Updated on January 18, 2023
23rd Young and Mediterranean Meeting : A personal reflection
At the end of November, two of my fellow volunteers (Ons and Andrea) and I had the opportunity to attend the 23rd Young and Mediterranean Meetings in Nice, France as representatives of Project M.A.R.E. and the MPA (Marine Protected Area) of Punta Campanella. The meetings are hosted by the CDMM (Centre for Discovery of the Sea and the Mountains), an environmental centre which mostly aims to bring environmental awareness to young people through education and various outdoor activities. The meetings are organised to bring people and organizations with similar goals from different Mediterranean countries together to identify current challenges, but also arising opportunities in environmental education. This year’s meetings were centred around the theme Nature, our future, the services provided by nature and biomimicry.
By the time we reached the CDMM at noon on the 21st of November, after some 14 hours of travelling, the day had already grown beautiful. On the sunlit terrace facing the South, looking over the sea, we were welcomed by Tom, one of the organizers of the meetings, who was surprised to see a Tunisian, a Croatian and a Belgian as the Italian delegates to the meetings. As the other representatives arrived, people introduced themselves and their organizations to each other and got to know each other over lunch. I was immediately surprised by the diversity of the group. There was a Spanish biology teacher, two Libyan representatives working in media, an Albanian representative who runs an organization to empower young people in the job market, a Greek representative who runs an environmental centre, the president of a Tunisian diving and spear-fishing association and so on.
After having had the chance to get to know each other, we started with the first afternoon’s sessions which concerned Posidonia oceanica. As we were requested before the meetings to present a Posidonia related project that we are working on, we decided to present something about what we do as an MPA to conserve P. oceanica meadows. Andrea talked about our work in the bay of Ieranto where we prevent anchoring, while I gave a brief presentation about the MPA Engage project through which we sought to assess the meadow conservation status (meadow health condition) of P. oceanica within the bay of Ieranto. Lastly, we showed them the Posidonarium which we had brought as a gift for the CDMM. This is an informative tool which we created using dried Posidonia samples to show the different biological components, to introduce the epiphytic community and lepidochronology, a method used to assess the life history and age of P. oceanica shoots much like dendrochronology, the scientific method used to dating tree rings to the year they were formed. For me, this experience was a great way to improve my ocean education skills. Coming from a traditional academic background, I am more than used to talk about marine biological topics to fellow biologists. As this conference was attended by more than just people with a scientific background, I had the challenge of conveying the same message using more conventional language. While it wasn’t easy, it certainly was a good learning opportunity!
After our presentation, our hosts of the CDMM took to the stand and introduced us to one field method with which they teach children about the importance of Posidonia ‘banquettes’, the thick layer of dead seagrass leaves found along beaches along the entire Mediterranean coastline, protecting it from erosion. We took quadrats and placed them in the ‘banquettes’, to then collect data on the physical and biological features we were able to identify, a method used by actual ‘banquette’ researchers! This for me was most amusing, as there is nothing that I love more about marine research than the fieldwork, exploring first-hand all the wonderful features connected to our marine environment. After spending some time exploring the epiphytic P. oceanica communities (organisms that grow on the leaves), we were shown around the main education room of the CDMM which had only just been finished. What I really liked here is how they don’t just use biological, but also historical aspects to promote the conservation of the seascape by talking about its role in prehistoric humans. All information was also available in braille writing, a small but very significant detail too often overlooked by those who are not visually impaired. However, the thing that struck us most though was the VR-experience they offered. A lot of people never have the chance to explore the underwater world and to become familiar with it, seeing the ocean as nothing more than the reflective, wavey surface as seen from land. Using this new technology however, anyone can see what it is like below the surface. As SCUBA-diving has done for me, I believe this has the potential of invoking a great sense of awe and curiosity towards the marine environment, opening the ways to more awareness surrounding current environmental issues.
