Marine Life of the Straits of Messina
Encyclopedia
The hydrology
of the Strait of Messina
is extraordinary and unique and the Strait accommodates special populations of marine organisms . The intense currents and characteristic chemistry of the waters of the Strait determine an extraordinary biocoenosis
in the Mediterranean Sea
with a high abundance and diversity of species; the Strait of Messina, therefore constitutes an area of fundamental importance for biodiversity
. Intense and alternate currents, the low temperature and an abundance of transported nitrogen
and phosphorus
transported to the surface from deep waters supports both pelagic and coastal benthic populations in a cycle of organic substance.
All this, with associated phenomena, determines an ecological rearrangement that simulates Atlantic conditions for species with a prevailing western distribution. In fact, numerous primarily Atlantic species for example the laminariae (large tawny algae), which , though also present in some other zones of the Mediterranean, succeed in forming true structured submarine forests only in the Strait of Messina and are evidence of the optimal environmental conditions there.
The marine organisms present
It is important to note that the laminariae of low depth ( Sacchoryza polyschides ), or the deep populations of Laminaria ochroleuca , and the associated plant communities are dependant on the physical and biological characteristics of the substrate. In order to complete their life-cycle, these organisms demand a solid substrate already colonized by coralline algae
“rodoficee calcaree’’, in the absence of which colonization cannot take place.
The Straits of Messina, bordered between the two basins of the Mediterranean, the West and the East , is an important point for migration of the species that are found in each . In this area planktonic and benthic communities from both or the Atlantic Ocean merge.
Benthic species of importance are Pilumnus inermis, previously considered and which is exclusively Atlantic; Errina aspera (Hydrozoa) , a famous endemic species of the Strait of Messina, on which lives a parasitic sea snail ( Pedicularia sicula
) ; found between 80 and 110 m. (fig. 1).Other species are Ophiactis balli” , the crustaceans Parthenope expansa and Portunus pelagica and the giant barnacle, Pachylasma giganteum . Great biological and ecological importance is also ascribed to the already cited Laminariales of the Strait Sacchoryza polyschides and Laminaria ochroleuca, of Albunea carabus and of the conspicuous Pinna nobilis
, the calcareous presence of rodoficee and immense prairies of Posidonia oceanica
which covers wide areas and has a wide vertical distribution.
Of extreme importance because they are found only in small areas elsewhere in the Mediterranean are Phyllariopsis brevipes , Phyllariopsis purpurascens , Desmarestia dresnayi , Desmarestia ligulata , Desmarestia ramose and Cryptopleura species.
From the faunistic point of view the Strait of Messina is considered a "Paradise of the Zoologist" for the enormous biodiversity that characterizes it. The species of benthic invertebrates are those which arouse greater interest since they are enriched by a great variety of forms and colours due to the abundance of Coelenterati (sea anemones, madrepore and corals).A clear example is the "forest" of yellow and red gorgonie Paramuricea clavata These, joining to the substrate, create a real forest which is an ideal benthic environment to accommodate numerous other species.
route of the Mediterranean Sea. The best known and important, from an economic point of view, are the great pelagic fish - that is the Tuna
(Thunnus thynnus), the Albacore
(Thunnus alalunga), the Atlantic bonito
(Sarda sarda), the Mediterranean Spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) and the Swordfish
(Xiphias gladius). The riches, or in Italian “ricchezza,” of the Strait are captured with boats called feluche or small engine powered fishing boats called passerelle. These pelagic fish are assets unique to this part of the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, only in the Strait, using various techniques, it is possible to capture Tuna throughout the year and in all age classes (from juveniles to adults) as the population moves between the Tyrrhenian
and the Ionian
Seas . The Strait of Messina is also an established route for the migration of Cetacea, and it is probably the most important in the Mediterranean Sea in terms of whale species diversity. Worthy of note, besides the several species of Dolphins are the Fin Whale
(Balaenoptera physalus) and particularly the capodogli or Sperm Whale
s (Physeter macrocephalus) which migrate to the Strait to their breeding area ,probably the Aeolian Islands
. Sharks also migrate through the Strait of Messina, including the Great White Shark
(Carcharodon carcharias) and the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
( Hexanchus griseus).
