Disentangling the life and death of survival Pinna nobilis individuals after the mass mortality event

Abstract

[eng] In this study, an exhaustive monitoring of 152 individuals of Pinna nobilis was carried out in the Spanish Mediterranean coast during the period 2017-2023, after the mass mortality event (MME) triggered by a multifactorial disease. The active participation of citizen science became decisive, locating 42.8% of the survival individuals from the MME. Most of them were found in marine protected areas (82.2%), mainly in Posidonia oceanica meadows (92.1%). Taxonomic analyses, both morphological and molecular, allowed the identification of 10.5% of the survival individuals as hybrids. Finally, as a conservation management measure, 7 individuals were translocated and the impact on their survival was evaluated without finding significant negative effects. These results highlight the importance of collaboration between scientists and citizens in monitoring, especially in order to understand the current critical situation of P. nobilis and to implement effective conservation measures.