scholarly journals Molluscs collected with otter trawl in the northern Alboran Sea: main assemblages, spatial distribution and environmental linkage

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
CRISTINA CIÉRCOLES ◽  
CRISTINA GARCÍA-RUIZ ◽  
MARIA GONZÁLEZ AGUILAR ◽  
JOSÉ M. ORTIZ DE URBINA GUTIERREZ ◽  
NIEVES MARIA LÓPEZ-GONZÁLEZ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Octopus Vulgaris ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Benthic Species ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Life Styles ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Demersal Species ◽  
Alborán Sea ◽  
Upper Slope

Molluscan assemblages of circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms of the northern Alboran Sea were studied using an experimental otter trawl. Samples of fauna were collected from 190 hauls during four MEDITS surveys carried out in spring between 2012 and 2015 at depths ranging from 30 to 800 m. Measurements of water column variables (temperature and salinity) and sediment samples were taken in the same locations where faunistic sampling was carried out. A total of 101 species grouped in 55 families were recorded. Cephalopods were the most abundant group, with Abralia veranyi dominating in abundance, Octopus vulgaris in biomass and Illex coindetii and Todarodes sagittatus being the most frequently collected species. Multivariate analyses carried out separately with abundance data of demersal species, benthic species, bivalves, gastropods and cephalopods as well as of all molluscs, generally resulted in three main molluscan assemblages corresponding to a shelf assemblage (30-200 m depth), an upper slope assemblage (201-350 m depth), and a middle slope assemblage (351-800 m depth). PERMANOVA test revealed that significant differences of different groups of molluscs in relation to depth were more acute than to geographical sectors of the Alboran Sea (eastern, central, eastern and insular sectors). Abundance, biomass and species richness decreased with depth with a clear dominance of cephalopods in the slope. Significant geographical differences were mainly detected for demersal and benthic species as well as for gastropods and cephalopods between the insular sector (Alboran Island) and the western and eastern continental sectors. Both depth and temperature were the most influencing variables in the different CCA analyses using datasets of molluscs with different life styles and from different classes, but sedimentological variables displayed a more acute significant relationship with the benthic molluscs than with the demersal ones.

scholarly journals Contrasting molluscan fauna collected with beam trawl and otter trawl in circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms of the northern Alboran Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moya-Urbano Elena ◽  
Ciércoles Cristina ◽  
Gonzalez Maria ◽  
Gallardo-Núñez Marina ◽  
Ordines Francesc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Beam Trawl ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Molluscan Fauna ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Alborán Sea

Biodiversity and spatio-temporal changes of benthic and demersal assemblages of circalittoral soft bottoms of the Bay of Málaga (northern Alboran Sea)

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. 1709-1720
Author(s):  
Elena Moya-Urbano ◽  
Javier Urra ◽  
Pablo Marina ◽  
Marina Gallardo-núñez ◽  
J. Enrique García Raso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Community ◽  
Coarse Sand ◽  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
Sediment Types ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Alborán Sea

AbstractThe Bay of Málaga is located in a high biodiversity and productivity area that harbours a wide variety of commercial species exploited by different fishing fleets. Benthic and demersal fauna from circalittoral soft bottoms have been studied using a benthic dredge (BD) (8 sampling stations) and an otter trawl (OT) (8 sampling stations on a seasonal basis). Some sediment and water column variables, as well as the trawling activity, have also been studied and used for analysing their linkage with the fauna. A total of 287 species have been found in these bottoms and fish, molluscs and crustaceans represented the most diverse and abundant faunistic groups. A new record of the decapod Hippolyte leptometrae for Spanish waters is also included in this study. Some multivariate analyses using BD samples indicated the presence of three assemblages, but these seem to represent different facies of a single benthic community due to the absence of acute sediment changes and significant differences in the fauna. OT samples only displayed differences related to seasons but not to sediment types or depth. These seasonal differences seem to be linked to biological and ecological features of both dominant and/or commercial species. Mud and organic matter contents (%OM) in sediment, as well as the temperature, were the main variables linked to the spatial distribution of the benthic community identified with BD, whereas medium and coarse sand as well as gravel contents were the main variables linked to the changes of the epibenthic and demersal assemblage resulting from OT samples. The information of this study is of importance for improving the knowledge on the biodiversity of circalittoral soft bottoms of the Mediterranean and Alboran Sea as well as for the potential creation of a Marine Fisheries Reserve in the Bay of Málaga.

scholarly journals Preliminary characterization of echinoderm assemblages in circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms of the northern Alboran Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moya-Urbano Elena ◽  
Moya Francina ◽  
Mateo-Ramírez Ángel ◽  
Gallardo-Núñez Marina ◽  
Ordines Francesc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Preliminary Characterization ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Alborán Sea

Sublittoral soft bottom assemblages within a Marine Protected Area of the northern Alboran Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 871-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Marina ◽  
José L. Rueda ◽  
Javier Urra ◽  
Carmen Salas ◽  
Serge Gofas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Alborán Sea