After a good night of sleep and a great breakfast, the second and main day of the Meetings initiated. As mentioned in the theme, this day revolved all around biomimicry. In the morning we attended the conference on biomimetics by the Institute of Mediterranean Biomimetics (IBMED) and specialists. Biomimicry refers to the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems, and during this morning we were shown countless examples. The most memorable of these included a water boiler which is inspired by the compartementalization and pressure regulation of Nautilus shells and the thermodynamics of termite hills, using enzyme inspired molecules to create highly reactive H2 with the purpose of saving renewable energy and a type of concrete (ECOncrete) inspired by indigenous intertidal community structures to prevent the proliferation of invasive species in and around ports. While I was surprised by the large variety of nature-inspired innovations, I kept thinking about how this topic could serve as a tool for environmental education. During the brain-storming session we held afterwards, I recalled a question that was frequently asked to me in the course of my biology studies: ‘what is the value of discovering new species?’, realizing that I had part of the answer right in front of me.
The more I came to think of it, the more I saw the concept of biomimicry as a very useful tool to change people’s perspective towards nature. I believe that many of us, being raised in a capitalist society which depends on infinite economical growth, see nature as something to exploit, in service of humankind. These numerous examples of nature-based innovations however, show us that by looking at nature and the solutions it has come up with to support the vast variety of life, we could potentially solve some of the biggest threats facing society today. Hence, speaking about the lessons we can learn from it, rather than what we can extrapolate from it, our perspective towards nature could shift from resource to mentor, paving the way for our civilization to thrive and prosper in harmony with the natural world around us as our guide.
The insights I shared with you here made the 28 hours of travelling totally worth it, and I am looking forward to see how people will react when we try to integrate this topic in our own ocean education projects in the future. See you next time, Nice!
Yens Vandenboer
Updated on December 15, 2022
From Volunteer to Researcher
Buongiorno!
After a few months of dedicating myself as a volunteer in Italy, I would like to share with you my personal learning experience through project M.A.R.E.
In project M.A.R.E., a part of the work is assigned depending on your own knowledge and skills. Thus, apart from the main activities, I had the opportunity to manage a couple of small scientific research projects in Ieranto Bay. This experience allowed me to be in contact with my passion while gaining knowledge and honing my skills for my professional future.
Ieranto Bay is one of the better-preserved places of the MPA of Punta Campanella, thanks to the constant presence of the volunteers of Project M.A.R.E. as well as the presence of the park’s operators. The place is accessible by land, but also by sea, in which case the access to the bay is very restricted: aside from a few exceptions, it is prohibited to enter with a motorboat, and it is strictly prohibited to put the anchor. These restrictions allow the park to minimize human impact in the bay, with the aim of protecting its ecosystems and its biodiversity.
For the first project Andrea Ivančić (a fellow Croatian volunteer) and I coordinated, we had to take some samples of the algal communities to create a marine herbarium of Ieranto Bay. This project started with the aim of actualizing our data and improve our knowledge of the species presents in the bay. To realize this project, we operated in two phases: in the first, we started by collecting samples while snorkeling, before identifying them. The second phase consisted of squeezing and drying the samples, which was done with a wooden press, cotton tissues and newspapers. This whole experience has greatly improved my ability to recognize different species of algae and has allowed me to pay attention to logistical requirements, as I have been responsible for organizing the necessary material for the project to go forward.
The second project I managed, together with Mimi Sgambati (coordinator of the Project M.A.R.E.), is a visual census of fish using a protocol of MPA engage. MPA engage is a project coordinated by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC : Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) that offers 11 protocols to evaluate the impact of climate change in marine protected areas. Those protocols allow the MPAs of the Mediterranean Sea to assess the impact of climate change through the sampling of different environmental factors (temperature, Posidonia meadows, fish,…) as well as through the collection of the Local Ecological Knowledge obtained by interviewing experienced local divers and fishermen.
In our project, the different protocols have been attributed to the volunteers that were interested, each of us coordinating one, or even two protocols, while helping each other to collect the data. For the MPA of Punta Campanella, this was the first participation in the MPA Engage program, but we would like to supervise the applications of those protocols every year, by the future volunteers, to be able to collect data that will allow us to understand how climate change affects Ieranto Bay. This project has been fruitful for me, as it allowed me to acquire experience in the application of research protocols, as well as honing my skills in scientific diving and sampling.
