The noble fan shell, Pinna nobilis, is an endemic Mediterranean species included in the IUCN Red List because it is at risk of extinction after the global mass mortality event (MME) first detected in late 2016 in the Spanish waters. Throughout the whole Mediterranean Sea, measures to evaluate reproduction and recruitment in relict populations have been undertaken, in view of a wished species recovery. In this study we highlight the potential resilience of the Lake Faro P. nobilis population (north-eastern Sicily), which partially survived to the MME affection. Results of both monitoring and installation of larval collectors during a three-year period (from 2021 to 2023) are reported. Despite spawning events show that the population is reproductively active, a poor natural recruitment was detected. Each sign of potential resilience, moreover, contrasts with the failure of collectors in capturing P. nobilis larvae, while they were highly colonized by more competitive organisms, including nonnative species, such as the ascidian Styela plicata and the bivalves Pinctada radiata, , Isognomon bicolor and Anadara transversa. .

Lake faro (Central Mediterranean): A potential short-term reservoir for Pinna nobilis

Donato, Gemma
;
2024-01-01

Abstract

The noble fan shell, Pinna nobilis, is an endemic Mediterranean species included in the IUCN Red List because it is at risk of extinction after the global mass mortality event (MME) first detected in late 2016 in the Spanish waters. Throughout the whole Mediterranean Sea, measures to evaluate reproduction and recruitment in relict populations have been undertaken, in view of a wished species recovery. In this study we highlight the potential resilience of the Lake Faro P. nobilis population (north-eastern Sicily), which partially survived to the MME affection. Results of both monitoring and installation of larval collectors during a three-year period (from 2021 to 2023) are reported. Despite spawning events show that the population is reproductively active, a poor natural recruitment was detected. Each sign of potential resilience, moreover, contrasts with the failure of collectors in capturing P. nobilis larvae, while they were highly colonized by more competitive organisms, including nonnative species, such as the ascidian Styela plicata and the bivalves Pinctada radiata, , Isognomon bicolor and Anadara transversa. .
2024
Pinna nobilis
Larval recruitment
Collectors
Coastal lagoons
Endangered species
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/640589
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