Governance Structure and Character

The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean). The sampling was done on annual basis for three years (from 2002 to 2004), and the samples were taken using a Van Veen. A total of 258 species were identified. Benthic macroinvertebrate composition was dominated by the presence of Mollusca and Crustaceans that made up 63% of the species. Anellida represented 11.6% of species, followed by Echinodermata and Tunicata with 7.4 and 7.8% respectively and Porifera with 5.1% of the total species identified. Briozoa and Cnidaria accounted for about 3 and 2%. During the three years of study the benthic community remained almost constant

The fish assemblage of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Southern Italy), an important ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea, was assessed. A total of 6514 individuals were monthly collected, between July 2007 and April 2009 identifying 28 species within 16 families. Mugilidae, Atherinidae, Labridae and Gobidae were the dominant families. The Mugilidae were represented by 5 species, contributed for about 36% of the numerical abundance of the total catch, and mostly consisted of Liza aurata (25%) L. saliens (7.6%), L. ramada (1.2%), Mugil cephalus (1.2%) and Chelon labrosus (0.7%). Although Atherinidae was represented by Atherina boyeri, the contribution rate of this species was quite high (27.3%) of total catches with 1776 of total individuals. Labridae and Gobidae were the next dominant families accounting for 14.2% and 10.8% respectively. The results showed that the fish fauna found is similar to the ichthyofauna of other transitional ecosystems in the Mediterranean

The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Central Mediterranean). The sampling was done on annual basis for three years (from 2002 to 2004), and the samples were taken using a Van Veen. A total of 258 species were identified. Benthic macroinvertebrate composition was dominated by the presence of Mollusca and Crustaceans that made up 63% of the species. Anellida represented 11.6% of species, followed by Echinodermata and Tunicata with 7.4 and 7.8% respectively and Porifera with 5.1% of the total species identified. Briozoa and Cnidaria accounted for about 3 and 2%. During the three years of study the benthic community remained almost constant

The fish assemblage of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Southern Italy), an important ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea, was assessed. A total of 6514 individuals were monthly collected, between July 2007 and April 2009 identifying 28 species within 16 families. Mugilidae, Atherinidae, Labridae and Gobidae were the dominant families. The Mugilidae were represented by 5 species, contributed for about 36% of the numerical abundance of the total catch, and mostly consisted of Liza aurata (25%) L. saliens (7.6%), L. ramada (1.2%), Mugil cephalus (1.2%) and Chelon labrosus (0.7%). Although Atherinidae was represented by Atherina boyeri, the contribution rate of this species was quite high (27.3%) of total catches with 1776 of total individuals. Labridae and Gobidae were the next dominant families accounting for 14.2% and 10.8% respectively. The results showed that the fish fauna found is similar to the ichthyofauna of other transitional ecosystems in the Mediterranean

Abundance (individuals/m2) and biomass (g/m2) of macrozoobenthic taxa from seagrass meadows along the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast (Burgas Bay), collected during field surveys of IBER-BAS in 2013-2014 as part of project PERSEUS. Due to the sampling method (hand corer), the dataset represents the infauna associated with the seagrasses. The dataset also contains measurements of several environmental parameters at the stations: sediment grain size (% gravel, sand, and silt/clay); sediment moisture content (%) and total organic matter (% loss on ignition); temperature and salinity of the water.

Abundance (individuals/m2) and biomass (g/m2) of macrozoobenthic taxa at soft-bottom stations along the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast (Burgas Bay), collected during field surveys of IBER-BAS in 2013-2014 as part of project PERSEUS. The dataset also contains measurements of several environmental parameters at the stations: sediment grain size (% gravel, sand, and silt/clay); sediment moisture content (%) and total organic matter (% loss on ignition); temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen in the water column and near the bottom.

The Northeast US Shelf (NES) ecosystem spans the Middle Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Maine, is a large portion of the NW Atlantic Shelves Province, and is in a coastal biome. The waters over the NES provide an array of ecosystem services including fishing, energy development, shipping, waste disposal, recreation, and conservation. The NES ecosystem, like other productive temperate shelf ecosystems, is characterized by strong seasonality along with high levels of variability in physical forcing at timescales from days to decades, including climate impacts.

The Alto Patache fog oasis is located in northern Chile, 70 km south of Iquique, Tarapacá Region. This Oasis is located along the Coastal Range of Norte Grande, in the Atacama Desert, known for its remarkable aridity. The influence of coastal fog allows the development of a specially adapted vegetation, which provides habitat suitable for animal species.

Studies on ecological successions have a long tradition and strongly contributed to the understanding of community assembly, niche theory and ecosystem structure and functionality. Reports on ecological successions are however mostly restricted to one or two taxonomical groups, neglecting the mutual influences and dependencies between multiple taxonomic groups that are the building blocks of multidiverse communities. We introduce the Alpine research platform Ödenwinkel to promote observational and experimental research on the emergence of multidiversity and ecosystem complexity. We established n = 140 permanent plots along the successional gradient of the forefield of the Ödenwinkelkees glacier at the end of Stubachvalley in the Hohe Tauern range (National Park Hohe Tauern, Land Salzburg, Austria). In summer 2019 we completed a first full inventory of biotic and abiotic characteristics of these plots covering the diversity and composition of vascular plants, bryophytes, arthropods and other animals, bacteria and fungi as well as some geomorphologic properties. In this paper we introduce the design of the research platform and show first results on the diversity and composition of vascular plants along the successional gradient. The Ödenwinkel platform will be available as long-term ecological research site where researchers from various disciplines can contribute to accumulate knowledge on ecological successions and on how interactions between various taxonomical groups structure ecological complexity in this alpine environment.