Tomas Vega Fernandez

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn | Stazione Zoologica · Integrated Marine Ecology

Marine organisms with fast growth rates and great biological adaptive capacity might have biotechnological interests, since ecological competitiveness might rely on enhanced physiological or biochemical processes’ capability promoting protection, defense, or repair intracellular damages. The invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea, a non-indigenous...

By definition, marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) address spatial aspects of the ecological processes and marine features. Such a requirement is especially challenging in areas where there is no clearly defined jurisdiction. However, in these areas, assigning sovereignty and rights can be achi...

Calvo et al. (2020) criticize a new seagrass rehabilitation method proposed by Alagna et al. (2019) and inspired by the Posidonia oceanica spontaneous recovery observed at Capo Feto (Sicily), were recolonization was detected almost exclusively on rubbles deployed to fill a pipeline trench. Calvo et al. (2020) claim that natural recovery occurred co...

Marine biotechnology is promising to provide new solutions to society and humans, such as for health protection or natural treatments against diseases. In this framework, different strategies are explored to select marine organisms to initiate the pipeline, hopefully ended by the product development. Organisms with fast growth rates and great biolo...

The impact of plastic debris, and in particular of microplastics (here referred as particles smaller than 5 mm) on aquatic environments has now become a topic of raising concern. Microplastics are particularly abundant in the Mediterranean Sea, potentially exerting substantial pressures on marine organisms at different levels of organization. Inges...

The aim of the study is to provide a synthesis on the biodiversity of zoobenthic species diversity and benthic habitat distribution of Site of National Interest (SNI) of Bagnoli-Coroglio (Gulf of Naples, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), which represents one of the priority areas selected at National level for habitat restoration, and is located within the G...

The inheritance of environmental contamination left by abandoned industrial plants is widespread globally. Here we compared the patterns of recovery of lowshore algal and invertebrate assemblages between the post-industrial site of Bagnoli-Coroglio and four reference sites distributed along the coast in the Gulf of Naples, southern Tyrrhenian Sea....

Transboundary conservation has an important, yet often undervalued, role in the international conservation regime. When applied to the legally ambiguous and interconnected marine environment this is magnified. The lack of clear guidance for transboundary marine conservation from the international conservation community exacerbates this problem, lea...

Abstract Shallow-water marine organisms are among the first to suffer from combined effects of natural and anthropogenic drivers. The orange coral Astroides calycularis is a shallow-water bioconstructor species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Although raising conservation interest, also given its special position within the Dendrophylliidae, info...

Seagrasses are among the most threatened biomes worldwide. Until now, seagrass rehabilitation success has reached about 38% overall and more effective approaches to restoration are urgently needed. Here we report a novel method to rehabilitate Posidonia oceanica meadows based on observation of the species' natural recovery after disturbance. Posido...

Native generalist grazers can control the populations of non-indigenous invasive algae (NIIA). Here, it was found that the simultaneous consumption of two co-occurring NIIA, Caulerpa cylindracea and C. taxifolia var. distichophylla, hinders the grazing ability of the main Mediterranean herbivorous, the native sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The i...

Predation on the large, venomous jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca by the stony coral Astroides calycularis is illustrated. The coral occurs in the western Mediterranean, while the jellyfish is cosmopolitan in temperate and warm seas. The coral lacks symbiotic zooxanthellae and has small polyps with tiny mouths. It forms cup-shaped colonies on vertical c...

The carotenoid astaxanthin has strong antioxidant properties with beneficial effects for various degenerative diseases. This carotenoid is produced by some microalgae species when cultivated in particular conditions, and, interestingly, it is a predominant carotenoid in aquatic animals throughout a broad range of taxa. Recently, astaxanthin was det...

Biological invasions threaten biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, requiring substantial conservation and management efforts. To examine how the conservation planning literature addresses biological invasions and if planning in the marine environment could benefit from experiences in the freshwater and terrestrial systems,...

A phyllodocid polychaete belonging to the genus Eulalia is reported from Nuevo Gulf, Patagonia (South-western Atlantic Ocean) with abundant populations thriving in the intertidal zone. Morphological and molecular data allowed assigning this population to Eulalia clavigera (Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1834), a species typically occurring along the nort...

Predation occurs when an organism completely or partially consumes its prey. Partial consumption is typical of herbivores but is also common in some marine microbenthic carnivores that feed on colonial organisms. Associations between nudibranch molluscs and colonial hydroids have long been assumed to be simple predator-prey relationships. Here we s...

Understanding which factors influence the invasion of alien seaweed has become a central concern in ecology. Increasing evidence suggests that the feeding preferences of native herbivores influence the success of alien seaweeds in the new community. We investigated food selection of a generalist native grazer Paracentrotus lividus, in the presence...

