Dr Simone Farina1, Dr Davide Moccia2, Dr Daniel Von Schiller3, Prof Simonetta Fraschetti4, Prof Antonio Pusceddu2, Dr Laura Tamburello5
1Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn-National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Genoa Marine Centre-, Genoa, Italy, 2Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy, 3Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 4Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, 5Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn- National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Ischia Marine Centre, Naples, Italy
The scale, frequency, and intensity of Mediterranean wildfires have increased in the last years due to climate change. In Summer 2021, a large fire extending approximately 20,000 ha broke out in central-western Sardinia (Italy). We predicted secondary-order effects in intertidal and shallow rocky habitats along the coast, as a consequence of winter floodings depositing ashes mixed with sediment and debris into the sea. Physicochemical characteristics (e.g., conductivity, water pH, metal concentrations, organic matter, and nutrient contents) of sediments and water were analyzed along two rivers and their estuaries. To evaluate how disturbance affected intertidal and shallow reef communities, we applied a hierarchical design, including three locations inside and two locations outside the impacted area, at a distance of a few km, sampled before and after the flooding. In each location, we sampled 5-15 replicates at two different sites hundreds of meters apart. We measured seawater turbidity continuously with data loggers at 5 meters depth. We investigated the patterns of variability of macroalgal community structure and the sea urchin population structure (density and size frequency) at 3-5 meters depth. Finally, we measured the recovery capacity of intertidal marine forests formed by Ericaria crinita and E. amentacea in disturbed fixed plots where the macroalgal canopy was removed before flooding, by comparing them with forests and algal turfs at the same sites. Here, we present preliminary results after 16 months of the fire. This study underlines the necessity to consider wildfires as critical sources of impact also for marine coastal ecosystems.
Presentation Slides – Simone Farina
