Mass Mortality Event of Mediterranean Mussels (<i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i>) in the Middle Adriatic: Potential Implications of the Climate Crisis for Marine Ecosystems

Abstract

The effects of the climate crisis are affecting ecosystems at different scales and magnitudes. This paper focuses on a massive Mediterranean mussel die-off observed along the middle Italian Adriatic coast in the summer of 2022. We considered the possible environmental causes of this phenomenon and carried out a climatic analysis of the last decade. We performed field surveys in different locations along a 16 km coastal stretch from Martinsicuro (TE) in the south, to Grottammare (AP) in the north. The study area includes two marine Sites of Community Importance under the European Natura 2000 network. The die-off of the mussels was observed in practically all the natural mussel beds colonizing the study area. As sessile filter-feeding organisms inhabiting the intertidal zone, mussels are highly exposed to variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and nutrient load. We discuss the possible causes of this die-off, proposing that high temperature and the scarce availability of food acted simultaneously as stress factors, generating local unsustainable living conditions for this species.

Keywords

• mussel die-off
• food availability
• marine heatwaves
• Adriatic Sea
• climatic crisis
• synergistic effect