MONITORING GLOBAL WARMING IN THE SE OF IBERIAN PENINSULA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN) RECENT INTRODUCTIONS OF SPECIES OF WARM AFFINITIES 1. INTRODUCTION 2. PHYSICAL FEATURES The global warming and the invasion of alien species represent two of the main threats for marine biodiversity (1). The Mediterranean Sea is considered one of the world ocean areas with higher risk (2), being both the progressive ‘tropicalization’ and the presence of warm-water species from Atlantic and Indo-Pacific (3) the objects from concern. From 70’s, the mean sea temperature has increased by 0,002ºC.y-1 (4); and the alien species has triplicate their number in the last 50 years (5,6), being some of them considered invasive (7). In order to evaluate the impact of the 'tropicalization' and invasive species on the habitats / natural populations not degraded by man (overfishing, organic pollution, habitat destruction), marine protected areas represent excellent places for these studies. In this regard, to monitor these temperature changes and the spread of the warm and exotic species, the Mediterranean Science Comission (CIESM) coordinate the ‘Tropical Signals Program’ (www.ciesm.org/marine/programs/tropicalization.htm), where 21 research teams from 15 Mediterranean countries participate. Two of these teams work in the SE of Iberian Peninsula (Spanish Institute of Oceanography and CIMAR), mainly in the Marine Reserves from Cape Palos and Tabarca Island. The SE-Iberian coast (Fig. 1) represents an interesting area in the Western Mediterranean, as transition zone between Alboran Sea (Atlantic influence) and Balearic Sea (Mediterranean influence), where surfaces waters ranges 69,8-37,7 psu of salinity and 14-28ºC of temperature. It present an irregular submarine topography due to the presence of the Betic Cordillera, with narrow continental shelf (5-27km wide), submarine canyons and seamounts (Fig. 1). With about 575km of shoreline three current fronts are present (Fig. 1): A) Ibiza channel; B) Cape Palos- Cape Tènes (Algeria); and C) Cape Gata-Oran. What supposes an important biogeographical area. Figure 1. Location of the SE-Iberian area with the monitoring sites (Marine Reserves of Tabarca and Cabo Palos) and the oceanographic fronts: A) Ibiza channel; B) Cape Palos-Cape Tènes; C) Cape Gata- Oran 3. MONITORING TASK 3. 1. Temperature profiles Following the water column temperature (0,5,10,20,30 and 40m depth) by Hobo temperature datalogger 3. 2. Coral bleaching and tissue necrosis 3. 3. Gorgonian tissue necrosis 3. 5. Monitoring the spread of some warm affinities ‘sentinels’ species 3. 4. Flowering and fruiting of Posidonia oceanica 3. 6. Presence of new aloctonous species REFERENCES 1. Gray, J.S. 1997. Marine Biodiversity: patterns, threats and conservation needs. Biodiv. Cons., 6: 153-175. 2. Bianchi, C. N. & C. Morri, 2003. Global sea warming and ‘‘tropicalization’’ of the Mediterranean Sea: biogeographic and ecological aspects. Biogeographia 24: 319–327. 3. Bianchi, C.N. 2007. Biodiversity issues for the forthcoming tropical Mediterranean Sea. Hydrobiologia, 580:7–21. 4. Tsimplis, M.N. 2000. Sea level drop in the Mediterranean Sea: An indicator deep water salinity and temperature changes. Geoph. Res. Let., 25 (12): 1731-1734, JUNE 15, 2000 5. Pérès, J.M. & Picard, J. 1964. Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la Mer Méditerranée. Rec. Trav. Sta. Mar. Endoume, 37 (17) : 1-137. CIESM - P.P. Shirshov Institute Oceanography (Russian Academy of Sciences). Conference Sochi 1-3 December 2014. Monitoring of coral bleaching and tissue necrosis in two hermatypic scleractinian species, the endemic Cladocora caespitosa (Faviidae) and the exotic Oculina patagonica (Oculinidae) and its relationship with seawater tempearature (Fig. 2) Ramos-Esplá A.A., Rubio-Portillo, E., Izquierdo-Muñoz A. and Antón, I. Centro de Investigación Marina de Santa Pola (CIMAR), Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain (alfonso.ramos@ua.es) Figure 2. Coral bleaching (Oculina patagonica) and tissue necrosis (Cladocora caespitosa) in the Marine Reserve of Tabarca. Temperature profile at -5m and bleaching events The range in depth (> 25m) and stability of the summer thermocline can produce necrosis in stenothermal species such as the gorgonians Eunicella verrucosa and Leptogorgia sarmentosa (Fam. Gorgonidae) at 24-28m depth (Fig. 3). Figure 3. Necrosis (gorgonian branches with algae) in Eunicella verrucosa and Leptogorgia sarmentosa in Marine Reserve of Tabarca at 27m depth. Summer temperature profile (-30m). Sexual reproduction in Posidonia (Fig. 4) is infrequent and is influenced by temperature. In recent years, the frequency has increased due to warmer years (2009, 2012, 2014). Some warm affinity and alien species have been selected to monitoring their possible spread in the area, as (Fig. 5): Caulerpa racemosa (Chlorophyta), Astroides calycularis (Anthozoa), Hermodice carunculata (Polychaeta), Percnon gibbesi (Decapoda), Ophidiaster ophidianus (Asteroidea), Sparisoma cretense (Actinopterygii). Vagrants from tropical Atlantic and aliens (shipping, Indo-Pacific origin). Contact with fishermen (professional, sportive) and scuba divers. 70’s (Alicante Harbour)  Oculina patagonica, Bostrycapulus odites, Microcosmus squamiger 80’s-90’s  Penicillus capitatus stadio Spera (1986; E. Ballesteros, pers. comm.), Caulerpa racemosa (1999; obs auth.); Sphaeroides pachygaster (1983), Parapristimoma octolineatus (1988; Bayle, pers comm..). Llast decade  increase of introduced species of both Atlantic-tropical origin as Indo- Pacific: Percnon gibbesi (2002; obs. auth.); Branchiomma luctuosum (2006, obs. auth.), B. bairdi (2007, Roman et al, 2009); Bursatella leachi (2009, obs. auth.), Fulvia fragilis (2009); Sphoeroides marmoratus (Mendiola, 2005) and Lagocephalus sceleratus (2014, obs. auth.), and Fistularia commersonii (2011). Figure 4.Flower and fruit (‘sea olive’) of Posidonia oceanica Figure 5. Warm-affinity species in the SE Iberian Peninsula Figure 6.Some allochtonous species in the SE-Iberian Penisula: vagrants from E-Tropical Atlantic (Acanthurus monroviae, Sphoeroides marmoratus); lessepsian spp. From Indo-Pacific (Branchiomma luctuosum, Bursatella leachii, Fistularia commersonii, Lagocephalus scelaratus). View publication stats View publication stats