Biogenic reefs, such as those produced by tube-dwelling polychaetes of the genus Sabellaria, are valuable marine habitats which are a focus of protection according to European legislation. The achievement of this goal is potentially hindered by the lack of essential empirical data, especially in the Mediterranean Sea. This study addresses some of t...

Several echinoderms, including sea urchins, are valuable sources of bioactive compounds but their nutraceutical potential is largely unexplored. In fact, the gonads of some sea urchin species contain antioxidants including carotenoids and polyhydroxylated naphthoquinones (PHNQ’s), such as echinochrome A. Astaxanthin is known to have particular bioa...

The transition from a planktonic to a benthic life is a critical phase in which sub-adults are particularly exposed to the risk of predation and dispersion into unsuitable habitats, and plays a crucial role in the distribution, structure and dynamics of marine populations. Settlement involves the selection of an adequate substrate that provides she...

The effects of alien macroalgal invasions on ecosystem functioning may depend on the feeding choice of native herbivores between native and non-native algae. The co-occurrence of two invasive Caulerpa species, C. taxifolia var. distichophylla and C. cylindracea in Southern Sicily, offered the possibility to investigate the feeding preferences of a...

The distribution and abundance of the orange stony coral Astroides calycularis in Italian waters was defined using data from different sources: literature, questionnaires compiled by marine biologists, researchers, divers and amateur naturalists and personal observations. These data are the basis for further studies on the impact of human activitie...

The difficulty in teasing apart the effects of biological invasions from those of other anthropogenic perturbations has hampered our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the global biodiversity crisis. The recent elaboration of global-scale maps of cumulative human impacts provides a unique opportunity to assess how the impact of invaders v...

ANOVA on the response of canopy-forming macroalgae to experimental treatments. Table S2–ANOVA on the effects of Site (3 levels, random), Assemblage (control versus cleared; fixed) and C. cylindracea (present versus removed; fixed) on the percentage cover of canopy-forming species. Pooling procedures were used, according to Winer et al. (1991).

Dataset of extant assemblages.

Dataset of recovering assemblages.

Table S1–Influence of an outlier on the analysis of species richness in developing assemblages. Linear-mixed models assessing the effects of C. cylindracea, land-based- and sea-based cumulative human impacts on the species richness of developing assemblages after the exclusion of a potential outlier. Coefficients, standard errors (SE) and p-values...

Fish populations are often comprised of individuals that use habitats and associated resources in different ways. We placed sonic transmitters in, and tracked movements of, white sea bream (Diplodus sargus sargus) in the no-take zone of a Mediterranean marine protected area: the Torre Guaceto marine protected area, (Adriatic Sea, Italy). Tagged fis...

The distribution and abundance of the orange stony coral Astroides calycularis in Italian waters was defined using data from different sources: literature, questionnaires compiled by marine biologists, researchers, divers and amateur naturalists and personal observations. These data are the basis for further studies on the impact of human activitie...

We describe diversity and patterns of spatial distribution of the amphipod fauna associated with reefs of the polychaete Sabellaria alveolata (L.) in the Sicily strait. Samples were collected in June 2013, at three localities. Amphipod assemblages appeared homogeneous in the study area with variability increasing with decreasing spatial scale of ob...

Macro-and meiofauna associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows colonized by the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Caulerpales) in Southern Sicily were analyzed and compared with assemblages of control meadows from the same area. Independently from the degree of invasion (severe or partial), the affected macrofaunal assemblages s...

A governance analysis has been conducted in the Egadi Islands MPA. Twenty-three interviews were conducted in eight stakeholder groups. Fisheries vs conservation, tourism vs conservation and fisheries vs tourism conflicts were identified. The analysis suggests that the top-down approach used in the MPA creation and management has hampered participat...

Posidonia oceanica, the dominant Mediterranean seagrass, has been historically described as a species typically growing on mobile substrates whose development requires precursor communities. During more than 10 years of direct observations, we noticed that P. oceanica seedlings were often firmly anchored to rocky reefs, even at exposed sites. Thus,...

Posidonia oceanica, the dominant Mediterranean seagrass, has been historically described as a species typically growing on mobile substrates whose development requires precursor communities. During more than 10 years of direct observations, we noticed that P. oceanica seedlings were often firmly anchored to rocky reefs, even at exposed sites. Thus,...

In the last decades the growing awareness of the ecological importance of seagrass meadows has prompted increasing efforts to protect existing beds and restore degraded habitats. An in-depth knowledge of factors acting as major drivers of propagule settlement and recruitment is required in order to understand patterns of seagrass colonization and r...

