Preprint Article Version 3 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Effects of Climate Crisis on Marine Ecosystem: Mass Mortality Event of the Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Middle Adriatic

Version 1 : Received: 8 September 2023 / Approved: 8 September 2023 / Online: 11 September 2023 (09:19:24 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 25 October 2023 / Approved: 26 October 2023 / Online: 26 October 2023 (12:31:25 CEST)
Version 3 : Received: 21 March 2024 / Approved: 21 March 2024 / Online: 22 March 2024 (16:54:35 CET)

How to cite: Bracchetti, L.; Capriotti, M.; Fazzini, M.; Cocci, P.; Palermo, F.A. Effects of Climate Crisis on Marine Ecosystem: Mass Mortality Event of the Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Middle Adriatic. Preprints 2023, 2023090613. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0613.v3 Bracchetti, L.; Capriotti, M.; Fazzini, M.; Cocci, P.; Palermo, F.A. Effects of Climate Crisis on Marine Ecosystem: Mass Mortality Event of the Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Middle Adriatic. Preprints 2023, 2023090613. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0613.v3

Abstract

The effects of the climate crisis are affecting ecosystems at different scales and magnitudes. This paper focuses on a massive Mediterranean mussel die-off observed along the middle Italian Adriatic coast in the summer of 2022. We considered the possible environmental causes of this phenomenon and carried out a climatic analysis of the last decade. We performed field surveys in different locations along a 16 Km coastal stretch (from Martinsicuro (TE) on the South, to Grottammare (AP) on the North). The study area includes two marine Sites of Community Importance under the European Natura 2000 network. The mussels die-off has interested practically all the natural mussel-beds colonizing the study area. Mussels are sessile filter-feeding organisms inhabiting the intertidal zone, therefore, are highly exposed to variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and nutrient load. We discuss the possible causes of this die-off, proposing that high temperature and the scarce availability of food acted simultaneously as stress factors, generating local unsustainable living conditions for this species.

Keywords

Mussel die-off; food availability; marine heatwaves; Adriatic Sea; climatic crisis; synergistic effect

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.