Vulnerability of benthic trait diversity across the Mediterranean Sea following mass mortality events
Unraveling the functional future of marine ecosystems amid global change poses a pressing challenge. This is particularly critical in the Mediterranean Sea, which is highly impacted by global and local drivers. Utilizing extensive mass mortality events (MMEs) datasets spanning from 1986 to 2020 across the Mediterranean Sea, we investigated the trait vulnerability of benthic species that suffered from MMEs induced by nine distinct mortality drivers. By analyzing changes in ten ecological traits across 389 benthic species-constituting an extensive compendium of Mediterranean ecological traits to date-we identified 228 functional entities (FEs), defined as groups of species sharing the same trait values. Our findings indicate that of these 55 FEs were impacted by MMEs, accentuating a heightened vulnerability within specific trait categories. Notably, more than half of the mortality records showed severe impacts on calcifying and larger species with slower growth which mostly account for tree-like and massive forms. Altogether, we highlight that 29 FEs suffered extreme mortality, leading to a maximum increase of 19.1% of the global trait volume vulnerability over 35 years. We also reveal that 10.8% of the trait volume may have been temporarily lost over the last five years, emphasizing the risk of a rapid ecological transformation in the Mediterranean Sea.
Authors
- Massimo Ponti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6521-1330)
- Nathaniel Bensoussan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5401-282X)
- Stelios Katsanevakis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5137-7540)
- Jean‐Baptiste Ledoux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-6163)
- Jérémy Carlot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0887-8005)
- Vasilis Gerovasileiou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9143-7480)
- Monica Montefalcone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3851-1880)
- Torcuato Pulido Mantas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0260-8373)
- Raül Golo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8858-6613)
- Eva Turicchia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8952-9028)
- Laura Tamburello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1305-8802)
- Maria Sini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9608-3503)
- Daniel Gómez‐Gras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9738-6522)
- Sandra Ramirez‐Calero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5153-1042)
- S. Comeau
- Joaquim Garrabou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9900-7277)
- Gil Rilov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1334-4887)
- Jean‐Pierre Gattuso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4533-4114)
- Emma Cebrián (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7588-0135)
- Cristina Galobart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3179-6203)
- Núria Teixidó (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9286-2852)
- Carlo Cerrano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9580-5546)
- Lucía Millán (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5940-784X)
- Jorge Santamaría (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4425-6297)
Institutions
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
- Marche Polytechnic University (IT)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Ionian University (GR)
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (IT)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- CoNISMa (IT)
- Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES)
- Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (FR)
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (GR)
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES)
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IL)
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (FR)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
- University of Genoa (IT)
- University of Haifa (IL)
- University of Bologna (IT)
- University of the Aegean (GR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-02-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55949-0
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 23.32
Funders
- European Commission
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche