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The article presents the study which compares AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and the Benthic Quality Index (BQI), two biotic indices which rely on two distinct assessments of species sensitivity and tolerance, based on the MacroBen databases in Europe. It states that the result suggests that the use of a single sensitivity/tolerance list in different geographical areas is not appropriate. It says that the clarification of the sensitivity/tolerance levels of the species identified as problematic during the study should be the focus of the future studies.

The article presents the study on macroecology of the European soft sediment benthos. It discusses the impetus provided by Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (MarBEF) to the collation of regional databases of species occurrences, such as the newly available MacroBen database of the European soft sediment benthic fauna. The macroecological summary of the said database is also presented. It states that macroecology provided a novel conceptual framework in which to analyse large-scale patterns in diversity.

The article analyzes patterns of species diversity in a compiled data set covering European coast that was made available in the framework of the Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function (MarBEF) European Network of Excellence. It states that the distribution patterns of species diversity over large areas across the continent is the focus of the analysis. It aims to separate the effects of species-area relationships from that of species accumulation. The relation between species diversity and productivity is also explored.

The article reports on the initial analyses of the European Network of Excellence for Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function (MarBEF) database to test for trends in local and regional diversity over the latitudinal extent of European continental-shelf waters. It states that soft-sediment benthic macrofauna shows little evidence of a latitudinal cline in local diversity measures. It highlights that scientific cooperation through data-sharing is a powerful tool with which to address fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions relating to large-scale patterns and processes.

The article describes an integrated databases on European macobenthic fauna, developed within the framework of the European Network of Excellence Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (MarBEF), and the data and data integration exercise that provided its content. It states that a total of 44 datasets including 465,354 distribution records from soft-bottom macrobenthic species were uploaded into the relational MacroBen database, corresponding to 22,897 sampled station from all European seas, and 7,203 valid tax. Moreover, an interface which allows the user to explore, subselect, export and analyse the data by calculating different indices was created.

Abstract: The structural distribution of juvenile flatfish in nursery areas is generally studied on a larger scale on which the effects of abiotic factors such as sediment characteristics, beach profile, tides, and turbidity dominate. The biotic structuring factor has never before been investigated from a very small scale-perspective. The latter is the subject of the present study. In an in situ experimental sampling design, the structuring effect of biogenic reefs on the distribution of Pleuronectes platessa (Plaice) in an intertidal nursery area is investigated. The density distribution of this flatfish species is significantly (p <0.0001) explained by the presence of reefs built up by the polychaete Lanice conchilega. The importance of this reef builder has been highlighted before in other studies but present study demonstrates that not only the benthic biodiversity is affected by L. conchilega reefs, but that the distribution pattern of P. platessa is structured by them as well. This structuring impact of small-scale benthic reefs creating a patchy environment in nursery areas potentially plays an important role in other marine environments and indicates the need for further research on the ecological function of benthic reef environments for several flatfish species. Further modification of these biogenic habitats may lead to a loss of one or more ecosystem functions which flatfish species depend on. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) are the European umbrella regulations for water systems. It is a challenge for the scientific community to translate the principles of these directives into realistic and accurate approaches. The aim of this paper, conducted by the Benthos Ecology Working Group of ICES, is to describe how the principles have been translated, which were the challenges and best way forward. We have tackled the following principles: the ecosystem-based approach, the development of benthic indicators, the definition of 'pristine' or sustainable conditions, the detection of pressures and the development of monitoring programs. We concluded that testing and integrating the different approaches was facilitated during the WFD process, which led to further insights and improvements, which the MSFD can rely upon. Expert involvement in the entire implementation process proved to be of vital importance., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Benthic indices are typically developed independently by habitat, making their incorporation into large geographic scale assessments potentially problematic because of scaling inequities. A potential solution is to establish common scaling using expert best professional judgment (BPJ). To test if experts from different geographies agree on condition assessment, sixteen experts from four regions in USA and Europe were provided species-abundance data for twelve sites per region. They ranked samples from best to worst condition and classified samples into four condition (quality) categories. Site rankings were highly correlated among experts, regardless of whether they were assessing samples from their home region. There was also good agreement on condition category, though agreement was better for samples at extremes of the disturbance gradient. The absence of regional bias suggests that expert judgment is a viable means for establishing a uniform scale to calibrate indices consistently across geographic regions., ((c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper identifies and defines ecosystem goods and services provided by marine biodiversity. Case studies have been used to provide an insight into the practical issues associated with the assessment of marine ecosystem goods and services at specific locations. The aim of this research was to validate the definitions of goods and services, and to identify knowledge gaps and likely difficulties of quantifying the goods and services. A validated theoretical framework for the assessment of goods and services is detailed, and examples of the goods and services at a variety of case study areas are documented. These results will enable future assessments of marine ecosystem goods and services. It is concluded that the utilisation of this goods and services approach has the capacity to play a fundamental role in the Ecosystem Approach, by enabling the pressures and demands of society, the economy and the environment to be integrated into environmental management.

For the first time, growth of Mytilopsis leucophaeata, an important European fouling species, was investigated. By means of growth cages, individual shell growth of three cohorts, with, respectively, initial shell lengths of < or =5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm, was monitored in the harbour of Antwerp, Belgium, during 2003 - 2004. M. leucophaeata followed an oscillatory growth pattern with a single summer growing period per year (May to August). Growth decreased during wintertime, but never ceased completely. M. leucophaeata has an average growth rate of < 3-6 mm year- 1. Temperature was found to be the main environmental factor affecting growth. The von Bertalanffy growth function was used to model growth of individuals < or =5 mm, resulting in Linfinity = 16.7 mm and K= 0.56. Based on a combination of growth of all three cohorts, the hypothetical growth of an average individual mussel could be modelled over a 5-year period, resulting in a maximum length > 19 mm with a growth rate of 0.41. Its longevity (more than 5 years) and the positive effect of higher water temperatures on growth, combined with its high resistance to chlorination, provides M. leucophaeata with a high potential for severe and long-lasting biofouling