@article {406,
	title = {Cascading human impacts, marine portected areas, and the structure of Mediterranean reef assemblages},
	journal = {Ecological Monographs},
	year = {2005},
	abstract = {<p>Coastal marine assemblages are shaped by interactions between physical  factors, biological interactions, and almost ubiquitously, human  impacts. Large-scale manipulations of human access replicated over a  range of physical and biological conditions can generate insights over  the processes shaping marine assemblages. We examined the relative roles  of human impacts and hydrographic conditions on assemblages of shallow  (3-10 m depth) rocky reefs by comparing no-take reserves with fishing  areas occurring in gradients of exposure of the coastline to dominant  winds and waves around two Mediterranean islands, Capraia and Giannutri,  Italy. We hypothesized that fishing influences assemblages directly by  reducing populations of target fish species, and indirectly by reducing  predation on sea urchins, intensifying herbivory, and causing  {\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}barrens{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} of encrusting coralline algae. We examined how the possible  effects of fishing varied with physical exposure of the coastline.The  composition of fish assemblages differed significantly between sites  within no-take reserves and fished reference sites. Abundances and sizes  of predatory fishes targeted by local fisheries were greater in no-take  reserves than in fished areas. Sea urchin densities, the extent of  coralline barrens, and the structure of the algal and invertebrate  benthic assemblages showed clear variation associated with exposure of  the coastline to dominant winds and waves, but weak effects of  protection from human use. Densities of the black sea urchin Arbacia  lixula were significantly greater along the windward than along the  leeward sides of the islands, and were positively correlated with the  extent of coralline barrens. In contrast, the purple sea urchin  Paracentrotus lividus was more abundant along the leeward sides of  islands and showed indirect responses to protection at Giannutri, where  purple sea urchins tended to have greater densities at fished than at  protected sites. Protection from fishing influenced fish assemblages  directly, and benthic assemblages indirectly, but the latter effect was  observed only at sites with lower physical exposure. Indirect effects of  fishing and recovery of assemblages within marine protected areas  through cascading trophic interactions are likely to vary depending on  local physical conditions and on the characteristics of species that are  locally dominant.</p>},
	keywords = {algae, Arbacia lixula, assemblage, benthic assemblage, Capraia, coastal zone, comparison, density, depth, echinoderm, fish, fish assemblage, fishery, fishery impact, Giannutri, human impact, impact, invertebrate, island, Italy, marine protected area, Mediterranean sea, no-take area, Paracentrotus lividus, population, predation, protected area, protection, reefs, r{\^o}le, sea urchin, size, trophic cascad, western Mediterranean},
	author = {F. Micheli and F. Romano and G. Chato Osio and C. Borsini and I. Bertocci and S. Gambaccini and L. Benedetti-Cecchi}
}
