Impacts of ocean acidification in a warming Mediterranean Sea: An overview

Mediterranean Sea fisheries supply significant local and international markets, based largely on small pelagic fish, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture of finfish (mainly seabass and seabream) and shellfish (mussels and oysters). Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to the economy of countries bordering this sea and provide food and employment to coastal communities employing ca 600,000 people. Increasing temperatures and heat wave frequency are causing stress and mortality in marine organisms and ocean acidification is expected to worsen these effects, especially for bivalves and coralligenous systems. Recruitment and seed production present possible bottlenecks for shellfish aquaculture in the future since early life stages are vulnerable to acidification and warming. Although adult finfish seem able to withstand the projected increases in seawater CO2, degradation of seabed habitats and increases in harmful blooms of algae and jellyfish might adversely affect fish stocks. Ocean acidification should therefore be factored into fisheries and aquaculture management plans. Rising CO2 levels are expected to reduce coastal biodiversity, altering ecosystem functioning and possibly impacting tourism being the Mediterranean the world’s most visited region. We recommend that ocean acidification is monitored in key areas of the Mediterranean Sea, with regular assessments of the likely socio-economic impacts to build adaptive strategies for the Mediterranean countries concerned.

Predicting the Dispersal Potential of an Invasive Polychaete Pest along a Complex Coastal Biome

Boccardia proboscidea is a recently introduced polychaete in South Africa where it is a notorious pest of commercially reared abalone. Populations were originally restricted to abalone farms but a recent exodus into the wild at some localities has raised conservation concerns due to the species’ invasive status in other parts of the world. Here, we assessed the dispersal potential of B. proboscidea by using a population genetic and oceanographic modeling approach. Since the worm is in its incipient stages of a potential invasion, we used the closely related Polydora hoplura as a proxy due its similar reproductive strategy and its status as a pest of commercially reared oysters in the country. Populations of P. hoplura were sampled from seven different localities and a section of the mtDNA gene, Cyt b and the intron ATPSa was amplified. A high resolution model of the coastal waters around southern Africa was constructed using the Regional Ocean Modeling System. Larvae were represented by passive drifters that were deployed at specific points along the coast and dispersal was quantified after a 12-month integration period. Our results showed discordance between the genetic and modeling data. There was low genetic structure (Φ = 0.04 for both markers) and no geographic patterning of mtDNA and nDNA haplotypes. However, the dispersal model found limited connectivity around Cape Point—a major phylogeographic barrier on the southern African coast. This discordance was attributed to anthropogenic movement of larvae and adult worms due to vectors such as aquaculture and shipping. As such, we hypothesized that cryptic dispersal could be overestimating genetic connectivity. Though wild populations of B. proboscidea could become isolated due to the Cape Point barrier, anthropogenic movement may play the critical role in facilitating the dispersal and spread of this species on the southern African coast.

Predicting the Dispersal Potential of an Invasive Polychaete Pest along a Complex Coastal Biome

Boccardia proboscidea is a recently introduced polychaete in South Africa where it is a notorious pest of commercially reared abalone. Populations were originally restricted to abalone farms but a recent exodus into the wild at some localities has raised conservation concerns due to the species’ invasive status in other parts of the world. Here, we assessed the dispersal potential of B. proboscidea by using a population genetic and oceanographic modeling approach. Since the worm is in its incipient stages of a potential invasion, we used the closely related Polydora hoplura as a proxy due its similar reproductive strategy and its status as a pest of commercially reared oysters in the country. Populations of P. hoplura were sampled from seven different localities and a section of the mtDNA gene, Cyt b and the intron ATPSa was amplified. A high resolution model of the coastal waters around southern Africa was constructed using the Regional Ocean Modeling System. Larvae were represented by passive drifters that were deployed at specific points along the coast and dispersal was quantified after a 12-month integration period. Our results showed discordance between the genetic and modeling data. There was low genetic structure (Φ = 0.04 for both markers) and no geographic patterning of mtDNA and nDNA haplotypes. However, the dispersal model found limited connectivity around Cape Point—a major phylogeographic barrier on the southern African coast. This discordance was attributed to anthropogenic movement of larvae and adult worms due to vectors such as aquaculture and shipping. As such, we hypothesized that cryptic dispersal could be overestimating genetic connectivity. Though wild populations of B. proboscidea could become isolated due to the Cape Point barrier, anthropogenic movement may play the critical role in facilitating the dispersal and spread of this species on the southern African coast.