R. Bak and E. Meesters, Coral population structure:the hidden information of colony size-frequency distributions, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.162, pp.301-306, 1998.
DOI : 10.3354/meps162301

J. Harmelin and J. Garrabou, Suivi d'une population de Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) (Cnidaria, Octocorallia , Gorgonacea) dans le parc national de Port-Cros (Me 0 diterraneé, France): comparaison des e 0 tats, sur le site de laGalère. Sci Rep Port-Cros Natl Park, pp.175-191, 1992.

A. Gori, S. Rossi, C. Linares, E. Berganzo, C. Orejas et al., Size and spatial structure in deep versus shallow populations of the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunicella singularis (Cap de Creus, northwestern Mediterranean Sea), Marine Biology, vol.69, issue.3A, pp.1721-1732, 2011.
DOI : 10.1007/s00227-011-1686-7

R. Grigg, Population Dynamics of Two Gorgonian Corals, Ecology, vol.58, issue.2, pp.278-290, 1977.
DOI : 10.2307/1935603

J. Gilmour, Size-structures of populations of the mushroom coral Fungia fungites: the role of disturbance, Coral Reefs, vol.23, pp.493-504, 2004.
DOI : 10.1007/s00338-004-0427-5

G. Tsounis, S. Rossi, J. Gili, and W. Arntz, Population structure of an exploited benthic cnidarian: the case study of red coral (Corallium rubrum L.), Marine Biology, vol.53, issue.4, pp.1059-1070, 2006.
DOI : 10.1007/s00227-006-0302-8

E. Alvarado-chácon and A. Acosta, Population size-structure of the reef-coral Montastraea annularis in two contrasting reefs of a marine protected area in the southern Caribbean Sea, Bull Mar Sci, vol.85, pp.61-76, 2009.

R. Bak and E. Meesters, Population Structure as a Response of Coral Communities to Global Change, American Zoologist, vol.39, issue.1, pp.56-65, 1999.
DOI : 10.1093/icb/39.1.56

R. Grigg, Age Structure of a Longevous Coral: A Relative Index of Habitat Suitability and Stability, The American Naturalist, vol.109, issue.970, pp.647-657, 1975.
DOI : 10.1086/283035

M. Weinbauer and B. Velimirov, Relative habitat suitability and stability of the Mediterranean gorgonian coral Eunicella cavolini (Coelenterata: Octocorallia), Bull Mar Sci, vol.58, pp.786-791, 1996.

J. Pérès and J. Picard, Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la Méditerranée, Rec. Trav Stat Mar Endoume, vol.31, pp.1-37, 1964.

M. True, Étude quantitative de quatre peuplements sciaphiles sur substrat rocheurs dans la région marseillaise, Bull Inst Océanogr Monaco, vol.60, pp.1-41, 1970.

E. Ballesteros, Mediterranean Coralligenous Assemblages, Oceanogr Mar Biol Ann Rev, vol.44, pp.123-195, 2006.
DOI : 10.1201/9781420006391.ch4

C. Jones, J. Lawton, and M. Shachak, Organisms as Ecosystem Engineers, Oikos, vol.69, issue.3, pp.373-386, 1994.
DOI : 10.2307/3545850

J. Gili and R. Coma, Benthic suspension feeders: their paramount role in littoral marine food webs, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, vol.13, issue.8, pp.316-321, 1998.
DOI : 10.1016/S0169-5347(98)01365-2

C. Cerrano, R. Danovaro, C. Gambi, A. Pusceddu, A. Riva et al., Gold coral (Savalia savaglia) and gorgonian forests enhance benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the mesophotic zone, Biodiversity and Conservation, vol.81, issue.Suppl 1, pp.153-167, 2010.
DOI : 10.1007/s10531-009-9712-5

M. Ponti, R. Perlini, V. Ventra, D. Grech, M. Abbiati et al., Ecological Shifts in Mediterranean Coralligenous Assemblages Related to Gorgonian Forest Loss, PLoS ONE, vol.4, issue.7, p.25054286, 2014.
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0102782.t004

