An information base on the ecology of Posidonia oceanica supporting restoration strategies

The restoration of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows is crucial in recovering and preserving the functioning and ecological integrity of one of the most important ecosystems of Mediterranean marine coastal environments. Indeed, restoration programs aimed at counteracting the widespread anthropogenic-induced regression of these ecosystems are becoming common practice, but their successfulness and outcomes, in terms of meadow evolution over time, are hard to predict. In this context, agent-based ecological modeling can provide crucial support in evaluating the potential evolution of meadows, but their parameterization requires substantial understanding and reliable data on the biology and ecology of the species to provide accurate simulation scenarios. With a view of providing a single reference information base summarizing the large amount of data available on the biology and ecology of P. oceanica, serving as a reliable foundation for the development of ecological models, an extensive meta-analysis of the available literature on the topic has been carried out. The results, provided in the form of a relational database, not only foster the development of more accurate models of the evolution of P. oceanica meadows, but also point out the current knowledge gaps toward which future researches should be oriented to improve our understanding of the ecology of this species and, thus, optimize the management of this unique ecosystem.