171 results on '"Mazaris, Antonios"'
Search Results
152. Landscape structure and diseases profile: associating land use type composition with disease distribution.
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Votsi, Nefta-Eleftheria P., Mazaris, Antonios D., Kallimanis, Athanasios S., Drakou, Evangelia G., and Pantis, John D.
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POPULATION density , *NATURE & psychology , *ENVIRONMENTALLY induced diseases , *ENVIRONMENTAL health , *ENVIRONMENTAL monitoring , *EPIDEMIOLOGY , *MAPS , *NOISE , *QUALITY of life , *REAL property , *RESEARCH funding , *DATA analysis software , *DISEASE risk factors , *PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
Human health and well-being presuppose environmental quality. Several studies have documented the indicative role of land use types in environmental quality. However, the exact role of land use composition on disease distribution has remained scientifically vague. We assessed the congruence of diseases’ distribution with land use composition, focusing on high environmental quality areas, defined as tranquil areas with view to indicating places offering well-being. Landscape composition is linked to the presence of diseases across 51 prefectures of Greece. Agricultural and natural land use types proved to be the main drivers of disease distribution. Tranquility demonstrated a strong negative correlation with population density, thus could be considered as a quantitative spatial index of life-quality. We concluded that the landscape context affects the dominance of diseases’ patterns. Special emphasis should be put on the role of tranquil areas in human health and the relative environmental health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
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- 2014
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153. Evaluating the effect of varying clutch frequency in nesting trend estimation of sea turtles.
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Mazaris, Antonios D., Matsinos, Yiannis G., and Pantis, John D.
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SEA turtles , *NESTS , *REPTILE populations , *SIMULATION methods & models , *STOCHASTIC models - Abstract
In sea turtle studies, population trend assessments are primarily based on monitoring of beach nesting. Annual nesting abundances are usually estimated by dividing the total number of nests laid during a season by the mean number of clutches deposited annually by nesting turtles, termed clutch frequency. The estimated numbers of annual nester are used for drawing population trends. In the present study, we evaluate the potential effect of individual variability in clutch frequency and successful nest construction, in estimating annual nesting abundance and nesting population trends. We estimate annual nesting abundance and trends by using constant values of clutch frequency. We further develop a stochastic model that simulates breeding performance as an individual based process to produce estimates of annual female abundances. As the next step, we draw population trends by using abundance estimates produced by the model. Our results indicate that nesting abundance estimations are highly affected by stochasticity in nesting behavior. Long term nesting population trends followed annual fluctuations in nester abundance, leading to a great variability in the produced patterns. Our results indicate that population trend estimations which are based on observed numbers of females nesting annually and mean values of clutch frequency are unreliable due to the exclusion of stochastic events that increment nesting performance, thus should be viewed with increased caution. We conclude that more data are needed to be collected in order to produce accurate estimates of sea turtle nesting population tends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2008
154. MODELING THE EFFECT OF SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE ON SEA TURTLE NESTING ACTIVITIES BY INVESTIGATING SEASONAL TRENDS.
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Mazaris, Antonios D., Kornaraki, Eyagelia, Matsinos, Yiannis G., and Margaritoulis, Dimitrios
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SEA turtles ,NESTS ,BOX-Jenkins forecasting - Abstract
In the present study, a series of models have been developed in order to investigate the effect of sea water temperature upon the nesting activities of marine turtles. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models, ARIMA models with transfer functions and regression models were developed for forecasting variations in the breeding activity of loggerheads, nesting at the island of Zakynthos, West Greece. Identification and development of the models was determined by the use of several statistical criteria. Weekly data series of sea turtles emerging attempts and number of nests laid were analyzed and compared with sea surface temperature (SST) data series. Our results indicate that whether SST data were included in the ARIMA models with transfer functions and the regression models that developed to describe both emergence data and number of nests, tended to improve fitting and forecasting accuracy. Data series of the number of nests laid was further correlated with observation of emergence data. Adding the effect of previous and current year nesting attempts and including SST data resulted to higher forecasting accuracy and fitting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2004
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155. Natural quiet: An additional feature reflecting green tourismdevelopment in conservation areas of Greece
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Votsi, Nefta-Eleftheria P., Mazaris, Antonios D., Kallimanis, Athanasios S., and Pantis, John D.