(1799–1854) and following this in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century scientists from all Europe began to visit Messina for their studies. Many of these came from the German universities because marine biology is limited in that country. The German coast is short and has a far less diverse fauna than the Mediterranean. It is also relatively sunless. It was a German zoologist August David Krohn
who first defined the Strait of Messina as the "Paradise of the Zoologist". Research intensified in 1872 when Anton Dohrn
established the Stazione Zoologica
at Naples seven days travel from Berlin
and two by boat to Messina. The research was initially in taxonomy
, invertebrate anatomy and biogeography
but soon involved more fundamental subjects especially embryology
,
comparative embryology
and evolution
. Among the Messina scientist wereAugust David Krohn
, Eduard Rüppell
, Johannes Peter Müller
, Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus
, Albert von Kölliker
, Karl Gegenbaur
, Ernst Haeckel
, Karl Gegenbaur
, Wilhelm Moritz Keferstein
, Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov
, Richard Hertwig
and his brother Oskar and Hermann Fol
.
The University of Messina
is still today a prestigious center of research into marine zoology at an international level.
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
of the Strait of Messina
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina is the narrow passage between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the south of Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea, within the central Mediterranean...
is extraordinary and unique and the Strait accommodates special populations of marine organisms . The intense currents and characteristic chemistry of the waters of the Strait determine an extraordinary biocoenosis
Biocoenosis
A biocoenosis , coined by Karl Möbius in 1877, describes the interacting organisms living together in a habitat . This term is rarely used in English, as this concept has not been popularized in Anglophone countries...
in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
with a high abundance and diversity of species; the Strait of Messina, therefore constitutes an area of fundamental importance for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. Intense and alternate currents, the low temperature and an abundance of transported nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
transported to the surface from deep waters supports both pelagic and coastal benthic populations in a cycle of organic substance.
All this, with associated phenomena, determines an ecological rearrangement that simulates Atlantic conditions for species with a prevailing western distribution. In fact, numerous primarily Atlantic species for example the laminariae (large tawny algae), which , though also present in some other zones of the Mediterranean, succeed in forming true structured submarine forests only in the Strait of Messina and are evidence of the optimal environmental conditions there.
The marine organisms present
It is important to note that the laminariae of low depth ( Sacchoryza polyschides ), or the deep populations of Laminaria ochroleuca , and the associated plant communities are dependant on the physical and biological characteristics of the substrate. In order to complete their life-cycle, these organisms demand a solid substrate already colonized by coralline algae
Coralline algae
Coralline algae are red algae in the order Corallinales. They are characterized by a thallus that is hard because of calcareous deposits contained within the cell walls...
“rodoficee calcaree’’, in the absence of which colonization cannot take place.
The Straits of Messina, bordered between the two basins of the Mediterranean, the West and the East , is an important point for migration of the species that are found in each . In this area planktonic and benthic communities from both or the Atlantic Ocean merge.
Benthic species of importance are Pilumnus inermis, previously considered and which is exclusively Atlantic; Errina aspera (Hydrozoa) , a famous endemic species of the Strait of Messina, on which lives a parasitic sea snail ( Pedicularia sicula
Pedicularia
Pedicularia is a genus of small predatory or ectoparasitic sea snails, cowry-like marine gastropod molluscs in the family Pediculariidae, the cowry allies.In Peducularia sicula, the protoconch protrudes....
) ; found between 80 and 110 m. (fig. 1).Other species are Ophiactis balli” , the crustaceans Parthenope expansa and Portunus pelagica and the giant barnacle, Pachylasma giganteum . Great biological and ecological importance is also ascribed to the already cited Laminariales of the Strait Sacchoryza polyschides and Laminaria ochroleuca, of Albunea carabus and of the conspicuous Pinna nobilis
Pinna nobilis
Pinna nobilis, common name the "noble pen shell" is a species of pen shell, a large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the 'pen shells'....
, the calcareous presence of rodoficee and immense prairies of Posidonia oceanica
Posidonia oceanica
Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass species that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It forms large underwater meadows that are an important part of the ecosystem. The fruit is free floating and known in Italy as 'the olive of the sea'...
which covers wide areas and has a wide vertical distribution.