Macro- and meiofauna associated with Posidonia oceanica meadows colonized by the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla (Caulerpales) in southern Sicily were analyzed and compared with assemblages of control meadows from the same area. Independently from the degree of invasion (severe or partial), the affected macrofaunal assemblages...

The tropical Atlantic grapsid crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is an invasive decapod reported since 1999 along several coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Several studies have been conducted on this species mainly at the adults stages, but scarce information are available at the present on the early life stages of this species. In order...

A governance analysis has been conducted in the Egadi Islands MPA. Twenty-three interviews were conducted in eight stakeholder groups. Fisheries vs conservation, tourism vs conservation and fisheries vs tourism conflicts were identified. The analysis suggests that the top-down approach used in the MPA creation and management has hampered participat...

We describe diversity and patterns of spatial distribution of the amphipod fauna associated with reefs of the polychaete Sabellaria alveolata (L.) in the Sicily Strait. Samples were collected in June 2013, at three localities. Amphipod assemblages appeared homogeneous in the study area with variability increasing with decreasing spatial scale of ob...

Fishing has been important in the Mediterranean region for many centuries and still has a central role in its economic importance and cultural heritage. A multitude of fishery-oriented marine managed areas have been implemented under a highly complex political and legislative framework to protect fishery resources and sensitive habitats from high i...

Exploited fish populations are often limited by recruitment. Settlement is a critical phase in the life history of benthic fishes. Therefore, the settlement process is likely to control the dynamics of recruitment-limited populations to a large extent. This is specially the case in heavily exploited demersal populations of marine fishes. Despite th...

The Australian alien seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia var. distichophylla, after being established along the Turkish Mediterranean coast in 2006, was recorded in Southern Sicily in 2007. Since then local fishermen asked for support to counteract the effects of entanglement of large amounts of the alien strain wrack in their trammel nets, causing the gear...

Macroalgae bioactive compounds are considered a possible source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in marine herbivores and can result in oxidative stress. Caulerpenyne, an acetylenic sesquiterpene produced by Caulerpa species (Ulvophyceae, Caulerpales), is especially deterrent to herbivores by producing repulsive and toxic secondary metabolites. Th...

The behavioural deficit of hatchery reared (HR) fish used for stock enhancement is the main cause of their low survival in the wild. In this study the effects of predator and shelter conditioning on survival and dispers-al of HR white seabream (Diplodus sargus) released at sea were investigated. The hypotheses were that con-ditioned white seabream...

The goal of ecosystem-based marine spatial management is to maintain marine ecosystems in a healthy, productive and re-silient condition; hence, they can sustainably provide the needed goods and services for human welfare. However, the increasing pressures upon the marine realm threaten marine ecosystems, especially seabed biotopes, and thus a well...

Human exploitation has drastically reduced the abundance and distribution of several marine fish and invertebrate populations through overfishing and habitat destruction. Restocking can potentially mitigate these impacts and help to reconstitute depleted stocks but genetic repercussions must be considered. In the present study, the degree of geneti...

This study introduces a framework for the monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed areas (SMAs), which is currently being tested by nine European case studies. The framework provides guidance on the selection, mapping, and assessment of ecosystem components and human pressures, the evaluation of management effectiveness and potential adaptati...

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal,...

Sympatric sea urchin species are usually considered to belong to the same grazer guild. Nevertheless, their role in community dynamics may vary due to species-specific morphological traits, feeding preferences and foraging behavior. In the Mediterranean Sea, the two species Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula co-occur in barren areas. Whereas...

Knowledge on species composition changes at different spatial and temporal scales is crucial to understand the dynamics of marine communities. These are dynamic systems that can occur in multiple stable states. In temperate systems, variation in sea urchin grazing intensity may drive switches between one complex algal assemblage, dominated by sever...

Conventional sectoral management and piecemeal governance are considered less and less appropriate in pursuit of sustainable development. Ecosystem based marine spatial management (EB-MSM) is an approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including human uses, rather than considering single issues, species, or ecosy...

The movement pattern of the white seabream, Diplodus sargus sargus (Sparidae) was studied during the spawning period. Some individuals were tracked by ultrasonic telemetry, while others were caught to assess the occurrence of the spawning event. The study showed that the monitored fish moved towards deeper areas only at the time of the spawning eve...

Five white seabreams, diplodus sargus sargus released in the gulf of castellammare were monitored with ultrasonic telemetry with the aim of assessing their diel activity pattern and their home range. four individuals remained in the study area during the study, showing a strong site fidelity and a small home range.

The EU-funded MESMA project aims at developing tools for the monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed areas (SMAs). The Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean), which is one of the selected case studies, is an area characterized by several human activities impacting on the ecosystem and generating conflicts. The main output of MESMA will be...