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The role of nature in tourism is widely acknowledged; yet, information remains limited about the determinants of green tourismdevelopment within conservation areas. Here, we aimed to provide a framework for exploring the supportive role of quietness in green tourismdevelopment. Because natural quietness is expected to facilitate conservation and promote environment-friendly tourism, we tested whether quiet areas within conservation sites in Greece indicate “hotspots” of green tourism. We found that the percentage of quietness was related to environment-friendly tourism, indicating that the acoustic value of a site contributes towards driving the pattern of green tourism. When more than 30% of the surface area of a conservation site was quiet, activities supporting green tourismwere significantly higher. This threshold implies that both the conservation and acoustic value of a site are important in environment-conscious tourism destinations. Overall, we suggest that the acoustic quality of a site might function as a tool for management, facilitating the identification of green tourism“hotspots”.
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- 2014
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156. Ecological Connectivity in Two Ancient Lakes: Impact Upon Planktonic Cyanobacteria and Water Quality.
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Katsiapi, Matina, Genitsaris, Savvas, Stefanidou, Natassa, Tsavdaridou, Anastasia, Giannopoulou, Irakleia, Stamou, Georgia, Michaloudi, Evangelia, Mazaris, Antonios D., and Moustaka-Gouni, Maria
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WATER quality ,LAKES ,CYANOBACTERIA ,WATER ,HYDRAULICS ,CYANOBACTERIAL blooms ,MICROCYSTIS - Abstract
The ancient lakes Mikri Prespa and Megali Prespa are located in SE Europe at the transnational triangle and are globally recognized for their ecological significance. They host hundreds of flora and fauna species, and numerous types of habitat of conservational interest. They also provide a variety of ecosystem services. Over the last few decades, the two lakes have been interconnected through a surface water channel. In an attempt to explore whether such a management practice might alter the ecological properties of the two lakes, we investigated a series of community metrics for phytoplankton by emphasizing cyanobacteria. Our results demonstrate that the cyanobacterial metacommunity structure was affected by directional hydrological connectivity and high dispersal rates, and to a lesser extent, by cyanobacterial species sorting. Cyanobacterial alpha diversity was twofold in the shallow upstream Lake Mikri Prespa (Simpson index average value: 0.70) in comparison to downstream Lake Megali Prespa (Simpson index average value: 0.37). The cyanobacterial assemblage of the latter was only a strict subset of that in Mikri Prespa. Similarly, beta diversity components clearly showed a homogenization of cyanobacteria, supporting the hypothesis that water flow enhances fluvial translocation of potentially toxic and bloom-forming cyanobacteria. Degrading of the water quality in the Lake Megali Prespa in anticipation of improving that of the Lake Mikri Prespa is an issue of great concern for the Prespa lakes' protection and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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157. Validating protected area networks: Recommendation regarding suitability of methods and policy instruments, needs for harmonization and social negotiation in data collection for protected areas. Deliverable D5.2.2. of the EU FP7 project SCALES
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Joanna Cent, Evangelia Apostolopoulou, Riikka Paloniemi, Anni Arponen, Gunton, Richard M., Hajnalka Szentgyörgyi, Schmeller, Dirk S., Klaus Henle, Małgorzata Grodzińska-Jurczak, Jukka Similä, Pantis, John D., Kunin, William E., Joseph Tzanopoulos, Agata Pietrzyk-Kaszyńska, Anna Alina Salomaa, Tsianou, Mariana A., Konstantinos Touloumis, Dimitrios Bormpoudakis, Anna Scott, Raphaël Mathevet, Marianne Kettunen, Miska Koivulehto, Callaghan, Claire S. Q., Heikkinen, Risto K., Juha Pöyry, Mikko Kuussaari, Mazaris, Antonios D., Kallimanis, Athanasios S., and Deligioridi, Polyxeni-Sylvia K.
158. Novel climates in European river sub-basins pose a challenge for the persistence of freshwater fish.
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Tsavdaridou, Anastasia I., Almpanidou, Vasiliki, and Mazaris, Antonios D.
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- 2022
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159. Chapter One - A Review of Patterns of Multiple Paternity Across Sea Turtle Rookeries.
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Lee, Patricia L. M., Schofield, Gail, Haughey, Rebecca I., Mazaris, Antonios D., and Hays, Graeme C.
