University of Genoa - Punta Mesco

Restoration Project

University of Genoa - Punta Mesco

Restoration Objective:

We tested if exposure to mild physiological and mechanical stress in culture can prime seedlings for the transition to the native habitat by improving their resilience to environmental stress and thereby enhancing survival and growth in the initial post-outplant period (days to weeks). Modified culture conditions from established protocols were established from the first days post-settlement and involved 1) higher culture temperature combined with simulated wave action and 2) reduced nutrient loads (10% of standard protocol) and wave simulation.

Site Selection Criteria:

In particular, in the easternmost part of the Ligurian Sea, we identified the Cinque Terre MPA as a stretch of coast in need of restoration of this species.

Cause Of Decline:

Herbarium records show the historical presence of E. amentacea in this area (De La Fuente et al., 2018); disappearance in the early 1900s was likely due to water pollution and heavy sedimentation associated with excavation activities in the Magra River watershed (outflow ∼25 km east). Water quality has since been restored to its natural oligotrophic state, with annual average levels of NO3, NH4, and PO4 all below 1 μM (ARPAL data 2016–2022, Table S1). Further, direct human impacts have been removed with the establishment of the MPA in 1997. Yet, the rocky coast continues to be dominated by mixed coralline turfs and short (<12 cm frond length), fragmented stands of Cystoseira compressa (unpubl. quadrat data 2018–2019 and De La Fuente et al., 2018); the continued absence of E. amentacea is likely linked to limited dispersal ability (Clayton, 1990; Johnson and Brawley, 1998).

Key Reasons For Decline:

Water Pollution

Scientific Paper

Ex-situ restoration of the Mediterranean forest-forming macroalga Ericaria amentacea: Optimizing growth in culture may not be the key to growth in the field

Clausing, R. J., Falace, A., De La Fuente, G., Della Torre, C., Chiantore, M., & Asnaghi, V. (2024).https://www.sciencedirect.com...rticle/pii/S0141113624003799

Organisation:

University of Genoa

Site Observations:

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 25 °C with wave pump simulation (~500 L h⁻¹) to approximate intertidal water motion. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Area of Restoration (Ha)

0.00001

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

21.5900
%
3.2100
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C with wave pump simulation (~500 L h⁻¹) to approximate intertidal water motion. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Area of Restoration (Ha)

0.00001

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

41.5400
%
7.0900
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 25 °C without wave pump simulation. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Area of Restoration (Ha)

0.00001

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

46.0700
%
6.4300
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C without wave pump simulation. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

49.7000
%
10.4700
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C in standard Von Stosch enriched medium (500 μM NO₃, 30 μM PO₄) with wave pump simulation (~500 L h⁻¹) to approximate intertidal water motion. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Area of Restoration (Ha)

0.00001

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

42.2500
%
6.7400
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 11th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C in reduced-nutrient culture medium (30 μM NO₃, 3 μM PO₄; ~10% VS) with wave pump simulation (~500 L h⁻¹) to approximate intertidal water motion. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

41.6700
%
7.2300
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C in standard Von Stosch enriched medium (500 μM NO₃, 30 μM PO₄) without wave pump simulation. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Area of Restoration (Ha)

-0.00001

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

48.9900
%
9.5300
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture

Observation Date

22nd Jun 2020 – 7th Nov 2020

Action Summary:

Fertile apices of E. amentacea were used to seed clay tiles, with zygotes cultured for approximately three weeks under different temperature, wave, and nutrient treatments before outplanting and monitoring for 17 weeks.

40 clay tiles (4.5 cm diameter) were seeded with E. amentacea zygotes using three fertile apical tips per tile and cultured for three weeks at 20 °C in reduced-nutrient culture medium (30 μM NO₃, 3 μM PO₄; ~10% VS) without wave pump simulation. The seeded tiles were then outplanted in Cinque Terre MPA by screw-fixing them to the rock using neoprene washers to reduce erosion.

Lessons Learned:

Overall, the present work stresses the importance of 1) the zygote settlement phase to establish critical densities of seedlings that confer self-facilitative benefits in the post-outplant phase and 2) a more realistic, less-controlled culture approach that both reduces human resource costs in culture and introduces environmental variability and mild stress to improve survival during the transition to the sea. Given the bottleneck of initial survival and the evidence that, after 4 months, mortality is low and algae continue to grow and attain reproductive maturity, addressing these points and additionally improving means of substrate attachment to the rock may ensure restoration success and scalability of the approach.

Project Outcomes:

While increased temperature and wave motion negatively affected seedling growth in culture, and higher nutrients caused oxidative stress likely associated with enhanced epiphyte overgrowth, these effects were not clearly translated into field outcomes: survival and cover at 4 months were similar among all treatments. Given the complex array of environmental stressors and their stochasticity in the intertidal habitat, these results suggest that there may be a size threshold that confers resilience to environmental extremes.

Indicator Data:

Indicator:

Ending Value:

Starting Value:

Kelp Cover

49.6400
%
10.5200
%
Transplant Info:
Life Stage:Juveniles
Source:Culture
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