Research Article Mediterranean Marine Science Indexed in WoS (Web of Science, ISI Thomson) and SCOPUS The journal is available on line at http://www.medit-mar-sc.net http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.2076 Pruning treatment: A possible method for improving the conservation status of a Ellisella paraplexauroides Stiasny, 1936 (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) population in the Chafarinas Islands? LUIS SÁNCHEZ -TOCINO1, ANTONIO DE LA LINDE RUBIO2, M SOL LIZANA ROSAS1, TEODORO PÉREZ GUERRA1 and JOSE MANUEL TIERNO DE FIGUEROA1 1 Departamento de Zoología. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de Granada. Campus Fuentenueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain 2 Urbanización los Delfines, Pl 4, 2º, 11207, Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain Corresponding author: [email protected] Handling Editor: Emma Cebrian Received: 7 December 2017; Accepted: 11 July 2017; Published on line: 11 December 2017 Abstract In the present paper, the results of a four-year conservation study on the giant gorgonian Ellisella paraplexauroides in the Chafarinas Islands are reported. This species, currently protected in Spain, is present as isolated colonies or as a low number of them, except in the Chafarinas Islands, where higher densities can be found below a depth of 20 m. Nevertheless, as revealed by a previous study, a great number of colonies are partially covered by epibionts or totally dead. As a first objective of the present work, seven transects were performed in 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the percentage of colonies affected in areas that had not been previously sampled. Approximately between 35% and 95% of the colonies had different degrees of epibiosis or were dead. In 2015, ten transects were performed to specifically locate young colonies smaller than 15 cm, which could be indicative of popula- tion regeneration by sexual reproduction. The high number of dead colonies as well as the colonies covered by epibionts, together with the inexistence of young colonies, indicated a progressive decline of the study population. The last aim of the study consisted of testing a restoration action by means of pruning the affected colonies between 2015 and 2016. The results of this restoration action showed a substantial improvement of the colonies (growth of branches, production of new branches and a general increase in the health status of the colonies). Our results recommend the employment of this technique for the future conservation of this species in the Chafarinas Islands. Nevertheless, this is a pilot study, and further experiments with a large number of samples should be performed to truly understand the significance of this technique. Keywords: Ellisella paraplexauroides, West Mediterranean, conservation, pruning, recovery. Introduction biodiversity. This fact calls for novel management and restoration approaches, including the recent concept of In recent years, mass mortality events in infralittoral “gardening”, in which a two-step restoration process is and circalittoral communities have become increasingly involved, nursery and transplantation, similar to that of frequent (e.g., Cerrano et al., 2000; Cupido et al., 2009; silviculture (Rinkevich, 2015). In recent years, much ef- Cebrian et al., 2011; Rubio-Portillo et al., 2016). Among fort has been spent improving transplantation techniques, the direct or indirect anthropogenic or natural drivers, including the transplantation of gorgonians (e.g., Kum- increases in water temperatures have been noted as the agai et al., 2004; Linares et al., 2008), but no attention main cause, while the regeneration of beaches, organic has been paid to the selective pruning of damaged parts. and inorganic spills, different types of professional and One of the threatened species is the gorgonian Ellisel- recreational fishing, etc., have also played a role in in- la paraplexauroides Stiasny, 1936 (family Ellisellidae), creasing such mortality, likely interacting synergistically which is a large species, up to 2 m in height, distributed (Gaino et al., 1992; Bianchi & Mori, 2000; Cerrano et in the Western Mediterranean Sea and the neighbouring al., 2001; Coma et al, 2004; Templado, 2014). These Atlantic Ocean, reaching Angola, usually at depths of be- episodes have principally focussed on some vulnerable tween 50 and 150 m (Arroyo et al., 2008; Angiolillo et species of invertebrates, mainly cnidarians and sponges al., 2012). The maximum depth recorded for this species (Romano et al., 2000; Lejeusne et al., 2010). The repeti- is 690 m (Brito & Ocaña, 2004). It has been included in tion of these events, often linked to low recruitment of the Annex II of threatened species of the Protocol ZEP/ the affected species, has led to the diminution or disap- BD (Centro de Actividades Regionales para las Zonas pearance of their populations in large areas (e.g., Web- Especialmente Protegidas) (B.O.E., 2015) and, conse- ster, 2007; Templado, 2014). quently, can be considered as a protected species in Span- Currently, this degradation and disappearance