Human Stressors Are Driving Coastal Benthic Long-Lived Sessile Fan Mussel Pinna nobilis Population Structure More than Environmental Stressors

PLoS One. 2015 Jul 28;10(7):e0134530. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134530. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Coastal degradation and habitat disruption are severely compromising sessile marine species. The fan shell Pinna nobilis is an endemic, vulnerable species and the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean basin. In spite of species legal protection, fan shell populations are declining. Models analyzed the contributions of environmental (mean depth, wave height, maximum wave height, period of waves with high energy and mean direction of wave source) versus human-derived stressors (anchoring, protection status, sewage effluents, fishing activity and diving) as explanatory variables depicting Pinna nobilis populations at a mesoscale level. Human stressors were explaining most of the variability in density spatial distribution of fan shell, significantly disturbing benthic communities. Habitat protection affected P. nobilis structure and physical aggression by anchoring reveals a high impact on densities. Environmental variables instead played a secondary role, indicating that global change processes are not so relevant in coastal benthic communities as human-derived impacts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bivalvia / physiology*
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Ecosystem*
  • Environmental Exposure*
  • Human Activities*
  • Humans
  • Population Density*
  • Stress, Psychological*

Grants and funding

Funding was from Organismo Autonomo Parques Nacionales, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente for the project “Estado de conservación del bivalvo amenazado Pinna nobilis en el Parque Nacional del Archipiélago de Cabrera” (024/2010)”, and partly funded from European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No.287844 project ‘Towards Coast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas (from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential’ (COCONET). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.