DataSheet_1_Reviewing the knowledge on the genus Patella in the Mediterranean Sea: testing the effect of protection on the mean abundance and size of Patella ferruginea.pdf

Increasing human pressure has strongly impacted the littoral environment, altering the habitats and population parameters of some species. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the regions that have been highly affected by these events. In response to these events, marine protected areas (MPAs) have emerged as one of the main conservation tools for marine habitats and species. In this regard, harvesting of limpets (Patella spp.) is a good example of the impact of human activity on the coast. Limpets are mollusks that are collected as food or fishing bait, and their exploitation causes an immediate decrease in the density and size structure of individuals. In the Mediterranean Sea, the genus Patella is represented by five species: Patella rustica, P. caerulea, P. ulyssiponensis, P. ferruginea, and P. depressa. To verify the effectiveness of the MPAs, a deep review of 75 studies on Patella spp. in the Mediterranean Sea was conducted to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of studies. Data extracted from these articles were used to assess the effect of protection on the density and size of P. ferruginea. Regarding spatial distribution, the studies reviewed were performed at 67 sites in 13 countries, of which 23 were in MPAs and 44 in non-protected or control areas. The findings of this study show that P. ferruginea is the species most studied, because it is one of the most threatened marine invertebrates in the Mediterranean Sea. This explains the temporal distribution of the studies, which coincides with the establishment of the conservation status and the concern about the population status of P. ferruginea. Analysis of the effect of protection on the density and mean size of P. ferruginea individuals revealed no significant difference in mean density between the control sites and MPAs. However, mean size between individuals was significantly higher in MPAs than control sites. This pattern may be related to intra- and interspecific competition between individuals.

不断加剧的人类活动压力已对滨海环境造成严重冲击，改变了部分物种的栖息生境与种群参数。地中海便是受此类影响最为显著的区域之一。为应对此类保护挑战，海洋保护区（Marine Protected Areas, MPAs）已成为保护海洋生境与物种的核心保护工具之一。就此而言，笠螺（Patella spp.）的捕捞活动堪称人类活动干扰海岸生态的典型案例。笠螺属于软体动物，常被作为食物或钓鱼饵料采集，其捕捞活动会直接导致种群个体密度与体型结构出现衰退。地中海海域的笠螺属（Patella）共计5个物种：锈色笠螺（Patella rustica）、蓝笠螺（P. caerulea）、优氏笠螺（P. ulyssiponensis）、铁锈笠螺（Patella ferruginea，简称P. ferruginea）以及凹陷笠螺（P. depressa）。为验证海洋保护区的保护成效，本研究对地中海海域内有关笠螺属（Patella spp.）的75项研究开展了系统性综述，以分析相关研究的时空分布特征；同时从上述文献中提取数据，评估保护措施对铁锈笠螺种群密度与个体体型的影响。就空间分布而言，本次综述涵盖的研究共覆盖13个国家的67个采样位点，其中23个位点位于海洋保护区内，剩余44个位点属于非保护区域或对照区域。本研究结果显示，铁锈笠螺是被研究最多的笠螺属物种，这是因为它是地中海海域受威胁程度最高的海洋无脊椎动物之一，这也解释了相关研究的时间分布特征：其研究节点与铁锈笠螺保护等级的划定以及针对其种群现状的关注时点高度契合。针对保护措施对铁锈笠螺个体密度与平均体型影响的分析结果显示，对照区域与海洋保护区内的种群平均密度并无显著差异，但海洋保护区内的个体平均体型显著高于对照区域。该分布模式可能与个体间的种内与种间竞争存在关联。