Human impacts on oligotrophic marine ecosystems: case studies from Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea ...

• Main Author: Kletou, Demetris
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Plymouth 2019
• Subjects: Oligotrophic marine ecosystems, subtropical gyres, eastern Mediterranean, northern Red Sea; Impacts covered include invasive alien species, industrialisation, ocean sprawl, fish farming, habitat modification; Early detection and monitoring of non-indigenous species; Assessment of ecological quality using macroalgae at shallow rocky reefs and seagrass meadows; Monitoring of priority habitat Posidonia oceanica near fish farms; Mitigating fish farming impacts and challenges of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture in exposed, warm and oligotrophic conditions; PhD; Pacific; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.24382/584; https://pearl-prod.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/13586

Highly oligotrophic marine waters cover about a third of the Earth’s surface and have diverse communities that are affected by multiple stressors, such as ocean acidification, warming, marine litter, pollution, overfishing. The low nutrient Mediterranean Sea has high biodiversity and endemism but is heavily impacted by these human pressures and a recent major influx of invasive alien species that compete, predate and infect indigenous species. Aquaculture effluents and eutrophication alter water quality and add pressure on coastal ecosystems that are already subject to habitat loss and degradation due to coastal developments. This PhD dissertation reviews human impacts on highly oligotrophic marine ecosystems (Chapter 2). It then presents case studies that cover multiple impacts around Cyprus. A major impact to the Mediterranean Sea is immigration of Indo-Pacific species, which has accelerated in recent years due to climate change and the widening of the Suez Canal. Chapter 3 compares populations of the ...