Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2009.09.006
Titel (primär) Historical macrobenthic community assemblages in the Avilés Canyon, N Iberian Shelf: baseline biodiversity information for a marine protected area
Autor Louzao, M.; Anadón, N.; Arrontes, J.; Álvarez-Claudio, C.; Fuente, D.M.; Ocharan, F.; Anadón, A.; Acuña, J.L.
Quelle Journal of Marine Systems
Erscheinungsjahr 2010
Department OESA
Band/Volume 80
Heft 1-2
Seite von 47
Seite bis 56
Sprache englisch
Keywords Historic biological data; Baseline biodiversity information; Macrobenthic assemblages; Marine protected areas; Bay of Biscay
Abstract Deep-sea ecosystems are highly diverse, and European countries seek to protect these environments by identifying conservation targets. One of these is the Avilés Canyon, southern Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic, Spain. We present the first analysis of historical benthic communities (1987-1988) of this canyon ecosystem, which is a valuable source of biodiversity baseline information. We found 810 taxa divided in five main macrobenthic assemblages, showing a highly diverse benthic community. Bathymetry was the major structuring agent of benthic community, separating shallow (assemblages I and II, 31 to 307 m depth) from deep stations (assemblages III, IV and V, 198 to 1400 m depth). Especially diverse was assemblage IV, located at the easternmost part of the continental slope (378-1100 m depth) where we found reef-forming corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. These and other communities (sea-pens [Order Pennatulacea, Phylum Cnidaria] and burrowing macrofauna) represent key habitats in NE Atlantic continental slopes, which are currently threatened. The present dataset has produced the most comprehensive assessment of diversity in this area to date, focusing on the taxonomic groups which may best reflect the health of the marine ecosystem and supporting previous studies which indicate that the continental slope of the southern Bay of Biscay hosts key benthic habitats.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=10264
Louzao, M., Anadón, N., Arrontes, J., Álvarez-Claudio, C., Fuente, D.M., Ocharan, F., Anadón, A., Acuña, J.L. (2010):
Historical macrobenthic community assemblages in the Avilés Canyon, N Iberian Shelf: baseline biodiversity information for a marine protected area
J. Mar. Syst. 80 (1-2), 47 - 56 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2009.09.006