R. Coma, M. Ribes, M. Zabala, and J. Gili, Growth in a Modular Colonial Marine Invertebrate, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol.47, issue.4, pp.459-470, 1998.
DOI : 10.1006/ecss.1998.0375

J. Garrabou and G. Harmelin, A 20-year study on life-history traits of a harvested long-lived temperate coral in the NW Mediterranean: insights into conservation and management needs, Journal of Animal Ecology, vol.11, issue.2, pp.966-978, 2002.
DOI : 10.1126/science.277.5325.494

O. Torrents, J. Garrabou, C. Marschal, H. Jgfrance, and . Nw-mediterranean, Age and size at first reproduction in the commercially exploited red coral Corallium rubrum (L.) in the Marseilles area (France, NW Mediterranean), Biological Conservation, vol.121, issue.3, pp.391-397, 2005.
DOI : 10.1016/j.biocon.2004.05.010
URL : https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00093827

M. Mistri and V. Ceccherelli, . I ??? Short term impacts at the population and colony levels, Italian Journal of Zoology, vol.17, issue.3, pp.221-230, 1996.
DOI : 10.2307/1541478

G. Bavestrello, C. Cerrano, D. Zanzi, and R. Cattaneo-vietti, Damage by fishing activities to the Gorgonian coralParamuricea clavata in the Ligurian Sea, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, vol.69, issue.3, pp.253-262, 1997.
DOI : 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0755(199709)7:3<253::AID-AQC243>3.0.CO;2-1

R. Coma, E. Pola, M. Ribes, and M. Zabala, LONG-TERM ASSESSMENT OF TEMPERATE OCTOCORAL MORTALITY PATTERNS, PROTECTED VS. UNPROTECTED AREAS, Ecological Applications, vol.14, issue.5, pp.1466-1478, 2004.
DOI : 10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00181-1

E. Cebrian, C. Linares, C. Marschal, and J. Garrabou, Exploring the effects of invasive algae on the persistence of gorgonian populations, Biological Invasions, vol.13, issue.12, pp.2647-2656, 2012.
DOI : 10.1007/s10530-012-0261-6

C. Cerrano, G. Bavestrello, N. Bianchi, R. Cattano-vietti, S. Bava et al., A catastrophic mass-mortality episode of gorgonians and other organisms in the Ligurian Sea (North-western Mediterranean), summer 1999, Ecology Letters, vol.28, issue.4, pp.284-293, 2000.
DOI : 10.1046/j.1461-0248.1999.00092.x

J. Garrabou, R. Coma, N. Benssoussan, M. Bally, P. Chevaldonné et al., Mass mortality in NW Mediterranean rocky benthic communities: effects of the 2003 heat wave, Global Change Biology, vol.15, pp.1090-1103, 2009.
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01787.x

S. Weinberg, Autoecology of shallow-water octocorallia from Mediterranean rocky substrata. II. Marseille , Cote d'Azur and Corsica, Bijdr Dierkd, vol.50, pp.73-86, 1980.

M. Sini, S. Kipson, C. Linares, J. Garrabou, and D. Koutsoubas, Distribution of Eunicella cavolini (Koch, 1887) across the Mediterranean Tunis: UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA, Proceedings of the 2 nd Mediterranean Symposium on the conservation of coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions, pp.235-236, 2014.

E. Topçu and B. Öztürk, Octocoral diversity of Bal?kç? Island, the Marmara Sea, J Black Sea/Medit Environ, vol.19, pp.46-57, 2013.