These two experiences allowed me to grow, to improve skills very relevant to my field of work, to accumulate knowledge and self-confidence, all the while learning to work as a team.
— Claudia Gaspar García
Updated on December 15, 2022
Sentinels of Stone of the Marine Park
Here is a little cultural article about the watching towers in the peninsula, based on the conference “Le Sentinelle di pietra – le Torri di Guardia e di Difesa della Costiera di Amalfi e di Sorrento”, organised by the Massa Lubrense Archeoclub on the 30th of September 2022. There were the interventions of Stefano Ruocco (president of the Archeoclub), Salvatore Ferraro (academic), Giovanni Visetti (cartographer) and Don Mario (hosting the event). This event has been the occasion to learn more about the rich heritage and history of the place, with its emblematic buildings that are the towers, spread on the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts. It also has been the occasion to pay tribute to the author of the book the most well documented about this subject¹: Romolo Ercolino, historian from Positano, adoptive Massese who made discover the local history to youngsters of Massa, to diffuse his knowledge, not only through his various books.
In this article, what I would like to put into focus is the story and the existence of the towers on the park coasts. Among the 46 studied in the book (from Castellammare to Vietri sul mare), the towers we are talking about are 13.
History of the watching towers
For a start, let’s present a little of the context of the towers creation. The building of these towers started in the Middle Age with the goal of alerting and defending the coasts from the Saracens (coming from modern-day Algeria, Tunisia), Turks or Barbarossa squads. When a threat was identified, the guards of the first tower to see it were lighting up a fire during the day, as well as during the night, to report the emergency situation with smoke (during the day) and with flame (at night). This signal was transmitted from one tower to another with the surveillance of the guards who saw the signal on one of the surrounding towers, then repeated the signal to transmit it to the next tower. This allowed to form a chain of information and to warn the populations.
Regarding the towers typology, then have been built and modified during various periods, from the Middle Age onwards, following the change of regimes in the region:
- the round towers, so called “Angevin”, date back from the 1200′-1400′
- the square towers, so called “Aragonese”, date back from the 1500′
- the towers with ulterior modifications made during the Bourbon period, in the 1700′-1800′
According to Salvatore Ferraro, the towers did not reach their goal because they did not achieve to defend the (grain) trade and neither protect from the robberies. In fact, on the 13th of June 1558, the sack of Sorrento during San’Atonino day happened. It has been told that the population was sleeping, with the popular version as “a good excuse of the traitor who opened the doors” according to Ferraro, the chronicles mentioning the fact of a sleeping city. The entire peninsula has been impacted, as despite the existence of the towers, a great part of its inhabitants fled up to Monte Faito.
That is why, the inhabitants settled in high altitude on the Amalfi coast, in order to be able to escape and defend themselves better.
It is also important to know that the defence of the Southern coasts was devolved to the cities from the Spanish central power, during the Aragonese era, for example. Indeed, every tower was armed and defended by the inhabitants close to it.
Then, the towers have been curated until the fall of the Bourbon and the Unity of Italy. During the Bourbon era, public entities, communes were curating the towers. The communes were deemed to not conserve them well, as it has been the case in Punta Campanella, given that the maintenance of the towers was very costly for them.
Regarding the influence of the towers in art, many travellers, painters, artists based in the region, have been inspired by it through the centuries, such as the principal dancer Nureyev who created his artistic shelter in the tower of Li Galli.
Moreover, among the long history of the towers, some Jews have been hiding in the towers during World War II. There is a local story telling about an autochthonous man with a whistle who was signalling the arrival of prefectural controls so they could escape.
The Towers of Punta Campanella MPA from Capo Germano to Capo di Sorrento:
- Li Galli: very important tower to make a connection between the steep coast where there was no tower and the others towers around.
- Sant’Elia
- Crapolla (or di San Pietro ad Capona)
- Recommone
- Marina del Cantone
- Montalto (or della Mortella)
- Minerva (Punta Campanella): its first version is built in the 13th century, and its following shape is in the 16th. Before the tower, there was an Antic temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva.
