Humans Alter Adriatic Sea Ecosystems More Than Climate Change

It turns out that it's not climate, but humans that are causing massive shifts in the Adriatic Sea. Scientists have taken a closer look at this region and have found that humans may be rapidly altering this historically stable biodiversity hotspot.

Mollusks preserve well in the fossil record. They're also sensitive to human-caused environmental change, which makes them a good indicator of marine ecosystem health. That's why researchers examined fossils to examine the rapidly changing marine communities of the northern Adriatic, which is one of Europe's most highly developed industrial and agricultural areas.

The scientists tracked changes in shellfish communities by examining a collection of more than 100,000 fossil specimens from geological cores drilled in the region. Then, the researchers compared fossil data with surveys of present-day marine ecosystems conducted in the last four decades of the 20^th century.

"The fossil record suggests that human activities can alter even those ecosystems that have been immune to major changes naturally occurring on our planet," said Michal Kowalewski, the lead author of the new study, in a news release. "We may be witnessing a permanent shift. The restructuring could have lasting consequences for regional biodiversity, including the overall health of the broader marine ecosystems of the Adriatic."

The researchers found that 125,000 years ago, the Adriatic region's climate and sea level were similar to that of today. However, there has been significant ecosystem changes in the most recent centuries, including a decline in seven out of the 10 historically dominant mollusk species.

"The changes found by the study researchers are alarming, but there's reason to believe that other areas have been even more profoundly affected by the effects of pollution, habitat disturbance, lack of oxygen and climate change," said Steven Holland, a University of Georgia paleontologist not involved in the study. "This is a clear fingerprint of the effects of humans."

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

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