B. Velimirov, Orientierung der GorgonarieEunicella cavolinii zur Wasserbewegung, Helgol??nder Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen, vol.197, issue.227, pp.163-173, 1973.
DOI : 10.1007/BF01609509

B. Velimirov, Growth and Age Determination in the Sea Fan Eunicella cavolinii, Oecologia, vol.136, issue.3/4, pp.259-1272, 1975.
DOI : 10.1007/BF00345309

B. Velimirov, Variations in growth forms of Eunicella cavolinh Koch (Octocorallia) related to intensity of water movement, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol.21, issue.2, pp.109-117, 1976.
DOI : 10.1016/0022-0981(76)90032-0

A. Russo, Ecological observations on the gorgonian sea fan Eunicella cavolinii'in the Bay of Naples, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.24, pp.155-159, 1985.
DOI : 10.3354/meps024155

G. Bavestrello and F. Boero, Necrosi e rigenerazione in Eunicella cavolinii in Mar Ligure, Boll Mus Ist Biol Univ Genova, vol.52, pp.295-300, 1986.

M. Weinbauer and B. Velimirov, Morphological variations in the Mediterranean sea fan Eunicella cavolini (Coelenterata: Gorgonacea) in relation to exposure, colony size and colony region, Bull Mar Sci, vol.56, pp.283-295, 1995.

M. Weinbauer and B. Velimirov, Biomass and secondary production of the temperate gorgonian coral Eunicella cavolini (Coelenterata: Octocorallia), Mar Ecol Prog Ser, vol.12, pp.211-216, 1995.

M. Weinbauer and B. Velimirov, Population Dynamics and Overgrowth of the Sea FanEunicella cavolini(Coelenterata: Octocorallia), Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol.42, issue.5, pp.583-595, 1996.
DOI : 10.1006/ecss.1996.0038

M. Cigliano and M. Gambi, The long hot summer: Further mortality event of gorgonians along the Phlaegrean Islands (Tyrrhenian Sea), Biol Mar Mediterr, vol.14, pp.292-293, 2007.

M. Gambi, F. Barbieri, S. Singorelli, and V. Saggiomo, Mortality events along the Campania coast (Tyrrhenian Sea) in summers 2008 and 2009 and relation to thermal conditions, Biol Mar Mediterr, vol.17, pp.126-127, 2010.

C. Linares, R. Coma, D. Diaz, M. Zabala, B. Hereu et al., Immediate and delayed effects of a mass mortality event on gorgonian population dynamics and benthic community structure in the NW Mediterranean Sea, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.305, pp.127-137, 2005.
DOI : 10.3354/meps305127

R. Coma, C. Linares, M. Ribes, D. Diaz, J. Garrabou et al., Consequences of a mass mortality event in populations of Eunicella singularis (Cnidaria: Octocorallia) in Menorca

B. Halpern, S. Walbridge, K. Selkoe, C. Kappel, F. Micheli et al., A Global Map of Human Impact on Marine Ecosystems, Science, vol.319, issue.5865, pp.948-952, 2008.
DOI : 10.1126/science.1149345

C. Lejeusne, P. Chevaldonne, C. Pergent-martini, C. Boudouresque, and T. Pérez, Climate change effects on a miniature ocean: the highly diverse, highly impacted Mediterranean Sea, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, vol.25, issue.4, 2010.
DOI : 10.1016/j.tree.2009.10.009
URL : https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00618668

J. Garrabou, E. Ballesteros, and M. Zabala, Structure and Dynamics of North-western Mediterranean Rocky Benthic Communities along a Depth Gradient, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol.55, issue.3, pp.493-508, 2002.
DOI : 10.1006/ecss.2001.0920

M. Coll, C. Piroddi, J. Steenbeek, K. Kaschner, B. R. Lasram et al., The Biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: Estimates, Patterns, and Threats, PLoS ONE, vol.24, issue.59, p.20689844, 2010.
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0011842.s002

F. Micheli, B. Halpern, S. Walbridge, S. Ciriaco, F. Ferretti et al., Cumulative Human Impacts on Mediterranean and Black Sea Marine Ecosystems: Assessing Current Pressures and Opportunities, PLoS ONE, vol.15, issue.12, p.24324585, 2013.
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0079889.s001

R. Sokal and F. Rohlf, Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statistics in Biological Research, 1995.

J. Kruskal and M. Wish, Multidimensional Scaling, 1978.
DOI : 10.4135/9781412985130

M. Anderson, A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance, Austral Ecol, vol.26, pp.32-46, 2001.

K. Clarke and R. Gorley, PRIMER v6: User Manual/Tutorial. Plymouth: PRIMER-E Ltd, 2006.

M. Anderson, R. Gorley, and K. Clarke, PERMANOVA+ for PRIMER: Guide to Software and Statistical Methods. Plymouth: PRIMER-E Ltd, 2008.

