A new synthetic index and a protocol for monitoring the status of Posidonia oceanica meadows: a case study at Sanremo (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean)
✍ Scribed by Monica Montefalcone; Giancarlo Albertelli; Carlo Nike Bianchi; Mauro Mariani; Carla Morri
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2005
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 581 KB
- Volume
- 16
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1052-7613
- DOI
- 10.1002/aqc.688
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✦ Synopsis
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The status of a Posidonia oceanica meadow in front of the town of Sanremo, Italy, was studied through a combined use of benthic mapping and synthetic indices.
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Mapping was accomplished by integrating side scan sonar imagery and data collected by scuba diving along transects placed perpendicularly to the coastline. A thematic map (scale 1:5000) was produced. Extent of the meadow, occurrence of dead matte areas, and morphology of the lower limit (with new definition) are all described.
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Two synthetic environmental indices were applied to transect data in order to quantify the status of the meadow: the Conservation Index and the Substitution Index. The former is related to the proportion of dead matte; the latter is a novel index measuring the amount of replacement of the 'constructional' seagrass P. oceanica by the 'non-constructional' seagrass Cymodocea nodosa. The potential of a 'phase shift' in Ligurian Sea seagrass meadows is discussed.
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The approach here proposed, based on detailed mapping plus synthetic indices, may provide immediate information to evaluate the state of Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica for monitoring and management.