Dear MARMAM subscribers,

We would like to share a new open-access paper developed within the LIFE Conceptu Maris project, an EU LIFE project coordinated by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research. The project builds on the Mediterranean FLT Med Network, combining long-term ferry-based visual monitoring with innovative tools to improve knowledge and conservation of cetaceans and other marine megafauna.

The paper, "Recurrent seasonal habitat patterns of Mediterranean bottlenose dolphins revealed by long-term monitoring and validated SDMs" (Ecological Informatics), uses 15 years of standardized ferry-based surveys across the western Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, to explore how the distribution and habitat suitability of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) change with the seasons. By combining long-term observations, independently validated species distribution models, and environmental clustering, the study highlights a general recurrent seasonal pattern: from more productive coastal and shelf areas in winter–spring to a broader use of offshore habitats in summer–autumn, while also revealing distinct seasonal configurations across Mediterranean subregions.

We hope this paper will be of interest to the MARMAM community.

The paper is open access and available here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103859

Best regards,

Eugenia Pasanisi, PhD
on behalf of the co-authors

Department of Environmental Biology
Sapienza University of Rome