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MARINE biology periodicals , *MULTIPLE paternity in animals , *SEA turtles , *POLYANDRY - Abstract
Why females would mate with multiple partners and have multiple fathers for clutches or litters is a long-standing enigma. There is a broad dichotomy in hypotheses ranging from polyandry having benefits to simply being an unavoidable consequence of a high incidence of male-female encounters. If females simply give in to mating when it is too costly to avoid being harassed by males (convenience polyandry), then there should be a higher rate of mating as density increases. However, if females actively seek males because they benefit from multiple mating, then mating frequency, and consequently the incidence of multiple paternity of clutches, should be high throughout. To explore these competing explanations, here we review the incidence of multiple paternity for sea turtles nesting around the World. Across 30 rookeries, including all 7 species of sea turtle, the incidence of multiple paternity was only weakly linked to rookery size (r² = 0.14). However, using high resolution at-sea GPS tracking we show that the specifics of movement patterns play a key role in driving packing density and hence the likely rate of male-female encounters. When individuals use the same focal areas, packing density could be 100 × greater than when assuming individuals move independently. Once the extent of adult movements in the breeding season was considered so that movements and abundance could be combined to produce a measure of density, then across rookeries we found a very tight relationship (r² = 0.96) between packing density and the incidence of multiple paternity. These findings suggest that multiple paternity in sea turtles may have no benefit, but is simply a consequence of the incidence of male-female encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2018
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160. The Status of Coastal Benthic Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea: Evidence From Ecological Indicators
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Stanislao Bevilacqua, Stelios Katsanevakis, Fiorenza Micheli, Enric Sala, Gil Rilov, Gianluca Sarà, Dania Abdul Malak, Ameer Abdulla, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Elena Gissi, Antonios D. Mazaris, Carlo Pipitone, Maria Sini, Vanessa Stelzenmüller, Antonio Terlizzi, Valentina Todorova, Simonetta Fraschetti, Bevilacqua, Stanislao, Katsanevakis, Stelio, Micheli, Fiorenza, Sala, Enric, Rilov, Gil, Sarà, Gianluca, Malak, Dania Abdul, Abdulla, Ameer, Gerovasileiou, Vasili, Gissi, Elena, Mazaris, Antonios D., Pipitone, Carlo, Sini, Maria, Stelzenmüller, Vanessa, Terlizzi, Antonio, Todorova, Valentina, Fraschetti, Simonetta, Abdul Malak, Dania, Bevilacqua S., Katsanevakis S., Micheli F., Sala E., Rilov G., Sara' G., Malak D.A., Abdulla A., Gerovasileiou V., Gissi E., Mazaris A.D., Pipitone C., Sini M., Stelzenmuller V., Terlizzi A., Todorova V., and Fraschetti S.
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Settore BIO/07 - Ecologia ,0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,lcsh:QH1-199.5 ,ecological quality ratio, rocky intertidal, rocky subtidal reefs, seagrass beds, soft bottoms ,Biodiversity ,Intertidal zone ,Ocean Engineering ,Aquatic Science ,lcsh:General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,ecological quality ratio ,rocky intertidal ,rocky subtidal reefs ,seagrass beds ,soft bottoms ,Mediterranean sea ,Marine ecosystem ,14. Life underwater ,lcsh:Science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Global and Planetary Change ,biology ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Environmental resource management ,seagrass bed ,15. Life on land ,biology.organism_classification ,Ecological indicator ,Seagrass ,Geography ,13. Climate action ,Benthic zone ,Posidonia oceanica ,lcsh:Q ,business - Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea is subject to multiple human pressures increasingly threatening its unique biodiversity. Spatially explicit information on the ecological status of marine ecosystems is therefore key to an effective maritime spatial planning and management, and to help the achievement of environmental targets. Here, we summarized scientific data on the ecological status of a selection of marine ecosystems based on a set of ecological indicators in more than 700 sites of the Mediterranean Sea. For Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, rocky intertidal fringe, and coastal soft bottoms, more than 70% of investigated sites exhibited good to high ecological conditions. In contrast, about two-thirds of sites for subtidal rocky reefs were classified to be in moderate to bad conditions, stressing the need for prioritizing conservation initiatives on these productive and diverse environments. Very little quantitative information was available for the southern Mediterranean Sea, thus monitoring programs and assessments in this area are essential for a representative assessment of the health of marine coastal ecosystems in the whole basin. This overview represents a first step to implement a baseline that, through georeferenced data on ecological status, could help identifying information gaps, directing future research priorities, and supporting improvements to spatial models of expected cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems.
