Acronym: MARECO
Keywords: #Biodiversity; #ConservationEcology; #Genetics; #Modelling; #EcosystemServices
a: white seabream, Diplodus sargus; b: two-banded seabream, Diplodus vulgaris;
c: Mediterranean rainbow wrasse, Coris julis; d: ornate wrasse, Thalassoma pavo; e: purple sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus; f: black sea urchin, Arbacia lixula; g: rocky reefs with erect macroalgae; h: barren.
Coordinator/Lead Partner: University of Padua, Italy
SZN Principal Investigator(s): Paolo Guidetti
Partnership: University of Padua, Genoa Marine Centre-SZN, Politecnico di Milano, Università di Pisa, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Funding body and amount: Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR)
Overall funding: 647.613 €
Funding to GMC-SZN: 179.750 €
Grant period: May 8th 2022 – May 7th 2025
Project in a nutshell:
Coastal marine ecosystems harbor a rich biodiversity, provide vital ecosystem functions (EFs) and services (ESs), and are threatened by a variety of stressors. Under the effects of overfishing and climate change, Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems tend to shift from healthy algal forests to degraded barrens. This project aims (by using fieldwork, genetic analyses, and modeling) at investigating how overfishing and climate change can affect the rocky reef shift and the related biomass, biodiversity, genetic variability, connectivity and EF & ESs provision. Data and samples will be collected across a wide latitudinal range, both in Marine Protected Areas and unprotected sites. Results of such a multi-disciplinary project will be useful to adapt the strategic planning and management of Mediterranean rocky reef ecosystems to the challenges posed by climate change, and to preserve their biodiversity and the associated benefits to human societies.
Contacts: paolo.guidetti@szn.it