Carlo Cerrano

TL;DR: In this paper, mass mortality of at least 25 rocky benthic macro-invertebrate species (mainly gorgonians and sponges) was observed in the entire Northwestern (NW) Mediterranean region, affecting several thousand kilometers of coastline.

TL;DR: In the late summer of 1999, an extensive mortality of gorgonians and other epi-benthic organisms was observed in the Ligurian Sea (Mediterranean Sea) from the Tuscan Archipelago to Marseille as discussed by the authors.

TL;DR: It is concluded that Vibrio infections may act as an additional triggering mechanism of mass mortality events in the coastal Mediterranean Sea and that their occurrence is climate-linked.

TL;DR: This dataset represents a comprehensive resource of sponge-associated microbial communities based on 16S rRNA gene sequences that can be used to address overarching hypotheses regarding host-associated prokaryotes, including host specificity, convergent evolution, environmental drivers of microbiome structure, and the sponge- associated rare biosphere.

TL;DR: The results suggest that S. savaglia should be particularly protected not only for its specific rarity, endemism and vulnerability but also because it has a prominent role in sustaining high levels of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the surrounding benthos of the twilight zone.