Levant rocky-shore biodiversity: Testing ecological impacts of climate change and bioinvasions on a unique ecosystem (LRSB)

This project studied several ecological aspects of the rocky intertidal along one of the most unique and ecologically-dynamic coasts, and investigate the effects of climate change and bioinvasions in the context of community ecology. The objectives of the project were:

• to launch a long-term monitoring program of community biodiversity along the Israeli coast to enable the detection of long-term changes related to global warming, bioinvasions and other potential influences,
• to use natural heat-stress events as proxies for the potential effects of extreme climate change events,
• to test the response of important species to elevated temperatures and CO2,
• to study recruitment patterns of influential invasive species and experimentally test their biological interactions with indigenous species and other invaders and their general impacts on biodiversity.

Project findings showed the high variability of the community structure along the coast, which is greatest in winter and spring. The biggest differences are found between the reef edges and its centre. Furthermore, it was found that the reef-forming vermetidated snail Dendropoma petraeum has almost completely disappeared, which can have catastrophic consequences. The project results support ecosystem management and planning, especially the understanding of how biodiversity changes in time and space.