of cor- ish waters. In fact, this species has been recently listed as al reefs and other benthic colonial organisms is consid- vulnerable in a recent assessment by the IUCN Red List ered a serious global threat to the conservation of marine (Maldonado et al., 2015). Across its entire distribution Medit. Mar. Sci., 18/3, 2017, 479-485 479 area, this giant gorgonian is present as isolated colonies or at low densities, except in the Chafarinas Islands, where below 20 m depth, densities of 0.59±0.99 living colonies per m2 and a maximum of 5 gorgonians per m2 occur (Mal- donado et al., 2013). Nevertheless, despite its abundance, a great number of colonies are partially covered by epi- bionts (Fig. 1), 67.8% of the studied living colonies, and 22% of the total colonies are dead according to Maldonado et al. (2013). Additionally, the size distribution of E. para- plexauroides in the Chafarinas Islands suggests moderate to low recruitment (Maldonado et al., 2013). Together with this problem, E. paraplexauroides is also affected by the impacts of recreational and artisanal fishing and by its particular shallow distribution above its usual range of depth distribution. All of this suggests that some conserva- tion efforts are needed to preserve the future of this species Fig. 1: Two colonies of E. paraplexauroides, one of them dead in the study area. Thus, it has been noted that despite the and completely covered by epibionts and the other alive and observation that coral reefs exhibit high resilience to even partially covered. In the photograph, a fishing line, which can the greatest natural disasters, their current situation fac- often cause damage to the colonies, can be observed. ing many damaging anthropogenic impacts prevents their natural recovery, and active intervention by man is needed reference metric bar), and for nine of them, the damaged for their subsistence (Rinkevich, 2006). In this sense, the parts were removed by means of pruning (the remaining aims of the present study are 1) to determine the conser- one was used as a control) (Figs. SD1-SD10). In some of vation status of the E. paraplexauroides colonies around those colonies, when the damaged areas were not very the Chafarinas Islands in different areas than those consid- extensive, those areas were cleaned of epibionts instead ered in a previous study (Maldonado et al., 2013), and 2) of being pruned. In 2016, all ten colonies were again vis- to evaluate the effectiveness of a restoration model using ited and photographed (again with a reference metric bar) pruning in this area. to evaluate their status and possible growth. Moreover, in 2015, ten transects with a duration of 20 minutes for each one were performed with the specific aim of detecting Material and Methods colonies smaller than 15 cm that could be indicative of population regeneration by sexual reproduction. Four summer sampling campaigns (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) were carried out in the Chafarinas Islands (Al- boran Sea, SW Mediterranean). This small Spanish ar- Results chipelago is situated near the North African coast (two miles from Morocco, near the Argelian frontier) and is Regarding the conservation status of the E. paraplex- composed of three islands (Congreso, Isabel II and Rey auroides colonies around the Chafarinas Islands (Table Francisco) that together have a perimeter of approxi- 1), the high number of colonies with different degrees of mately 7 km (Peña Cantero & García Carrascosa, 2002; epibiosis or that are dead is remarkable (Fig. 1). In 2013- Altamirano et al., 2013). 2014, approximately 56% of the colonies were covered To complete the knowledge on the conservation by epibionts or dead, with some transects particularly af- status of the E. paraplexauroides colonies around the fected, such as transect C (91%) and transect G (95%). Chafarinas Islands, 7 transects (Fig. 2) were performed The transects carried out in 2015 were focussed on the by scuba diving during 2013 and 2014. Transect depth searching for young colonies, but no colony smaller than ranged from 15 to 35 m, and immersion duration in each 15 cm was detected. transect ranged from 10 to 30 minutes. In each transect, The results of the restoration by pruning showed a the number of healthy colonies, colonies with less than substantial improvement of the colonies (Table 2; Fig. 25% damaged parts, colonies with 25% to 50% damaged 3; Figs. SD1-SD10), with only nine branches with epibi- parts, colonies with more than 50% damaged parts, and onts at their apexes from a total of 104 branches in the 9 dead colonies were estimated by comprehensive obser- pruned colonies (Table 2). However, some of the branch- vation and the counting of colonies. The total numbers of es with epibionts had not been completely cleaned in the colonies detected in each transect are reported in Table 1. previous year (Fig. SD2). In cases in which growth could As a pilot study, in 2015, ten colonies locat- be clearly measured (N= 35 branches from 7 colonies), ed in the north of Isabel II Island, (35°11´01.37´´N; this growth oscillated between 3.80 and 58.00 mm/year.