M. Bo, S. Canese, C. Spaggiari, A. Pusceddu, M. Bertolino et al., Deep Coral Oases in the South Tyrrhenian Sea, PLoS ONE, vol.143, issue.11, p.23185468, 2012.
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0049870.s004

P. Watremez, Canyon heads in the French Mediterranean Overview of results from the MEDSEACAN and CORSEACAN campaings Mediterranean Submarine Canyons: Ecology and Governance. Gland and Málaga: IUCN; 2012, pp.105-112, 2008.

C. Bianchi, C. Morri, and A. Navone, I popolamenti delle scogliere rocciose sommerse dell'Area Marina Protetta di Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo (Sardegna nord-orientale). Tr scient Parc Nat Port-Cros, pp.39-85, 2010.

D. Zavodnik, A. Pallaoro, A. Jaklin, . Kova?i?, and M. Arko-pijevac, A benthos survey of the Senj Archipelago (North Adriatic Sea, Croatia), Acta Adriat, vol.46, pp.3-68, 2005.

C. Dounas, D. Koutsoubas, M. Salomidi, P. Koulouri, V. Gerovasileiou et al., Distribution and fisheries of the red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Greek seas: an overview NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP-13, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Red Coral Science, Management, and Trade: Lessons from the Mediterranean, pp.106-114, 2009.

M. Salomidi, C. Smith, S. Katsanevakis, P. Panayotidis, and V. Papathanassiou, Some observations on the structure and distribution of gorgonian assemblages in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

C. Martini and M. Brichet, Tunis: UNEP-MAP-RAC/ SPA, Proceedings of the 1 st symposium on conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions, pp.242-245, 2009.

G. Skoufas, Comparative biometry of Eunicella singularis (Gorgonian) sclerites at East Mediterranean Sea (North Aegean Sea, Greece), Marine Biology, vol.8, issue.7, pp.1365-1370, 2006.
DOI : 10.1007/s00227-006-0314-4

E. Ioannou, A. Abdel-razika, M. Zervou, D. Christofidis, A. X. Vagias et al., 5??,8??-Epidioxysterols from the gorgonian Eunicella cavolini and the ascidian Trididemnum inarmatum: Isolation and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity, Steroids, vol.74, issue.1, pp.73-80, 2009.
DOI : 10.1016/j.steroids.2008.09.007

M. Zabala and E. Ballesteros, Surface-dependent strategies and energy flux in benthic marine communities or, why corals do not exist in the Mediterranean, Sci Mar, vol.53, pp.3-17, 1989.

J. Gili, J. Murillo, and R. J. , The distribution pattern of benthic Cnidarians in the Western Mediterranean, Sci Mar, vol.53, pp.19-35, 1989.

L. Ignatiadis, Scaling the trophic status of the Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean, Journal of Sea Research, vol.54, issue.1, pp.51-57, 2005.
DOI : 10.1016/j.seares.2005.02.010

E. Bosc, A. Bricaud, and D. Antoine, Seasonal and interannual variability in algal biomass and primary production in the Mediterranean Sea, as derived from 4 years of SeaWiFS observations, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol.106, issue.3, pp.1005-1015, 2004.
DOI : 10.1029/2003GB002034

S. Weinberg, Autoecology of shallow-water Octocorallia from Mediterranean rocky substrata. I. The Banyuls area, Bijdr Dierkd, vol.49, pp.1-15, 1979.

