Biodiversity in Mediterranean Sea Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

The Mediterranean Sea, hosting 7%–10% of the world’s marine biodiversity, is unanimously acknowledged as a biodiversity hotspot. This high level of biodiversity is the result of its dynamic geological history and intense climate fluctuations. Though the Mediterranean only covers less than 1% of the world's ocean, it is one of the major reservoirs of marine and coastal biodiversity, with about one third of its species being endemic, 7.5% of the world's marine fauna, and 18% of the world’s marine flora. The Mediterranean ecosystems also support important services that bring direct benefits to human society. Part of these services include food provision, lifecycle maintenance, and recreation. On the other hand, this unique region is critically endangered, and its biodiversity is affected by different pressures, mainly driven by human activities (climate change and bioinvasion, among others). The direct consequences of these pressures affect the phenology, physiology, and ecological interactions of key species, triggering shifts in their distributions, and modifying community composition, structure, and dynamics. This Special Issue provides an opportunity to improve the current knowledge of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea, by including studies carried out at different levels of biological organization, from the species level to community composition, structure, and dynamics.  Moreover, it will provide a platform for further discussions about novel approaches and new techniques to monitor Mediterranean marine biodiversity and strategies for its conservation and management, following the ecosystem-based approach.

Dr. Valentina Tirelli
Dr. Sergio Stefanni
Dr. Maria Cristina Gambi
Guest Editors

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