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- 2020
161. Twelve Recommendations for Advancing Marine Conservation in European and Contiguous Seas
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Stelios Katsanevakis, Marta Coll, Simonetta Fraschetti, Sylvaine Giakoumi, David Goldsborough, Vesna Mačić, Peter Mackelworth, Gil Rilov, Vanessa Stelzenmüller, Paolo G. Albano, Amanda E. Bates, Stanislao Bevilacqua, Elena Gissi, Virgilio Hermoso, Antonios D. Mazaris, Cristina Pita, Valentina Rossi, Yael Teff-Seker, Katherine Yates, Katsanevakis, Stelio, Coll, Marta, Fraschetti, Simonetta, Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Goldsborough, David, Mačić, Vesna, Mackelworth, Peter, Rilov, Gil, Stelzenmüller, Vanessa, Albano, Paolo G., Bates, Amanda E., Bevilacqua, Stanislao, Gissi, Elena, Hermoso, Virgilio, Mazaris, Antonios D., Pita, Cristina, Rossi, Valentina, Teff-Seker, Yael, Yates, Katherine, European Cooperation in Science and Technology, Natural Environment Research Council (UK), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal), Canada Research Chairs, and Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
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0106 biological sciences ,Marine conservation ,lcsh:QH1-199.5 ,global change ,Good Environmental Status ,Natura 2000, MPAs ,transboundary collaboration ,invasive species, cumulative impact assessment ,conservation planning ,risk management ,Marine Protected Areas ,MPAs ,Ocean Engineering ,Aquatic Science ,lcsh:General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,Public participation ,Oceanography ,Biodiversiteit ,Natura 2000, MPAs, transboundary collaboration, global change, invasive species, cumulative impact assessment, conservation planning, risk management ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Natuurbescherming ,invasive species ,Natura 2000 ,cumulative impact assessment ,14. Life underwater ,Natura 2000, MPA ,lcsh:Science ,Environmental planning ,Global change ,Cumulative impact assessment ,Risk management ,Water Science and Technology ,Global and Planetary Change ,Invasive species ,business.industry ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Marine spatial planning ,Adaptive management ,Marine protected area ,lcsh:Q ,Business ,Mariene biologie - Abstract
18 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, supplementary material https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.565968/full#supplementary-material, Like most ocean regions today, the European and contiguous seas experience cumulative impacts from local human activities and global pressures. They are largely in poor environmental condition with deteriorating trends. Despite several success stories, European policies for marine conservation fall short of being effective. Acknowledging the challenges for marine conservation, a 4-year multi-national network, MarCons, supported collaborative marine conservation efforts to bridge the gap between science, management and policy, aiming to contribute in reversing present negative trends. By consolidating a large network of more than 100 scientists from 26 countries, and conducting a series of workshops over 4 years (2016–2020), MarCons analyzed challenges, opportunities and obstacles for advancing marine conservation in the European and contiguous seas. Here, we synthesize the major issues that emerged from this analysis and make 12 key recommendations for policy makers, marine managers, and researchers. To increase the effectiveness of marine conservation planning, we recommend (1) designing coherent networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the framework of marine spatial planning (MSP) and applying systematic conservation planning principles, including re-evaluation of existing management zones, (2) designing MPA networks within a broader transboundary planning framework, and (3) implementing integrated land-freshwater-sea approaches. To address inadequate or poorly informed management, we recommend (4) developing and implementing adaptive management plans in all sites of the Natura 2000 European conservation network and revising the Natura 2000 framework, (5) embedding and implementing cumulative effects assessments into a risk management process and making them operational, and (6) promoting actions to reach ‘good environmental status’ in all European waters. To account for global change in conservation planning and management, we further recommend (7) developing conservation strategies to address the impacts of global change, for example identifying climate-change refugia as high priority conservation areas, and (8) incorporating biological invasions in conservation plans and prioritizing management actions to control invasive species. Finally, to improve current practices that may compromise the effectiveness of conservation actions, we recommend (9) reinforcing the collection of high-quality open-access data, (10) improving mechanisms for public participation in MPA planning and management, (11) prioritizing conservation goals in full collaboration with stakeholders, and (12) addressing gender inequality in marine sciences and conservation, This article was undertaken in the framework of COST Action 15121 “Advancing marine conservation in the European and contiguous seas” (MarCons; http://www.marcons-cost.eu; Katsanevakis et al., 2017), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). KY was supported by a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (NE/P00668X/1). CP would like to acknowledge FCT/MCTES national funds for the financial support to CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2019). AB received salary support from the Canada Research Chairs Program, With the funding support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI)
