Recherche - Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls sur mer
Laboratoire Arago

Demography is the statistical study of human populations. Only in the last years ecologist started to apply the principles of demography to animal populations. Demographic models are fundamental to foster conservation and management of endangered or overexploited species and are widely applied by conservation biologists. Mediterranean red coral (Corallium rubrum) is object of harvesting since ancient times and in the last years the need for conservation and management plans for this species emerged. To conservation purposes, demographic studies are necessary to plan an effective management of the resource. Therefore we set out a demographic model of a red coral population living in coastal waters. Demographic data were included in a non-linear, discrete, age-structured dynamic model, based on a transition matrix. We applied such model to simulate the population trends under different scenarios. Our results suggest that a dramatic mortality increase of larger–older colonies (due to overharvesting) could have determined the population structure of the present coastal populations.

Séminaire présenté par Lorenzo BRAMANTI (Institut de Ciencias del Mar ICM-CSIS, Barcelona), à l'initiative de Katell GUIZIEN.