Special Issue "Historical and Current Diversity Patterns of Mediterranean Marine Species"

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed basin that experienced different natural and anthropogenic phenomena, which produced biological diversity changes over time. The Mediterranean Sea has been through dramatic changes in its biota over the last 6 million years, and more rapidly in the past century. All the events left a footprint on the gene pool of marine species, on their morpho-physiological traits, and on the loss or expansion of the geographical range extent. Nowadays, the Mediterranean is changing its physical and ecological features. The changes in its environmental conditions are followed by changes in species composition, of which most of the heritage has been stored and preserved in historical museum collections. In this Book, the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is described at a synchronic and at a diachronic level, as the biodiversity of an area needs to be described on a spatial and temporal scale. The Book focuses on data relating to the past two centuries for which museum collections can provide overlooked information. Available information exists for the major marine taxa, knowledge of which would greatly benefit from materials and data collected in the past. The scientific community has a relevant role in the present day. It must not leave sporadic and fragmented efforts and must instead move towards a coordinated framework. We all know how much biodiversity is relevant for human life, and we have to be conscious of how much information we still have as unpublished data. Here, seven papers depict the Mediterranean Biodiversity from different points of view; they cover different topics and different taxa (seagrasses, macroalgae, sponges, polychaetes, bivalves, sharks, fishes, mammals). The Book can be also a tool for educational purposes, as several case-studies reveal unexpected patterns. My thanks go to the publishers and to all the authors who sent their contribution to the Special Issue — Historical and Current Diversity Patterns of Mediterranean Marine Species — printed here. I greatly appreciated their work and I am sure you will do as well.