- Fossa di Papa
- Vaccola (Punta Baccoli)
- San Lorenzo
- Capo Corbo (Capo Corvo)
- Capo di Massa (or di Vilazzano)
- Capo di Sorrento: no longer existing tower.
To conclude, as Ferraro pinpoints it, there is a need to make these towers an open-air museum because it consists in a significant work. Don Mario during the conference added that it is fundamental to make youngsters and young people in general understand the richness of the culture and the importance of its conservation.
Massa territory is so rich of cultural and historical heritage; it is needed to raise awareness about this heritage but also to conserve it.
¹ In order to know more, I recommend the reading of ERCOLINO, Romolo, Sentinelle di pietra – le Torri di Guardia e di Difesa della Costiera di Amalfi e di Sorrento, Nicola Longobardi Editore, Castellammare di Stabia, 2022 [untranslated].
— Paul Descoeur
Updated on December 8, 2022
Ieranto’s State of Mind : a personal story
All of the people that have passed through this project, more or less, will share similar thoughts, memories and moments from Ieranto. It is a place that pulls everyone in, including our group and me of course, and for that I really wanted to share my own experience and summer memories. I think it could be quite entertaining, not only for people wanting to participate in this project, but also for people just wondering what we are all doing every day in these kayaks, during all summer under the heat, and why exactly we enjoy it so much.
I think it all started when we saw Ieranto for the first time. We were not all together yet, but it gave to the ones that were there an idea of what was about to follow. It was a beautiful spring day (sunny and fresh) and we were taking a hike towards San Constanzo, the church that is right above Ieranto, one of the highest points in the area. And then we saw it. It was there, right below us, with its wings spread open, the falcon of the bay. The name Ieranto has Greek roots: it can come up either from the word ιέραξ, which means falcon, or from the word ιερό, which means holy. That moment, on the path, I could understand perfectly that both of these etymologies could be equally true. Looking at Ieranto from there you can see the shape of a falcon traveling around, and also the beauty of this place, which makes it kind of sacred ground.
Finally, after weeks of delay, we managed to start our activities in the bay in mid of June. This time the team was almost complete (only Olivier was missing). We all met in the square of Nerano, the small village that is exactly before the path that takes us to Ieranto. We sat around the map of the area and exchanged some basic information about where we were and what we were about to see. The adrenaline started to kick in. We were about to meet the place we would spend the rest of the summer in! I remember looking at the faces of everyone: some were nervous, others excited like me and others lost in daydreaming thoughts.
We would go to Ieranto in teams: some by land and others by sea with kayaks from Marina del Cantone. I was on the kayak team! When we managed to take all the needed equipment out (paddles, safe jackets, kayaks, wet bags for our stuff) and get ready (swimming suit, hat, sunglasses, shirt and water), the instructions by Mimì (our coordinator) started. How do we sit on kayaks, how do we hold the paddles, how do we navigate it in the sea? Info, info, info. It is interesting how all of this information that was thrown at us at that moment, without realizing, became imprinted on our brains later through experience. We did the most beautiful first kayak trip anyone could wish for. Paddling in the sea, visiting caves, cleaning a bit here and there, avoiding waves and maybe getting a bit sore. Our muscles were not trained yet to endure the 40 minutes trip to Ieranto, but this did not make the experience at all less exciting than it was.
Getting into the bay, I remember the wind blowing in my face and the water around me leading me towards the platform. I remember making a proper “wow” face, and the adrenaline kicking in for the second time that day. Observing the small beach, the stairs leading up to the buildings that used to be part of the quarry complex that used to be in Ieranto for years, the stone-made platform, the bigger beach with caves in both sides of it, the cliffs surrounding all the bay swallowing you in-keeping you grounded, the nature around me…The most beautiful part of it all was that we arrived by sea first. We took all of the beauty in, watching what we saw before from up-down, from exactly the opposite side, down-up. Looking back now, it is a very weird feeling when you see or feel a place for the first time. It is always unique and pure, a clean slate. No memories surrounding it, no recalling of previous times, no idea of how it actually is. There is nothing to spoil it. Try to picture your first time walking/driving/cycling on a street, that later you start using multiple times…Everything is alive, colorful, thrilling and sonorous. Your curiosity takes all the details in, without maybe processing them. They are just stimuli for your brain to linger on and process, when you finally understand how a place works. Usually this magic is getting lost as you get used to it, but thankfully this is not the case for Ieranto.