J. Harmelin and J. Marinopoulos, Population structure and partial mortality of the gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso) in the North-Western Mediterranean (France, Port-Cros Island) Marine Life, pp.5-13, 1994.

C. Linares, O. Bianchimani, O. Torrents, C. Marschal, P. Drap et al., Marine Protected Areas and the conservation of long-lived marine invertebrates: the Mediterranean red coral, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.402, pp.69-79, 2010.
DOI : 10.3354/meps08436

R. Cupido, S. Cocito, M. Barsanti, S. Sgorbini, A. Peirano et al., Unexpected long-term population dynamics in a canopy-forming gorgonian coral following mass mortality, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.394, pp.195-200, 2009.
DOI : 10.3354/meps08260

C. Linares, M. Zabala, J. Garrabou, R. Coma, D. Diaz et al., Assessing the impact of diving in coralligenous communities: the usefulness of demographic studies of red gorgonian populations. Sci Rep Port-Cros Natl Park, pp.161-184, 2010.

M. Gambi and F. Barbieri, Population structure of the gorgonian Eunicella cavolinii in the " Grotta Azzurra " cave off Palinuro, after the mass mortality event in, Biol Mar Mediterr, vol.19, pp.174-175, 2008.

A. Gori, L. Bramanti, P. López-gonzález, J. Thoma, J. Gili et al., Characterization of the zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate morphotypes of the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunicella singularis, Marine Biology, vol.94, issue.7, pp.1485-1496, 2012.
DOI : 10.1007/s00227-012-1928-3

K. Sebens, Energetic Constraints, Size Gradients, and Size Limits in Benthic Marine Invertebrates, Integrative and Comparative Biology, vol.42, issue.4, pp.853-861, 2002.
DOI : 10.1093/icb/42.4.853

P. Yoshioka, Size-specific life history pattern of a shallow-water gorgonian, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol.184, issue.1, pp.111-122, 1994.
DOI : 10.1016/0022-0981(94)90169-4

P. Yoshioka, Are large colonies a " key factor " in the dynamics of gorgonian populations?, Rev Biol Trop, vol.446, pp.137-143, 1998.

R. Cupido, S. Cocito, V. Manno, S. Ferrando, A. Peirano et al., Sexual structure of a highly reproductive, recovering gorgonian population: quantifying reproductive output, Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol.469, pp.25-36, 2012.
DOI : 10.3354/meps09976

C. Cerrano, A. Arillo, F. Azzini, B. Calcinai, L. Castellano et al., Gorgonian population recovery after a mass mortality event, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, vol.98, issue.2, pp.147-157, 2005.
DOI : 10.1002/aqc.661

R. Cupido, S. Cocito, S. Sgorbini, A. Bordone, and G. Santangelo, Response of a gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata ) population to mortality events: recovery or loss? Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst, pp.984-992, 2008.

S. Kipson, C. Linares, H. ?i?mek, E. Cebrián, E. Ballesteros et al., Population structure and conservation status of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) in the Eastern Adriatic Sea, Mar Ecol, 2014.

S. Spatharis, G. Tsirtsis, D. Danielidis, D. Chi, T. Mouillot et al., Effects of pulsed nutrient inputs on phytoplankton assemblage structure and blooms in an enclosed coastal area, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol.73, issue.3-4, pp.807-815, 2007.
DOI : 10.1016/j.ecss.2007.03.016

S. Spatharis, N. Dolapsakis, A. Economou-amilli, G. Tsirtsis, and D. Danielidis, Dynamics of potentially harmful microalgae in a confined Mediterranean Gulf???Assessing the risk of bloom formation, Harmful Algae, vol.8, issue.5, pp.736-743, 2009.
DOI : 10.1016/j.hal.2009.03.002

S. Giakoumi, M. Sini, V. Gerovasileiou, T. Mazor, J. Bejer et al., Ecoregion-Based Conservation Planning in the Mediterranean: Dealing with Large-Scale Heterogeneity, PLoS ONE, vol.66, issue.10, p.24155901, 2013.
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0076449.s001