Functional and conservation relevance of Savalia savaglia in the Turkish Straits System: First record from the North Aegean coasts of Turkey and new mesophotic habitats in the Sea of Marmara

Abstract Trait-based approaches are widely used in ecology to monitor and understand how communities and ecosystems respond to human-driven environmental impacts. Savalia savaglia, a rarely encountered parazoanthid coral species, is a key ecosystem engineer in the Mediterranean mesophotic zone. This study presents the first morphologically verified records from the North Aegean Sea coast of Turkey and new habitat data from the Turkish Straits System, including the Sea of Marmara. Field surveys documented four major reef systems with 80 associated benthic invertebrates, two of which are new records for the Marmara Sea. Morphological assessments revealed exceptionally large colonies and previously undocumented cases of parasitic and autonomous growth. Observations also represent the first finding of seine net damage and anchoring threats ever recorded in the Turkish Seas. Our results highlight the urgent need for coral-focused marine protected areas to safeguard biodiversity and mitigate anthropogenic pressures.