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- 2020
162. Light and Shade in Marine Conservation Across European and Contiguous Seas
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Simonetta Fraschetti, Carlo Pipitone, Antonios D. Mazaris, Gil Rilov, Fabio Badalamenti, Stanislao Bevilacqua, Joachim Claudet, Hrvoje Carić, Karsten Dahl, Giovanni D’Anna, Darius Daunys, Matthew Frost, Elena Gissi, Cordula Göke, Paul Goriup, Giuseppe Guarnieri, Drasko Holcer, Bojan Lazar, Peter Mackelworth, Sonia Manzo, Georg Martin, Andreas Palialexis, Marina Panayotova, Dimitra Petza, Bob Rumes, Valentina Todorova, Stelios Katsanevakis, Fraschetti, Simonetta, Pipitone, Carlo, Mazaris, Antonios D., Rilov, Gil, Badalamenti, Fabio, Bevilacqua, Stanislao, Claudet, Joachim, Caric, Hrvoje, Dahl, Karsten, D'Anna, Giovanni, Daunys, Dariu, Frost, Matthew, Gissi, Elena, Göke, Cordula, Goriup, Paul, Guarnieri, Giuseppe, Holcer, Drasko, Lazar, Bojan, Mackelworth, Peter, Manzo, Sonia, Martin, Georg, Palialexis, Andrea, Panayotova, Marina, Petza, Dimitra, Rumes, Bob, Todorova, Valentina, Katsanevakis, Stelios, Fraschetti, S., Pipitone, C., Mazaris, A. D., Rilov, G., Badalamenti, F., Bevilacqua, S., Claudet, J., Caric, H., Dahl, K., D'Anna, G., Daunys, D., Frost, M., Gissi, E., Goke, C., Goriup, P., Guarnieri, G., Holcer, D., Lazar, B., Mackelworth, P., Manzo, S., DE MARTIN, GIAN CANDIDO, Palialexis, A., Panayotova, M., Petza, D., Rumes, B., Todorova, V., Katsanevakis, S., and Martin, G.
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0106 biological sciences ,Marine conservation ,lcsh:QH1-199.5 ,European directive ,European Directive ,Natura 2000 site ,marine protected areas ,MSFD ,MSP ,fishery management ,OECMs ,Marine protected area ,Biodiversity ,Legislation ,Ocean Engineering ,lcsh:General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,Aquatic Science ,Environmental Science (miscellaneous) ,Oceanography ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,European directives ,Fishery management ,Marine protected areas ,Natura 2000 sites ,Global and Planetary Change ,Water Science and Technology ,Goods and services ,11. Sustainability ,Marine ecosystem ,European directives, Fishery management, Marine protected areas, MSFD, MSP, Natura 2000 sites, OECMs ,14. Life underwater ,lcsh:Science ,Environmental planning ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,15. Life on land ,Ecological network ,13. Climate action ,European Directives, Natura 2000 sites, marine protected areas, MSFD, MSP, fishery management, OECMs ,lcsh:Q ,Business ,Natura 2000 ,OECM - Abstract
As a response to increasing human pressures on marine ecosystems, the legislation aimed at improving the conservation and management of marine coastal areas in European and Contiguous Seas (ECS) underwent crucial advances. ECS, however, still remain largely affected by increasing threats leading to biodiversity loss. Here, by using emblematic case studies and expert knowledge, we review current conservation tools, comparing their application in different areas to assess their effectiveness, potential for synergies, and contradictions. Despite regional differences in their application, the existing legislative frameworks have the potential to regulate human activities and to protect marine biodiversity. However, four challenges remain to be addressed to fully achieve environmental policy goals: (1) Lack of shared vision representing a limitation in transboundary collaboration. Although all EU countries are committed to fulfil EU Directives and other binding international legislative acts, a remarkable heterogeneity exists among countries in the compliance with the common legislation on conservation and in their degree of implementation. (2) Lack of systematic procedures for the selection of protected marine sites. Regional and national approaches in designating Natura 2000 sites and nationally designated marine protected areas (MPAs) reflect varying conservation targets and importance of conservation issues in political agendas. (3) Lack of coherent ecological networks. Natura 2000 sites and other MPAs are still far from reaching the status of effective networks in all considered case studies. (4) Hotspot of conflicts with private economic interests prevailing over conservation aims. Recommendations are given to overcome the fragmented approach still characterizing the conservation and management of coastal marine environments. Holistic, integrated, ecosystem-based, cross-cutting approaches can avoid conflicts among institutions so as to provide effective and timely solutions to current and future challenges concerning the conservation and management of marine ecosystems and associated goods and services. © 2018 Fraschetti,.