We explored all the caves, we went to the big beach, we swam, we dived from the platform, we snorkeled, we breathed it all in…We talked about our responsibilities there and how it was going to be during summer. All of us listening, but none of us exactly understanding. Describing reality in Ieranto is not an easy thing to do. The day served as a first training for us, a training for all the activities that were about to begin, plus as a first meeting with our “home” for the rest of the summer.
The route to Ieranto from land is equally thrilling. There is a hiking path from Nerano leading to the bay 30 minutes long. It can be challenging in certain spots, especially while coming up, but give it some time and I promise that you will learn to enjoy it. The path is surrounded by nature and the constant presence of sea on the horizon. Beautiful panoramas here and there and after a point you have Capri in front of you. It is as if you can touch it, so close it seems to be. When you reach that point you know that you are either arriving at the bay, or if you are returning back, that the steep part is about to finish. Also you know that it is time for the coffee of Salvatore, the most delicious coffee you will ever taste, with the perfect view and the best company. I was always appreciative of these moments and I think so were the others. They are moments of calmness and rest, during a period that you will not have a lot of those.
Our activities in Ieranto were mainly the same every day, while having of course some surprises on the way. What we do usually after arriving is: taking out the needed kayaks, waterproof tables for keeping data, setting an info point in which we work together with FAI (who owns and manages Ieranto bay –on the land– all year long), preparing for possible excursions during the day and organizing our turns for both monitoring by land and sea. This kind of routine had been established early on and every time depending on the pair that was working, we were adjusting the turns accordingly.
Since Ieranto belongs to Zone B of the Marine Protected Area of Punta Campanella, it is necessary to prevent unauthorized motor boats from entering and mainly anchoring in its waters. That is the part of sea monitoring with the kayaks. Ieranto is characterized by the presence of Posidonia oceanica meadows, a very important seagrass for the Mediterranean basin, providing oxygen and enhancing biodiversity in the sea. The process of approaching the boats is always an experience. All of us had their own way of explaining to them why they can’t stay here or asking for some basic info from them, which makes it quite interesting. You understand the different personalities of everyone and ways of interactions. Of course there were cases of us paddling after boats, in our small yellow kayaks, while waving and making signs to prevent them from the worst: setting the anchor and destroying the meadows. Not all the people on the unauthorized boats were accepting of the fact that they cannot stay on the bay, but many of them were interested in what we were saying and understanding of how important it is for Ieranto to be preserved and protected. There were also authorized boats entering, using the boas to remain for a bit on the bay and enjoy its magnificence. These boats were filled with familiar faces, accompanied with groups of tourists. After a point we learnt to recognise the permitted boats by afar and we all had our favorite ones, the ones we preferred more to interact with. Even with them we had to keep data to be sure we are aware of their use of the bay.
The next part of the activities were the excursions. Groups of tourists that were visiting Ieranto, wanting to get to know it better. They could do a guided tour with kayaks or a guided snorkel dive, or both of them. Some groups were bigger than others, some more motivated, some more interested, but all sharing the excitement of exploring Ieranto. After a point we also got the chance to do some guided tours and provide all the information we had gathered during our experience there. To speak about the history of the bay, the species of animals that characterize parts of it, the natural elements that define it and to share the love we have for this place with them. There were days that required the whole team to show up, since we had large groups of people visiting due to special events. Every day were usually just 2-3 volunteers, with one responsible (Gianna or Alba), and the employees of FAI. Those days we could be at least 10 of us working at the same time, making the situation quite stressful and chaotic. Especially the first weeks that we did not have much experience with large groups, brought to the surface some organizing issues we had. By the end though it was amazing how we had managed to evolve, how everything worked as a well-oiled machine, how everyone knew exactly what had to be done, how everyone helped with everything without even realizing, how we were adapting simultaneously when something didn’t go according to the plan.