The composition and structure of sublittoral faunal assemblages inhabiting soft bottoms (15–72 m depth) within the Marine Protected Area ‘Acantilados y Fondos Marinos de Calahonda-Castell de Ferro’ in southern Spain (North Alboran Sea, Mediterranean) have been studied in relation to sediment and water column variables. Three assemblages were identified and corresponded to mixed bottom, unstable bottom and coastal detritic bottom assemblages, based on Pérès & Picard's (1964) benthic classification. A total of 14,318 individuals were collected and 218 species identified, molluscs being the best represented group (141 species). Species richness displayed significant differences with depth and transect, with the highest values observed in the medium to very fine sand and muddy bottoms with bioclasts located at the shallowest sampling stations. The presence of some rare and poorly known invertebrates that are scarce in other areas of the Mediterranean Sea is remarkable, such as the crustacean decapods Bythocaris cosmetops and Pagurus mbizi, Atlantic species with no records in the Mediterranean Sea, and the bathyal molluscs Poromya granulata and Alvania testae, collected at shallow depths. The spatial distribution of faunal assemblages was mainly related to depth and percentage of gravel and clay according to the canonical correspondence analysis. The geographic location of the area, the heterogeneity of soft bottoms and the presence of upwellings in the area may favour the high biodiversity found in the studied soft bottoms. This study increases the scarce knowledge of the circalittoral fauna of sedimentary habitats of the Alboran Sea, providing a baseline for the management of this interesting SCI and for the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

scholarly journals Malacofauna from soft bottoms in the Cerro Gordo marine cave (Alboran Sea): biodiversity and spatial distribution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
LIDIA PINO de la TORRE ◽  
CARLOS NAVARRO-BARRANCO ◽  
SERGE GOFAS
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Gradient ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Cave Sediments ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Molluscan Fauna ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Submarine Cave ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance ◽  
First Time ◽  
Alborán Sea

The molluscan fauna of Cerro Gordo submarine cave, in the Spanish part of the Alboran Sea, is studied for the first time. The cave bottom spans from 16 m deep at its entrance to the sea level at its innermost section. Replicate soft bottom samples were collected from three different stations, along the horizontal gradient of the cave. Additional samples were collected on photophilous hard bottoms next to the cave entrance, in order to assess the origin of cave bioclasts. The cave sediments contained 158 species of molluscs (23 collected alive and 155 recorded only as shells), more than in Mediterranean cave sediments elsewhere. Species richness and abundance of molluscs decreased from the outermost to the innermost part of the cave. No cave-exclusive species were found, possibly due to the scarcity of caves in the Alboran Sea, but many of the recorded species are known from other Mediterranean caves. The lack of adult individuals for most of the living species inside the cave suggests that these do not constitute self-maintaining populations. Finally, our results suggest that bioclasts found in the sediment do not derive from the outside of the cave nor from the sediment itself, but mostly from the communities inhabiting the walls and ceiling of the cave.

scholarly journals Spatial distribution, inter-annual variability and influence of abiotic factors on molluscan assemblages collected with otter trawl in the northen Alborán Sea.

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciércoles Cristina ◽  
García-Ruiz Cristina ◽  
González Maria ◽  
López-González Nieves ◽  
Tuite Patrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Otter Trawl ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Annual Variability ◽  
Alborán Sea

Relationships between Octopus vulgaris landings and environmental factors in the northern Alboran Sea (Southwestern Mediterranean)

2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vargas-Yáñez ◽  
F. Moya ◽  
M. García-Martínez ◽  
J. Rey ◽  
M. González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Octopus Vulgaris ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Alborán Sea

A species-rich molluscan assemblage in a coralligenous bottom of the Alboran Sea (south-western Mediterranean): intra-annual changes and ecological considerations

2011 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Urra ◽  
José L. Rueda ◽  
Serge Gofas ◽  
Pablo Marina ◽  
Carmen Salas
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Index ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Wiener Diversity Index ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Soft Bottoms ◽  
Molluscan Assemblage ◽  
Alborán Sea

The composition and structure of a molluscan assemblage inhabiting an outcrop with a coralligenous community was studied in southern Spain. A total of 117 molluscan species were identified, with gastropods as the dominant group. Calyptraea chinensis was the dominant species and the family Conidae presented the highest number of species. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index and the Evenness showed non-significant changes between cold and warm months, displaying high values (~4 bits and ~0.8 bits respectively). Some of the dominant and/or frequent species are strictly associated with coralligenous-building organisms, such as Neosimnia spelta with gorgonians. Regarding trophic guilds, carnivores are the dominant group, followed by filter feeders due to the high abundance of C. chinensis. Regarding biogeographical distributions, most of these species (<95%) are widely distributed in European waters, the number of strictly Mediterranean species being very low. The Alboran Sea represents the distributional limit towards the Mediterranean for some species found in this bottom, such as the Atlantic Bela powisiana. Rocky–coralligenous bottoms are scarce in the western Alboran Sea but support a high species richness molluscan assemblage, displaying higher diversity values than the surrounding soft bottoms and increasing the biodiversity at local scale. This high biodiversity is partly explained by the coexistence of different taxa with contrasting biogeographical affinities promoted by the geographical location of the area. Due to this, conservation efforts should be required to protect this stretch of coastline where one of the most biodiverse invertebrate assemblages along the European coasts can be found.

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