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- 2018
163. Thinking outside the ocean-climate nexus: Towards systems-informed decision making in a rapidly changing world.
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Germond-Duret C, Germond B, Katsanevakis S, Kelly MR, Mazaris AD, and McKinley E
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Despite repeated calls for more inclusive practices, approaches used to address current challenges within the ocean-climate nexus do not sufficiently account for the complexity of the human-social-ecological system. So far, this has prevented efficient and just decision-making and policies. We propose to shift towards systems-informed decision making, which values transdisciplinary system-thinking and cumulative impact assessments, and encourages multi-system collaboration among decision-makers in order to address the recurring technicality of policies and to foster just solutions that account for the needs of varied actors across the sustainable development spectrum., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
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- 2024
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164. Priorities for Mediterranean marine turtle conservation and management in the face of climate change.
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Mazaris AD, Dimitriadis C, Papazekou M, Schofield G, Doxa A, Chatzimentor A, Turkozan O, Katsanevakis S, Lioliou A, Abalo-Morla S, Aksissou M, Arcangeli A, Attard V, El Hili HA, Atzori F, Belda EJ, Ben Nakhla L, Berbash AA, Bjorndal KA, Broderick AC, Camiñas JA, Candan O, Cardona L, Cetkovic I, Dakik N, de Lucia GA, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Diryaq S, Favilli C, Fortuna CM, Fuller WJ, Gallon S, Hamza A, Jribi I, Ben Ismail M, Kamarianakis Y, Kaska Y, Korro K, Koutsoubas D, Lauriano G, Lazar B, March D, Marco A, Minotou C, Monsinjon JR, Naguib NM, Palialexis A, Piroli V, Sami K, Sönmez B, Sourbès L, Sözbilen D, Vandeperre F, Vignes P, Xanthakis M, Köpsel V, and Peck MA
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- Animals, Conservation of Natural Resources methods, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Turtles
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As climate-related impacts threaten marine biodiversity globally, it is important to adjust conservation efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Translating scientific knowledge into practical management, however, is often complicated due to resource, economic and policy constraints, generating a knowledge-action gap. To develop potential solutions for marine turtle conservation, we explored the perceptions of key actors across 18 countries in the Mediterranean. These actors evaluated their perceived relative importance of 19 adaptation and mitigation measures that could safeguard marine turtles from climate change. Of importance, despite differences in expertise, experience and focal country, the perceptions of researchers and management practitioners largely converged with respect to prioritizing adaptation and mitigation measures. Climate change was considered to have the greatest impacts on offspring sex ratios and suitable nesting sites. The most viable adaptation/mitigation measures were considered to be reducing other pressures that act in parallel to climate change. Ecological effectiveness represented a key determinant for implementing proposed measures, followed by practical applicability, financial cost, and societal cost. This convergence in opinions across actors likely reflects long-standing initiatives in the Mediterranean region towards supporting knowledge exchange in marine turtle conservation. Our results provide important guidance on how to prioritize measures that incorporate climate change in decision-making processes related to the current and future management and protection of marine turtles at the ocean-basin scale, and could be used to guide decisions in other regions globally. Importantly, this study demonstrates a successful example of how interactive processes can be used to fill the knowledge-action gap between research and management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2023
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165. Are Mediterranean marine threatened species at high risk by climate change?
