title: Microbial assemblages for environmental quality assessment: Knowledge, gaps and usefulness in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
abstract: The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) defines a framework for Community actions in the field of marine environmental policy in order to achieve and/or maintain the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the European seas by 2020. Microbial assemblages (from viruses to microbial-sized metazoa) provide a major contribution to global biodiversity and play a crucial role in the functioning of marine ecosystems, but are largely ignored by the MSFD. Prokaryotes are only seen as "microbial pathogens," without defining their role in GES indicators. However, structural or functional prokaryotic variables (abundance, biodiversity and metabolism) can be easily incorporated into several MSFD descriptors (i.e. D1. biodiversity, D4. food webs, D5. eutrophication, D8. contaminants and D9. contaminants in seafood) with beneficial effects. This review provides a critical analysis of the current MSFD descriptors and illustrates the reliability and advantages of the potential incorporation of some prokaryotic variables within the set of indicators of marine environmental quality. Following a cost/benefit analysis against scientific and economic criteria, we conclude that marine microbial components, and particularly prokaryotes, are highly effective for detecting the effects of anthropogenic pressures on marine environments and for assessing changes in the environmental health status. Thus, we recommend the inclusion of these components in future implementations of the MSFD.
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Rosabruna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: La Ferla
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azzaro
authors.affiliation: b CNR-IRSA , Monterotondo (RM) , Italy .
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zoppini
authors.affiliation: c Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) , Roma , Italy .
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.affiliation: c Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) , Roma , Italy .
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Petochi
authors.affiliation: d Department of Life and Environmental Sciences , Universitá Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona , Italy .
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corinaldesi
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zaccone
authors.affiliation: e University of Trieste , Italy .
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fonda Umani
authors.affiliation: f CNR-IAMC Taranto , Italy .
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caroppo
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monticelli
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azzaro
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Decembrini
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maimone
authors.affiliation: f CNR-IAMC Taranto , Italy .
authors.forename: Rosa Anna
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cavallo
authors.affiliation: f CNR-IAMC Taranto , Italy .
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stabili
authors.affiliation: g Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (IBER-BAS), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences , Sofia , Bulgaria .
authors.forename: Nadezhda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hristova Todorova
authors.affiliation: g Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (IBER-BAS), Bulgarian Academy of Sciences , Sofia , Bulgaria .
authors.forename: Ventzislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: K Karamfilov
authors.affiliation: d Department of Life and Environmental Sciences , Universitá Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona , Italy .
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rastelli
authors.affiliation: a National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) , Messina , Italy .
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cappello
authors.affiliation: f CNR-IAMC Taranto , Italy .
authors.forename: Maria Immacolata
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Acquaviva
authors.affiliation: f CNR-IAMC Taranto , Italy .
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narracci
authors.affiliation: c Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) , Roma , Italy .
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.affiliation: h OGS , Trieste , Italy .
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Del Negro
authors.affiliation: i Istituto Sperimentale Zooprofilattico dell'Umbria e delle Marche , Perugia , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Latini
authors.affiliation: d Department of Life and Environmental Sciences , Universitá Politecnica delle Marche , Ancona , Italy .|j Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn , Napoli , Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Danovaro
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D044822:Biodiversity; D005060:Europe; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010802:Phylogeny; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
keywords: Good Environmental Status; indicators; marine policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive); microbes