Using guarding net to reduce regularly discarded invertebrates in trammel net fisheries operating on seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) in Izmir Bay (Eastern Aegean Sea)

AxIOM: Amphipod crustaceans from insular Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows

BACKGROUND The Neptune grass, Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, 1813, is the most widespread seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea. This foundation species forms large meadows that, through habitat and trophic services, act as biodiversity hotspots. In Neptune grass meadows, amphipod crustaceans are one of the dominant groups of vagile invertebrates, forming an abundant and diverse taxocenosis. They ...

Seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) distribution and trajectories of change

Posidonia oceanica meadows are declining at alarming rates due to climate change and human activities. Although P. oceanica is considered the most important and well-studied seagrass species of the Mediterranean Sea, to date there has been a limited effort to combine all the spatial information available and provide a complete distribution of meadows across the basin. The aim of this work is to...

Mesograzers in Posidonia oceanica meadows: an update of data on gastropod-epiphyte-seagrass interactions

Information on dietary habits of mesograzers in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows is scarce and restricted to a few species. Here we provide data on the most likely food sources for eight gastropod species inferred from stable isotope data. We observed very similar isotopic signals for all species regardless of trophic guild category, indicating similar consumption behaviour with a main diet ...

Nutrient Fluxes and Their Dynamics in the Inner Izmir Bay Sediments (Eastern Aegean Sea)

Comparative Analysis of Stability—Genetic Diversity in Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) Meadows Yields Unexpected Results

The diversity–stability relationship is the subject of a long-standing debate in ecology, but the genetic component of diversity has seldom been explored. In this study, we analyzed the interplay between genetic diversity and demographic responses to environmental pressures. This analysis included 30 meadows formed by the Mediterranean endemic seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, showing a wide range ...