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Chatzimentor A, Doxa A, Katsanevakis S, and Mazaris AD
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- Animals, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Mediterranean Sea, Conservation of Natural Resources, Ecosystem, Endangered Species, Caniformia
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Rapid anthropogenic climate change is driving threatened biodiversity one step closer to extinction. Effects on native biodiversity are determined by an interplay between species' exposure to climate change and their specific ecological and life-history characteristics that render them even more susceptible. Impacts on biodiversity have already been reported, however, a systematic risk evaluation of threatened marine populations is lacking. Here, we employ a trait-based approach to assess the risk of 90 threatened marine Mediterranean species to climate change, combining species' exposure to increased sea temperature and intrinsic vulnerability. One-quarter of the threatened marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is predicted to be under elevated levels of climate risk, with various traits identified as key vulnerability traits. High-risk taxa including sea turtles, marine mammals, Anthozoa and Chondrichthyes are highlighted. Climate risk, vulnerability and exposure hotspots are distributed along the Western Mediterranean, Alboran, Aegean, and Adriatic Seas. At each Mediterranean marine ecoregion, 21%-31% of their threatened species have high climate risk. All Mediterranean marine protected areas host threatened species with high risk to climate change, with 90% having a minimum of 4 up to 19 species of high climate risk, making the objective of a climate-smart conservation strategy a crucial task for immediate planning and action. Our findings aspire to offer new insights for systematic, spatially strategic planning and prioritization of vulnerable marine life in the face of accelerating climate change., (© 2022 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
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- 2023
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166. A catastrophic change in a european protected wetland: From harmful phytoplankton blooms to fish and bird kill.
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Demertzioglou M, Genitsaris S, Mazaris AD, Kyparissis A, Voutsa D, Kozari A, Kormas KA, Stefanidou N, Katsiapi M, Michaloudi E, and Moustaka-Gouni M
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- Ammonia, Animals, Birds, Fishes, Oxygen, Plankton, Wetlands, Zooplankton, Ecosystem, Phytoplankton
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Understanding the processes that underlay an ecological disaster represents a major scientific challenge. Here, we investigated phytoplankton and zooplankton community changes before and during a fauna mass kill in a European protected wetland. Evidence on gradual development and collapse of harmful phytoplankton blooms, allowed us to delineate the biotic and abiotic interactions that led to this ecological disaster. Before the mass fauna kill, mixed blooms of known harmful cyanobacteria and the killer alga Prymnesium parvum altered biomass flow and minimized zooplankton resource use efficiency. These blooms collapsed under high nutrient concentrations and inhibitory ammonia levels, with low phytoplankton biomass leading to a dramatic drop in photosynthetic oxygenation and a shift to a heterotrophic ecosystem phase. Along with the phytoplankton collapse, extremely high numbers of red planktonic crustaceans-Daphnia magna, visible through satellite images, indicated low oxygen conditions as well as a decrease or absence of fish predation pressure. Our findings provide clear evidence that the mass episode of fish and birds kill resulted through severe changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics, and the alternation on key abiotic conditions. Our study highlights that plankton-related ecosystem functions mirror the accumulated heavy anthropogenic impacts on freshwaters and could reflect a failure in conservation and restoration measures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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- 2022
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167. Functional extinction of dugongs in China.
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Lin M, Turvey ST, Han C, Huang X, Mazaris AD, Liu M, Ma H, Yang Z, Tang X, and Li S
- Abstract
Dugongs ( Dugong dugon ) experienced a serious population decline in China during the twentieth century, and their regional status is poorly understood. To determine their current distribution and status, we conducted a large-scale interview survey of marine resource users across four Chinese provinces and reviewed all available historical data covering the past distribution of dugongs in Chinese waters. Only 5% of 788 respondents reported past dugong sightings, with a mean last-sighting date of 23 years earlier, and only three respondents reported sightings from within the past 5 years. Historical records of dugongs peak around 1960 and then decrease rapidly from 1975 onwards; no records are documented after 2008, with no verified field observations after 2000. Based on these findings, we are forced to conclude that dugongs have experienced rapid population collapse during recent decades and are now functionally extinct in China. Our study provides evidence of a new regional loss of a charismatic marine megafaunal species, and the first reported functional extinction of a large vertebrate in Chinese marine waters. This rapid documented population collapse also serves as a sobering reminder that extinctions can occur before effective conservation actions are developed., (© 2022 The Authors.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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168. 4D marine conservation networks: Combining 3D prioritization of present and future biodiversity with climatic refugia.