Of extreme importance because they are found only in small areas elsewhere in the Mediterranean are Phyllariopsis brevipes , Phyllariopsis purpurascens , Desmarestia dresnayi , Desmarestia ligulata , Desmarestia ramose and Cryptopleura species.
From the faunistic point of view the Strait of Messina is considered a "Paradise of the Zoologist" for the enormous biodiversity that characterizes it. The species of benthic invertebrates are those which arouse greater interest since they are enriched by a great variety of forms and colours due to the abundance of Coelenterati (sea anemones, madrepore and corals).A clear example is the "forest" of yellow and red gorgonie Paramuricea clavata These, joining to the substrate, create a real forest which is an ideal benthic environment to accommodate numerous other species.
Abyssal Fauna
Another peculiarity of the Strait of Messina is the presence of a varied and numerous bathypelagic fauna (commonly called also abyssal fauna) that, transported to the surface by the upwelling current from the South can be easily captured still alive in the points of greater turbulence (vortices or powerful tides), or found stranded along the coasts after adverse weather conditions. Examples to mention are Chauliodus sloani (Viper Fish), Argyropelecus hemigymnus (or Silver Axe) and Myctophum punctatum (the Fish Devil).Migration
The Strait of Messina is an important migratoryAnimal migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individuals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon, found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be local...
route of the Mediterranean Sea. The best known and important, from an economic point of view, are the great pelagic fish - that is the Tuna
Northern bluefin tuna
The Northern bluefin tuna is a species of tuna in the Scombridae family. It is variously known as the Atlantic bluefin tuna, giant bluefin tuna and formerly as the tunny. Atlantic bluefin are native to both the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea...
(Thunnus thynnus), the Albacore
Albacore
The albacore, Thunnus alalunga, is a type of tuna in the family Scombridae. This species is also called albacore fish, albacore tuna, albicore, longfin, albies, pigfish, tombo ahi, binnaga, Pacific albacore, German bonito , longfin tuna, longfin tunny, or even just tuna...
(Thunnus alalunga), the Atlantic bonito
Atlantic bonito
The Atlantic bonito, Sarda sarda is a large mackerel-like fish of the family Scombridae. It is common in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean where it is an important commercial and game fish.-Description:...
(Sarda sarda), the Mediterranean Spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) and the Swordfish
Swordfish
Swordfish , also known as broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood...
(Xiphias gladius). The riches, or in Italian “ricchezza,” of the Strait are captured with boats called feluche or small engine powered fishing boats called passerelle. These pelagic fish are assets unique to this part of the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, only in the Strait, using various techniques, it is possible to capture Tuna throughout the year and in all age classes (from juveniles to adults) as the population moves between the Tyrrhenian
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
and the Ionian
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
Seas . The Strait of Messina is also an established route for the migration of Cetacea, and it is probably the most important in the Mediterranean Sea in terms of whale species diversity. Worthy of note, besides the several species of Dolphins are the Fin Whale
Fin Whale
The fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
(Balaenoptera physalus) and particularly the capodogli or Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s (Physeter macrocephalus) which migrate to the Strait to their breeding area ,probably the Aeolian Islands
Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands or Lipari Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus. The locals residing on the islands are known as Eolians . The Aeolian Islands are a popular tourist destination in the summer, and attract up to...
. Sharks also migrate through the Strait of Messina, including the Great White Shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
(Carcharodon carcharias) and the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
Bluntnose sixgill shark
The bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, often simply called the cow shark, is the largest hexanchoid shark, growing to more than 5.4 m in length.-Taxonomy:...
( Hexanchus griseus).
The German Scientists
The abundant presence of marine fauna in the Straits, though noted by much earlier zoologists was first effectively publicised by the Italian scientist Anastasio CoccoAnastasio Cocco
Anastacio Cocco sometimes Anastasio - 26 February 1854, Messina) was an Italian naturalist who specialised in marine biology....
