title: The Pen Shell, Pinna nobilis: A Review of Population Status and Recommended Research Priorities in the Mediterranean Sea.
abstract: The pen shell Pinna nobilis (also known as the fan mussel) is an endemic bivalve of the Mediterranean Sea. Threatened by human activities, it has been listed as an endangered and protected species under the European Council Directive 92/43/EEC since 1992. The ecological role of this species is of importance because it filters and retains large amounts of organic matter from suspended detritus contributing to water clarity. In addition, as a hard substrate in the soft-bottom seafloor, it provides a surface that can be colonized by other (floral and faunal) benthic species. Here, we provide an overview of all available published studies on the pen shell, compiling available data and summarizing current knowledge on the conservation status and viability of populations over the full range of the Mediterranean Basin. Additionally, we discuss the different practices in applied methodology and identify gaps and new research areas in order to render conservation programmes of the species more effective.
authors: Global Change Department, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Esporles, Mallorca, Spain. Electronic address: lorena@imedea.uib-csic.es.
authors: Lorena
authors: L
authors: Basso
authors: Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma, de Mallorca, Spain.
authors: Maite
authors: M
authors: Vázquez-Luis
authors: Instituto de Investigación en Medio ambiente y ciencia Marina (IMEDMAR-UCV), Universidad Católica de Valencia, Calpe, Alicante, Spain.
authors: José R
authors: JR
authors: García-March
authors: Instituto de Investigación en Medio ambiente y ciencia Marina (IMEDMAR-UCV), Universidad Católica de Valencia, Calpe, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Salud
authors: S
authors: Deudero
authors: Instituto de Investigación en Medio ambiente y ciencia Marina (IMEDMAR-UCV), Universidad Católica de Valencia, Calpe, Alicante, Spain.
authors: Elvira
authors: E
authors: Alvarez
authors: Institut Océanographique Paul Ricard, Ile des Embiez 83140 Six Fours les Plages (France) and Institut Méditerranéen de la Biodiversité et de l'Ecologie marine et continentale (IMBE), Aix-Marseille Université, Aix-en-Provence, France.
authors: Nardo
authors: N
authors: Vicente
authors: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Carlos M
authors: CM
authors: Duarte
authors: Global Change Department, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, Esporles, Mallorca, Spain.
authors: Iris E
authors: IE
authors: Hendriks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008974:Mollusca / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Bivalve; Mediterranean Sea; Pen shell; Pinna nobilis; Review