MedSens data (Version 2.0.0, update June 4, 2021). Dataset maintained by Reef Check Italia

• Main Authors: Ponti, Massimo, Turicchia, Eva, Cerrano, Carlo
• Other Authors: EcoDivers
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Biotic index; community-based ecosystem monitoring; coralligenous habitats; climate change; impact assessment; species sensitivity; temperate reefs; Mediterranean Sea; Caulerpa cylindracea Sonder; 1845; Caulerpa taxifolia (M.Vahl) C.Agardh; 1817; Axinella spp; Aplysina spp. Nardo; 1834; Geodia cydonium (Linnaeus; 1767); Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus; 1758); Paramuricea clavata (Risso; 1826); Eunicella cavolini (Koch; 1887); Eunicella singularis (Esper; 1791); Eunicella verrucosa (Pallas; 1766); Parazoanthus axinellae (Schmidt; 1862); Savalia savaglia (Bertoloni; 1819); Cladocora caespitosa (Linnaeus; Astroides calycularis (Pallas; Balanophyllia (Balanophyllia) europaea (Risso; Leptopsammia pruvoti Lacaze-Duthiers; 1897; Pinna nobilis Linnaeus; 1758; Arca noae Linnaeus; Palinurus elephas (Fabricius; 1787); Homarus gammarus (Linnaeus; Scyllarides latus (Latreille; 1803); Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck; Duthiers; Lacaze-Duthiers; Lamarck; Homarus gammarus
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4900082; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4900082

MedSens data is a dataset including the abundance of selected Mediterranean marine species, collected by trained volunteers (EcoDivers, i.e. scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) according to the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol (Cerrano et al., 2017), and maintained by the non-profit association Reef Check Italia. This dataset is a subset of 25 selected species from the Reef Check Med - key Mediterranean marine species dataset, and it is specifically intended to calculate the MedSens index developed by Eva Turicchia, Carlo Cerrano, Matteo Ghetta, Marco Abbiati and Massimo Ponti (Turicchia et al., 2021). MedSens data is provided as ESRI shapefiles in WGS84 geographic coordinates (EPSG:4326). MedSens abstract Citizen science (CS) projects may provide community-based ecosystem monitoring, expanding our ability to collect data across space and time. However, the data from CS are often not effectively integrated into institutional monitoring programs and decision-making processes, especially in marine conservation. This limitation is partially due to difficulties in accessing the data and the lack of tools and indices for proper management at intended spatial and temporal scales. MedSens is a biotic index specifically developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, filling a gap between marine CS and coastal management in the Mediterranean Sea. The MedSens index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSDF) and open data on their distributions and abundances, collected by trained volunteers (mainly scuba divers, but also free divers and snorkelers) using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The species sensitivities were assessed relative to their resistance and resilience against physical, chemical, and biological pressures, according to ...