(1799–1854) and following this in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century scientists from all Europe began to visit Messina for their studies. Many of these came from the German universities because marine biology is limited in that country. The German coast is short and has a far less diverse fauna than the Mediterranean. It is also relatively sunless. It was a German zoologist August David Krohn
August David Krohn
August David Krohn was a Saint Petersburg born zoologist of German origin. He was the son of Abraham Krohn, the founder of Russia's first brewery, who had left the island of Rügen to serve in the court of Catherine the Great. He was the uncle of the fennoman folklorist Julius Krohn...
who first defined the Strait of Messina as the "Paradise of the Zoologist". Research intensified in 1872 when Anton Dohrn
Anton Dohrn
Felix Anton Dohrn was a prominent German Darwinist and the founder and first director of the Stazione Zoologica, Naples, Italy.-Family history:...
established the Stazione Zoologica
Stazione Zoologica
The Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn is a research institute in Naples, Italy, devoted to basic research in biology. Research is largely interdisciplinary involving the fields of evolution, biochemistry, molecular biology, neurobiology, cell biology, biological oceanography, marine botany, molecular...
at Naples seven days travel from Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and two by boat to Messina. The research was initially in taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
, invertebrate anatomy and biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
but soon involved more fundamental subjects especially embryology
Embryology
Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage...
,
comparative embryology
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
and evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. Among the Messina scientist wereAugust David Krohn
August David Krohn
August David Krohn was a Saint Petersburg born zoologist of German origin. He was the son of Abraham Krohn, the founder of Russia's first brewery, who had left the island of Rügen to serve in the court of Catherine the Great. He was the uncle of the fennoman folklorist Julius Krohn...
, Eduard Rüppell
Eduard Rüppell
Wilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell was a German naturalist and explorer. Rüppell is occasionally transliterated to "Rueppell" for the English alphabet....
, Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller , was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge.-Early years and education:...
, Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus
Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus was a German zoologist. He was an opponent of the ideas of Ernst Haeckel.-Biography:...
, Albert von Kölliker
Albert von Kölliker
Albert von Kölliker was a Swiss anatomist and physiologist.-Biography:Albert Kölliker was born in Zurich, Switzerland. His early education was carried on in Zurich, and he entered the university there in 1836...
, Karl Gegenbaur
Karl Gegenbaur
Karl Gegenbaur was a German anatomist and professor who demonstrated that the field of comparative anatomy offers important evidence supporting of the theory of evolution...
, Ernst Haeckel
Ernst Haeckel
The "European War" became known as "The Great War", and it was not until 1920, in the book "The First World War 1914-1918" by Charles à Court Repington, that the term "First World War" was used as the official name for the conflict.-Research:...
, Karl Gegenbaur
Karl Gegenbaur
Karl Gegenbaur was a German anatomist and professor who demonstrated that the field of comparative anatomy offers important evidence supporting of the theory of evolution...
, Wilhelm Moritz Keferstein
Wilhelm Moritz Keferstein
Wilhelm Moritz Keferstein was a German naturalist.He wrote Zoologische Beiträge gesammelt im Winter 1859/60 in Neapel und Messina... in 1861 at Leipzig....
, Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov was a Russian biologist, zoologist and protozoologist, best remembered for his pioneering research into the immune system. Mechnikov received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908, shared with Paul Ehrlich, for his work on phagocytosis...
, Richard Hertwig
Richard Hertwig
Richard Wilhelm Karl Theodor Ritter von Hertwig , also Richard Hertwig or Richard von Hertwig, was a German zoologist and professor of 50 years, notable as the first to describe zygote formation as the fusing of spermatozoa inside the membrane of an egg cell during fertilization.Richard Hertwig was...
and his brother Oskar and Hermann Fol
Hermann Fol
Hermann Fol was a Swiss zoologist and the father of modern cytology.After studying medicine and zoology with Ernst Haeckel at the University of Jena where he was a pupil of François Jules Pictet de la Rive and Edouard Claparède , he accompanied Haeckel on a prolonged scientific journey around...
.
The University of Messina
University of Messina
The University of Messina is a public university located in Messina, Italy, and founded in 1548. The university is organized in 11 Faculties.-History:...
is still today a prestigious center of research into marine zoology at an international level.