 101002784 funded by the European Research Council, and the CYTED program for the ECOMAR Network. AML, CS, and MW have been co-funded by the European Commission’s Data Collection Framework (DCF). CS acknowledge founding from the Danish Rod and Net Fish License funds (Project No. 39122). The CCMAR affiliated authors acknowledge Portuguese national funds from FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology through project UIDB/04326/2020. MaR acknowledges FCT funding through a post-doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/116307/2016). AA acknowledges funding of FAPES, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo, Brazil - PROFIX program 10/2018 - T.O.: 348/2018 for AA postdoctoral scholarship. JR-F acknowledges funding of Participatory Fishing Monitoring accomplished by the ICHTUS Soluções em Meio Ambiente Ltda. KF was funded by the tourist fishing project (“Kartlegging av Turistfiske”), which is part of the Coastal Zone Ecosystem Program at the Institute of Marine Research of Norway. JG-C and VS were funded in part by a contract with the Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Service - Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia - Spain (with funds from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund) and the project “MaReFish” financed by the MedPAN network under its “Small Projects – 2018” call. JA was supported by a Ramon y Cajal Grant (Grant No. RYC2018-024488-I) and received funding from the CLOCKS (Grant No. PID2019-104940GAI00) and JSATS (Grant No. PIE202030E002) projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). VSB is supported by a “Juan de la Cierva Incorporación” research fellowship (IJC2018-035389-I) granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). HS acknowledges financial support by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany in the framework of marEEshift (Project No. 01LC 1826B).

The continuous increase in global freshwater demand highlights desalination technology as one of the most feasible options for addressing global water scarcity. This increase has occurred more rapidly in certain countries owing to certain factors that can influence the development of desalination projects. A survey of 34 international desalination experts was carried out to evaluate the main requirements and most limiting factors for the development of desalination projects in different countries based on a semi-quantitative analysis. The obtained results showed high heterogeneity of environmental and socio-economic requirements across different countries. The main barriers identified for desalination development were the cost of produced water, low financial support, and stringent environmental requirements. We observed that social acceptance of desalination projects is normally high and does not represent a limiting factor for their development. However, low levels of environmental requirements and/or public involvement have been identified as issues and these should be improved in some countries. The knowledge obtained in this research may be used to inform scientific advice and advance toward the sustainable development of desalination projects. I.S. and C.S. were financed by project CORFO CAPTA Nro. 9CTIGH-121349.

The ever-growing amount of information in today’s world has led to the publication of more and more open data, i.e., that which is available in a free and reusable manner, on the Web. Open data is considered highly valuable in situational scenarios, in which thematic data is required for a short life cycle by a small group of consumers with specific needs. In this context, data consumers (developers or data scientists) need mechanisms with which to easily assess whether the data is adequate for their purpose. SPARQL endpoints have become very useful for the consumption of open data, but we argue that its steep learning curve hampers open data reuse in situational scenarios. In order to overcome this pitfall, in this paper, we coin the term disposable Web APIs as an alternative mechanism for the consumption of open data in situational scenarios. Disposable Web APIs are created on-the-fly to be used temporarily by a user to consume open data. In this paper we specifically describe an approach with which to leverage semantic information from data sources so as to automatically generate easy-to-use disposable Web APIs that can be used to access open data in a situational scenario, thus avoiding the complexity and learning curve of SPARQL and the effort of manually processing the data. We have conducted several experiments to discover whether non-experienced users find it easier to use our disposable Web API or a SPARQL endpoint to access open data. The results of the experiments led us to conclude that, in a situational scenario, it is easier and faster to use the Web API than the corresponding SPARQL endpoint in order to consume open data. This work was supported in part by the Access@City coordinated Research Project through the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under Grant TIN2016-78103-C2-1-R and Grant TIN2016-78103-C2-2-R; in part by the Plataforma intensiva en datos proveedora de servicios inteligentes de movilidad (MoviDA) Project through Rey Juan Carlos University; and in part by the Recolección y publicación de datos abiertos para la reactivación del sector turístico postCOVID-19 (UAPOSTCOVID19-10) Project through the Consejo Social of the University of Alicante. The work of César González-Mora was supported in part by the Generalitat Valenciana, and in part by the European Social Fund under Grant ACIF/2019/044.

In order to facilitate the reusing of open data from open data platforms’ catalogs, Web Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are an important mechanism for reusers. However, there is a lack of suitable Web APIs to access data from open data platforms. Moreover, in most cases, the currently available APIs only allow to access catalog’s metadata or to download entire data resources (i.e. coarse-grain access to data), hampering the reuse of data. Therefore, we propose a model-based approach to automatically generate Web APIs from open data. Our generated Web APIs facilitate the access and reuse of specific data (i.e., providing fine-grain or query-level access to data), which will result in many societal and economic benefits such as transparency and innovation. With this approach we address open data publishers which will be able to include a Web API within their data, but also open data reusers in case of missing APIs. This APIfication process, which means the creation of APIs for every available dataset, is based on automatic, generic and standardised generation mechanisms. The performance and functioning of this approach is validated with different datasets, which successfully generates Web APIs that facilitate the reuse of data. This work has been funded by the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development and the project TIN2016-78103-C2-2-R of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. César González-Mora has a contract for predoctoral training with the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund by the grant ACIF/2019/044.

Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758) is the largest bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean. It is distributed in a wide range of coastal environments, including estuaries. Pinna nobilis has recently become a critically endangered species (with almost 100% mortality) along the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast. This may be due to coinfections caused by Haplosporidium pinnae and bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium spp. We extensively sampled P. nobilis from Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain), a site where individuals still survive. Using conventional PCR, we found Haplosporidium spp. in 7.1% of mantle and faecal DNA samples in different individuals of P. nobilis. We identified and quantified Haplosporidium pinnae in P. nobilis using Sanger sequencing and qPCR. Faecal H. pinnae detection is non-invasive, unlike biopsies. Therefore, this non-lethal and non-invasive sampling method could contribute to the welfare of living populations, particularly in eutrophic environments, where they are prone to septicaemia. The use of faecal DNA analysis could be a major advance in epidemiology and recovery assessment studies of P. nobilis. This research was funded by the project DGMARMENOR-MURCIA1-21T entitled: Study, Evaluation and Molecular Detection of Pathogenic Haplosporidium pinnae in Species of Pinna nobilis from Mar Menor and the Department of Marine Science and Applied Biology, the University of Alicante. Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional Una manera de hacer Europa.

9 pages, 8 figures, Marine aquaculture takes advantage of marine ecosystem services to produce goods that can be relevant from a food security point of view. However, this activity is subject to multiple stressors as the ones exerted by global climate change. Local stressed conditions due to environmental drivers may be exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic crisis. In this paper we analyze the pre-COVID-19 situation in two Spanish regions with the highest aquaculture production, Galicia and the Valencian Community. The incidence of storms, heat waves and mussel farming closure were analyzed, and surveys were used to define the perception of producers in terms of economic problems derived from COVID-19 and synergistic environmental concerns. Also the temporal trend of mussel production was analyzed. Spanish marine aquaculture has been intensively subjected to climatic stressors that made it more vulnerable to COVID-19, showing some weakness in terms of production as can be seen in mussel production and fresh consumption. Anyway, extensive aquaculture and aquaculture developed by Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) was reported as somewhat more resilient to the impact of COVID-19. In order to ensure the environmental and economic sustainability of marine aquaculture - under a future uncertain pandemic scenario – our outcomes underline the need for more resilient adaptation programs and recovery plans taking into account the climate change effects, M.C.M.’s research activity was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation pro- gramme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (Grant agreement no. 835589, MIRROR Project)