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The impact of climate change on mediterranean intertidal communities: losses in coastal ecosystem integrity and services

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Abstract

As has been shown for other ecosystems, the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change on Mediterranean intertidal habitats are highly variable in space and time. We conducted field and laboratory measurements of cellular, ecophysiological and behavioural responses of selected intertidal invertebrates (mussels, gastropods and sponges) and completed a literature review to determine what is known of socio-economic consequences of these biological changes. Results suggest significant gaps in our knowledge that may impede a complete understanding of likely impacts (physical, biological and socio-economic) and that sufficient data for such an analysis are available only for mussels. Application of ecological models for native mussels Mytilaster minimus and invasive Brachidontes pharaonis bivalves indicates that the current distribution of these species is linked to the availability of food and local temperature. Choosing Israel as a case study, the study focused on the identification of ecosystem services and goods provided by the Mediterranean rocky intertidal and on the assessment of conservation approaches. Intertidal systems were poorly represented in the socio-economic literature, and there was low awareness of the value of these ecosystems among stakeholders. Subsequently, conservation efforts for intertidal communities were minimal. While climate change will very likely continue to impact these systems, our predictive capacity for the extent and locations of such impacts, and of any derived socio-economic consequences, remains limited.

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Acknowledgments

This paper has been inspired and sustained by INTERMED, one of the CIRCLE Med projects funded by the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Territorial Planning, the Regional Ministry of Innovation and Industry of the Galician Government, the Ministry of Environment Protection of Israel, the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea, and the Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal, in the framework of Circle ERA Net project (which is funded by the European Commission 6th Framework Programme). We thank and are especially grateful to all collaborators and students from all laboratories and teams involved in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128, Palermo, Italy

    Gianluca Sarà, Alessandro Rinaldi, Valeria Palmeri, Valeria Montalto, Marco Lo Martire & Paola Gianguzza

  2. Studio Associato Gaia, Genoa, Italy

    Martina Milanese & Antonio Sarà

  3. Department of Aquaculture, University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia

    Ivana Prusina & Branko Glamuzina

  4. Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Dror L. Angel, Tali Nitzan & Shirra Freeman

  5. Dipartimento di Ecologia Marina, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy

    Alessandro Rinaldi

  6. Dipartimento di Biologia ambientale e Biodiversità, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Vincenzo Arizza & Sabrina Lo Brutto

  7. Accademia Mare Ambiente, Monte Argentario, Italy

    Maurizio De Pirro

  8. Department of Biological Sciences and Environment and Sustainability Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Brian Helmuth

  9. Moore School of Business and Environment and Sustainability Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Jason Murray

  10. Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Aziendali e Finanziarie, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Stefano De Cantis

  11. The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Gray A. Williams

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  1. Gianluca Sarà
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  2. Martina Milanese
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  3. Ivana Prusina
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  4. Antonio Sarà
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  10. Valeria Palmeri
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  12. Marco Lo Martire
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  16. Maurizio De Pirro
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  17. Brian Helmuth
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  18. Jason Murray
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  19. Stefano De Cantis
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  20. Gray A. Williams
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Correspondence to Gianluca Sarà.

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Sarà, G., Milanese, M., Prusina, I. et al. The impact of climate change on mediterranean intertidal communities: losses in coastal ecosystem integrity and services. Reg Environ Change 14 (Suppl 1), 5–17 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0360-z

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