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- Bartolino, Valerio
(författare)
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Debating the effectiveness of marine protected areas
- 2018
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Ingår i: ICES Journal of Marine Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1054-3139 .- 1095-9289. ; 75, s. 1156-1159
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Annan publikation (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing the size and number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is widely seen as a way to meet ambitious biodiversity and sustainable development goals. Yet, debate still exists on the effectiveness of MPAs in achieving ecological and societal objectives. Although the literature provides significant evidence of the ecological effects of MPAs within their boundaries, much remains to be learned about the ecological and social effects of MPAs on regional and seascape scales. Key to improving the effectiveness of MPAs, and ensuring that they achieve desired outcomes, will be better monitoring that includes ecological and social data collected inside and outside of MPAs. This can lead to more conclusive evidence about what is working, what is not, and why. Eight authors were asked to write about their experiences with MPA effectiveness. The authors were instructed to clearly define "effectiveness" and discuss the degree to which they felt MPAs had achieved or failed to be effective. Essays were exchanged among authors and each was invited to write a shorter "counterpoint." The exercise shows that, while experiences are diverse, many authors found common ground regarding the role of MPAs in achieving conservation targets. This exchange of perspectives is intended to promote reflection, analysis, and dialogue as a means for improving MPA design, assessment, and integration with other conservation tools.
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| 4. |
- Bartolino, Valerio
(författare)
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Large-Scale Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Mediterranean Cephalopod Diversity
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Species diversity is widely recognized as an important trait of ecosystems' functioning and resilience. Understanding the causes of diversity patterns and their interaction with the environmental conditions is essential in order to effectively assess and preserve existing diversity. While diversity patterns of most recurrent groups such as fish are commonly studied, other important taxa such as cephalopods have received less attention. In this work we present spatio-temporal trends of cephalopod diversity across the entire Mediterranean Sea during the last 19 years, analysing data from the annual bottom trawl survey MEDITS conducted by 5 different Mediterranean countries using standardized gears and sampling protocols. The influence of local and regional environmental variability in different Mediterranean regions is analysed applying generalized additive models, using species richness and the Shannon Wiener index as diversity descriptors. While the western basin showed a high diversity, our analyses do not support a steady eastward decrease of diversity as proposed in some previous studies. Instead, high Shannon diversity was also found in the Adriatic and Aegean Seas, and high species richness in the eastern Ionian Sea. Overall diversity did not show any consistent trend over the last two decades. Except in the Adriatic Sea, diversity showed a hump-shaped trend with depth in all regions, being highest between 200-400 m depth. Our results indicate that high Chlorophyll a concentrations and warmer temperatures seem to enhance species diversity, and the influence of these parameters is stronger for richness than for Shannon diversity.
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| 5. |
- Bartolino, Valerio
(författare)
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Predicting the population-level impact of mitigating harbor porpoise bycatch with pingers and time-area fishing closures
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecosphere. - : Wiley. - 2150-8925. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Unintentional mortality of higher trophic-level species in commercial fisheries (bycatch) represents a major conservation concern as it may influence the long-term persistence of populations. An increasingly common strategy to mitigate bycatch of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), a small and protected marine top predator, involves the use of pingers (acoustic alarms that emit underwater noise) and time-area fishing closures. Although these mitigation measures can reduce harbor porpoise bycatch in gillnet fisheries considerably, inference about the long-term population-level consequences is currently lacking. We developed a spatially explicit individual-based simulation model (IBM) with the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of these two bycatch mitigation measures. We quantified both the direct positive effects (i.e., reduced bycatch) and any indirect negative effects (i.e., reduced foraging efficiency) on the population size using the inner Danish waters as a biological system. The model incorporated empirical data on gillnet fishing effort and noise avoidance behavior by free-ranging harbor porpoises exposed to randomized high-frequency (20- to 160-kHz) pinger signals. The IBM simulations revealed a synergistic relationship between the implementation of time-area fishing closures and pinger deployment. Time-area fishing closures reduced bycatch rates substantially but not completely. In contrast, widespread pinger deployment resulted in total mitigation of bycatch but frequent and recurrent noise avoidance behavior in high-quality foraging habitat negatively affected individual survival and the total population size. When both bycatch mitigation measures were implemented simultaneously, the negative impact of pinger noise-induced sub-lethal behavioral effects on the population was largely eliminated with a positive effect on the population size that was larger than when the mitigation measures were used independently. Our study highlights that conservationists and policy makers need to consider and balance both the direct and indirect effects of harbor porpoise bycatch mitigation measures before enforcing their widespread implementation. Individual-based simulation models, such as the one presented here, offer an efficient and dynamic framework to evaluate the impact of human activities on the long-term survival of marine populations and can serve as a basis to design adaptive management strategies that satisfy both ecological and socioeconomic demands on marine ecosystems.
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| 9. |
- Bartolino, Valerio
(författare)
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Role of prey abundance and geographical variables in a demersal top predator's feeding habits (Merluccius merluccius)
- 2015
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Ingår i: Marine Ecology Progress Series. - : Inter-Research Science Center. - 0171-8630 .- 1616-1599. ; 541, s. 165-177
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Demersal predators can take advantage of a large pool of potential prey including benthic, demersal and pelagic species; therefore disentangling the variables that influence their diet is of key relevance for food web ecologists. To this aim, we analysed a large dataset of the stomach contents of European hake Merluccius merluccius, a top predator in the demersal food web of the Cantabrian Sea. We combined 2 modelling approaches: a zero-truncated generalised additive model targeting fullness variability, and a multinomial model on the probability of consumption for each prey. Predator size, geographical variables (i.e. longitude and depth), and abundance of prey were considered as independent variables, and had significant effects on predator stomach fullness. We also documented a positive effect of continental shelf width on predator stomach fullness. The hake's main prey, blue whiting Micromesistius poutassou, had the strongest effect on predator feeding success. However, in the absence of this prey species, consumption of all other prey items increased. Consumption was highly influenced by prey abundance, but predator density dependence was only evident in instances of cannibalism. Both the full/empty ratio and stomach fullness decreased during ontogeny, and a change from low-energy demersal to high-energy pelagic prey was documented, matching the onset of maturity. While the abundance of prey significantly affected feeding success, a large diet breadth rather than prey surrogates seemed to act as an effective buffer, ensuring feeding at low abundance of specific prey.
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| 10. |
- Bartolino, Valerio, et al.
(författare)
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Spatio-temporal dynamics of a fish predator: Density-dependent and hydrographic effects on Baltic Sea cod population
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the mechanisms of spatial population dynamics is crucial for the successful management of exploited species and ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms of spatial distribution are generally complex due to the concurrent forcing of both density-dependent species interactions and density-independent environmental factors. Despite the high economic value and central ecological importance of cod in the Baltic Sea, the drivers of its spatio-temporal population dynamics have not been analytically investigated so far. In this paper, we used an extensive trawl survey dataset in combination with environmental data to investigate the spatial dynamics of the distribution of the Eastern Baltic cod during the past three decades using Generalized Additive Models. The results showed that adult cod distribution was mainly affected by cod population size, and to a minor degree by small-scale hydrological factors and the extent of suitable reproductive areas. As population size decreases, the cod population concentrates to the southern part of the Baltic Sea, where the preferred more marine environment conditions are encountered. Using the fitted models, we predicted the Baltic cod distribution back to the 1970s and a temporal index of cod spatial occupation was developed. Our study will contribute to the management and conservation of this important resource and of the ecosystem where it occurs, by showing the forces shaping its spatial distribution and therefore the potential response of the population to future exploitation and environmental changes.
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