Scientific watch

Fully protected areas (no extractive activities allowed) are a spatially explicit conservation management tool commonly used to ensure populations persistence. This is achieved when an adequate fraction of a species’ population spends most of its time within the boundaries of

As an introduction to the addressed problem, this paper mentions that current methods in conservation planning typically focus on either representing species geographic distributions or maintaining connectivity between reserves, but rarely both, and take a focal species, rather than a

Marine reserves are widely used to protect species important for conservation and fisheries and to help maintain ecological processes that sustain their populations, including recruitment and dispersal; requiring well-connected networks that maximize larval connectivity. Global warming can disrupt connectivity by

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools to maintain coastal ecosystems. However, many reserves are characterized by several problems related to zonings that preclude important areas from economic activities, determining a strong hostility by local populations. Thus, estimations of marine

Understanding the conditions where long lifespans dominate and the potential consequences of these singular strategies for the dynamics of natural populations is central to ecology and evolution and has important implications for conservation biology. This study synthesizes longevity patterns of

Marine caves are unique and vulnerable habitats exhibiting high biodiversity and heterogeneity, but threatened by multiple global and local disturbances. Marine caves, although widely distributed along the Mediterranean coast, suffer for the lack of quantitative data on their structure and

The endemic Mediterranean zooxanthellate reef-builder Cladocora caespitosa is among the organisms most affected by warming-related mass mortality events in the Mediterranean Sea. Taking into account that corals contain a diverse microbiota that plays a key role in their health, this

Lagoons and estuaries are ecosystems characterized by high biodiversity and high rates of primary productivity. On the other hand, these ecosystems are also considered to be one of the most vulnerable marine environments in the face of climate change and

Understanding the decision-making process of fish when they escape from approaching spearfishers has a crucial role in elucidating management conflicts. By considering that fish can respond to humans as if they were predators, their wariness or risk-tolerance can be assessed

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a system of ocean currents in the North Atlantic with a major impact on climate. Its evolution during the industrial era is poorly known owing to the lack of direct current measurements. Through