engleski

Monitoring of marine biodiversity in Strunjan nature reserve (Gulf of Trieste, Slovenia), with special emphasis on climate change impacts on selected biological elements

In order to ascertain potential climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Strunjan Nature Park, the Mediterranean colonial stony coral (Cladocora caespitosa) and coastal fish association were selected as target groups. Given that temperature change is a good indicator of potential impacts of climate change in a certain environment, 10-year temperature oscillation series at the annual scale (obtained through regular measurements at the oceanographic buoy of the Marine Biology Station and probes at different depth) were analyzed. It turned out that fish species closely linked to tropicalisation occur in the area researched. Furthermore, cases of coral bleaching were recorded, as well as incomparably greater annual increments of the stony coral's coralites. These phenomena are linked to the emergence of higher summer temperatures than in previous years.

biodiversity, climate change, colonial stony coral, thermophilous fishes, Strunjan Nature Park, Northern Adriatic

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