- Author
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Doxa A, Almpanidou V, Katsanevakis S, Queirós AM, Kaschner K, Garilao C, Kesner-Reyes K, and Mazaris AD
- Subjects
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation of Natural Resources methods, Mediterranean Sea, Ecosystem, Refugium
- Abstract
Given the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss, the need to prioritize marine areas for protection represents a major conservation challenge. The three-dimensionality of marine life and ecosystems is an inherent element of complexity for setting spatial conservation plans. Yet, the confidence of any recommendation largely depends on shifting climate, which triggers a global redistribution of biodiversity, suggesting the inclusion of time as a fourth dimension. Here, we developed a depth-specific prioritization analysis to inform the design of protected areas, further including metrics of climate-driven changes in the ocean. Climate change was captured in this analysis by considering the projected future distribution of >2000 benthic and pelagic species inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, combined with climatic stability and heterogeneity metrics of the seascape. We identified important areas based on both biological and climatic criteria, where conservation focus should be given in priority when designing a three-dimensional, climate-smart protected area network. We detected spatially concise, conservation priority areas, distributed around the basin, that protected marine areas almost equally across all depth zones. Our approach highlights the importance of deep sea zones as priority areas to meet conservation targets for future marine biodiversity, while suggesting that spatial prioritization schemes, that focus on a static two-dimensional distribution of biodiversity data, might fail to englobe both the vertical properties of species distributions and the fine and larger-scale impacts associated with climate change., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
169. A fast-moving target: achieving marine conservation goals under shifting climate and policies.
- Author
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Rilov G, Fraschetti S, Gissi E, Pipitone C, Badalamenti F, Tamburello L, Menini E, Goriup P, Mazaris AD, Garrabou J, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Danovaro R, Loiseau C, Claudet J, and Katsanevakis S
- Subjects
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Goals, Conservation of Natural Resources, Ecosystem
- Abstract
In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast-moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent European Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth., (© 2019 The Authors. Ecological Applications published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Ecological Society of America.)
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
170. A Review of Patterns of Multiple Paternity Across Sea Turtle Rookeries.
- Author
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Lee PLM, Schofield G, Haughey RI, Mazaris AD, and Hays GC
- Subjects
- Animals, Female, Male, Reproduction physiology, Turtles physiology
- Abstract
Why females would mate with multiple partners and have multiple fathers for clutches or litters is a long-standing enigma. There is a broad dichotomy in hypotheses ranging from polyandry having benefits to simply being an unavoidable consequence of a high incidence of male-female encounters. If females simply give in to mating when it is too costly to avoid being harassed by males (convenience polyandry), then there should be a higher rate of mating as density increases. However, if females actively seek males because they benefit from multiple mating, then mating frequency, and consequently the incidence of multiple paternity of clutches, should be high throughout. To explore these competing explanations, here we review the incidence of multiple paternity for sea turtles nesting around the World. Across 30 rookeries, including all 7 species of sea turtle, the incidence of multiple paternity was only weakly linked to rookery size (r
2 =0.14). However, using high resolution at-sea GPS tracking we show that the specifics of movement patterns play a key role in driving packing density and hence the likely rate of male-female encounters. When individuals use the same focal areas, packing density could be 100× greater than when assuming individuals move independently. Once the extent of adult movements in the breeding season was considered so that movements and abundance could be combined to produce a measure of density, then across rookeries we found a very tight relationship (r2 =0.96) between packing density and the incidence of multiple paternity. These findings suggest that multiple paternity in sea turtles may have no benefit, but is simply a consequence of the incidence of male-female encounters., (© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
171. Population viability at extreme sex-ratio skews produced by temperature-dependent sex determination.
- Author
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Hays GC, Mazaris AD, Schofield G, and Laloë JO
- Subjects
- Animals, Breeding, Female, Male, Sex Determination Analysis, Sex Ratio, Temperature, Turtles physiology
- Abstract
For species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) there is the fear that rising temperatures may lead to single-sex populations and population extinction. We show that for sea turtles, a major group exhibiting TSD, these concerns are currently unfounded but may become important under extreme climate warming scenarios. We show how highly female-biased sex ratios in developing eggs translate into much more balanced operational sex ratios so that adult male numbers in populations around the world are unlikely to be limiting. Rather than reducing population viability, female-biased offspring sex ratios may, to some extent, help population growth by increasing the number of breeding females and hence egg production. For rookeries across the world ( n = 75 sites for seven species), we show that extreme female-biased hatchling sex ratios do not compromise population size and are the norm, with a tendency for populations to maximize the number of female hatchlings. Only at extremely high incubation temperature does high mortality within developing clutches threaten sea turtles. Our work shows how TSD itself is a robust strategy up to a point, but eventually high mortality and female-only hatchling production will cause extinction if incubation conditions warm considerably in the future., (© 2017 The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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