We were surrounded constantly by all the people from FAI, who were there to assist us and provide info along with us to all the people entering the bay, making them aware of the beauty and the history of the place that they were about to see, as well as raising awareness about its need to be protected and respected. I have so many beautiful memories of discussions with visitors either by land or by the sea. It was also heart-warming finding people to share the appreciation we have for this place and respect the work that we were doing. All of us I think recall funny moments with eager visitors.
And then it’s the part of going home after a long long day in the sea. You get those two feet that carried you down, to carry you up. With heat and tiredness that sometimes you mind, but mostly you don’t. Because there is the coffee stop as I already mentioned, and then you reach Nerano where you get to relax and enjoy a bit of the life of the place, either while playing football with the kids or having a small aperitivo. You get to laugh and talk about the nice moments of the day, and thank your body for making all the effort. What follows is going home to “the family” of volunteers, sharing a meal, enjoying the summer night and catching up. By the end of summer you get to have so many similar but unique days at the same time and you get to wonder how was it possible for me to endure a summer like this so easily. I still have this question for me. I never expected how strong my body got to be and my will as well. It’s so interesting to see the mental and physical evolution we all had during these months.
Even in November when we went for some last things that had to be done, Ieranto hadn’t lost its character. I got to swim in its waters one last time, along with a seabird which was fishing some meters away from me. Because that’s what you get when you are there: one balance between people and nature. We have seen rays, barracuda schools, sea stars bigger than our palms, and so much more that you usually forget how impressive they can be. Nature is part of us and Ieranto keeps reminding us this.
I think that the most beautiful part of Ieranto is hidden in two different spots. I wish I knew if others share the same opinion as me, but in reality this is the most subjective part of this entry. The first part is the connection that it has managed to create between so many different people and this is something that has happened mainly because of Project M.A.R.E. Brining volunteers to work every year creates a chain of people who love a very specific place. But it’s not only the volunteers and the people managing the Project that belong to this chain. It is the locals, it is the people from FAI who supported us constantly, it is the visitors, it is every group that came by for a guided tour, and it is everyone that we spoke to in these boats. This chain is what makes Ieranto so special. It is a place where you sense the positive and loving energy of a community.
The second part that for me was defining my feelings for Ieranto is the experience of being alone in a kayak in the middle of the sea. I do not know if I can still explain it to people. It is a feeling of humbleness. You are there, surrounded by blue, by rocks that change shape every hour of the day, by nature. You live in the now. There is nothing before or after that moment, because at that moment you are just there. Waiting for a boat, doing a dive to refresh yourself, making a small tour with your kayak here and there. But you are always there. It is you, your thoughts and the paddle. You can either accept it and enjoy it or bear it. I chose to do the first and I recommend it to any future volunteers as well.
If you ever visit Ieranto, always remember that we were also there. That every spot has a shared history and that your memories of the place will stay there as well, making Ieranto even more precious. Because memories are treasured and valuable. Remember that we probably have a story to tell and reach out to ask all of the people loving Ieranto why they adore it that much. I am very sure you are going to realize that all these unspoken feelings are somehow similar between all of them.
Xenia Symeonidou
Updated on December 6, 2022
Posidonia flowering : an event full of hope
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic species from the Mediterranean Sea. This large and slow-growing seagrass develops on rocks and sandy bottoms in clean water from the surface to over 40-meter depth (Hemminga and Duarte 2000). Posidonia constitutes characteristic formations called “Posidonia meadows” or “Posidonia beds” which are very important habitats in the marine ecosystem. These extensive meadows provide habitat and nutrition for many species of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, bryozoans, as well as for many species of plants. The leaves of Posidonia reduce the speed of the current protecting the beach against erosion and the meadows also produce large quantities of oxygen through photosynthesis, helping in the absorption of CO2 emissions due to its high carbon fixation capacity. Due to its importance Posidonia meadows constitute a habitat protected by the European law (Priority Habitat in the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). Sadly, in recent decades Posidonia meadows are facing a regression, mainly due to trawling and anchoring, two activities that cause serious damage to the meadows.
Posidonia propagates mainly via vegetative reproduction through rhizome elongation and cuttings. However, Posidonia can also display sexual reproduction which increases genomic recombination, favouring adaptation and enhancing species resilience to environmental change. Therefore, we can say that Posidonia can also flower under the sea, this event occurs infrequently during autumn every five to ten years. The flowers are hermaphrodite, i.e. both male and females at the same time. The fruits require 6 to 9 months to ripen. Between May and July, they drop off, float for a while and end up washing up on beaches.
Last year, project M.A.R.E. participated in a survey to collect information and samples of Posidonia on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition. 
This survey was conducted in the Marine Protected Area Regno di Nettuno, which embraces the islands of Ischia, Procida and Vivara. While conducting this activity in late October and November we observed a big event of flowering that was happening not only in Regno di Nettuno but also in Punta Campanella, as we discovered later. The measurements we took in Regno di Nettuno indicated a high density of flowers as we found 10 to 30 flowers of Posidonia in quadrats of 40cm x 40cm. This abundance of flowers had as result a big production of seeds, that ended up washing up on beaches in great quantities, and this is what we will be observing next spring in the Sorrentine coast. We encourage you to open your eyes during your beach walks to observe this unusual phenomenon. Stranded in the beach you can found the Posidonia fruits so-called “sea olives”.
But why this happens? Studies of the seagrass Posidonia suggest that flowering is mainly related with high temperatures, and indeed, Ruiz et al. (2018) found in an experimental study that heat exposure can serve as primary trigger of flowering in Posidonia. Normally, very high temperatures stress Posidonia, inhibiting the growth. Therefore, for a sessile plant, seed production is the best escape strategy to overcome stressful conditions. Factors other than environmental temperature, including genetic, physiological, and age-related factors, may likely be involved in determining the flowering. Despite not all the factors affecting this phenomenon are well understood, Posidonia flowering seems to be a hopeful strategy in the global warming context. There is considerable room for optimism as it appears that our beloved seagrass can respond to increasing temperature in more plastic, more complex and potentially more resilient ways than previously imagined. Despite there is no scientific evidence published of this extraordinary event that happened last year, experts as Gabriele Procaccini from the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Naples) confirmed that the abundance of flowers is something that has never seen in this area. If you are interested in knowing more about Posidonia and this extraordinary event, we encourage you to watch the seminar “Le Praterie sommerse del Mediterraneo” from the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.
Claudia Gaspar García
Bibliography
Hemminga, M. A., & Duarte, C. M. (2000). Seagrass ecology. Cambridge University Press.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/seagrass-ecology/53A7465F196885C57CF1977DF226C77D
https://books.google.it/books/about/Seagrass_Ecology.html?id=uet0dSgzhrsC&redir_esc=y
Luque, Á. A., & Templado, J. (2004). Praderas y bosques marinos de Andalucía. Junta de Andalucía, Sevilla.
https://uicnmed.org/bibliotecavirtualposidonia/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Praderas-y-bosques-marinos-de-Andalucia_Praderas-marinasF_Intro-y-Posidonia-oceanica_Part1.pdf
Ruiz, J. M., Marín-Guirao, L., García-Muñoz, R., Ramos-Segura, A., Bernardeau-Esteller, J., Pérez, M., Sanmartí, N.,Ontoria, Y., Romero, J., Arthur, R., Alcoverro, T. & Procaccini, G. (2018). Experimental evidence of warming-induced flowering in the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Marine pollution bulletin, 134, 49-54.
https://www.szn.it/images/pubblicazioni/97._Ruiz_et_al_2017.pdf
Procaccini, G. (2022, June 9). Le Praterie sommerse del Mediterraneo [Video file]. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhEXIdFlnJQ
