Temporal variability of sedimentation rates and mobile fauna inside and outside a gorgonian garden
Valisano, L.; Notari, F.; Mori, M.; Cerrano, C. (2016). Temporal variability of sedimentation rates and mobile fauna inside and outside a gorgonian garden. Mar. Ecol. (Berl.) 37(6): 1303-1314. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/maec.12328
In: Marine Ecology (Berlin). Blackwell: Berlin. ISSN 0173-9565; e-ISSN 1439-0485, more
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| Keywords |
Octocorallia [WoRMS]; Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1827) [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Associated fauna; coralligenous; ecosystem engineer; Ligurian sea; Octocorallia; Paramuricea clavata; sedimentation |
| Authors | | Top | Dataset |
- Valisano, L.
- Notari, F.
- Mori, M.
- Cerrano, C.
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| Abstract |
Paramuricea clavata (Cnidaria, Octocorallia) is an important ecosystem engineer of coralligenous assemblages increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and climate changes. As climate warming is predicted to continue in the coming years it is important to hypothesize future scenarios. Here we tested the influence of gorgonian colonies on sedimentation rates and vagile fauna trends, comparing sediments collected by traps inside and outside a gorgonian garden, in a coralligenous community of the Western Ligurian Sea, at 32 m depth, over a period of 1 year. The results indicated that sea fans created a sort of homeostatic effect on the surrounding habitat. We found evidence that where gorgonian colonies were present, the monthly fluctuations of sediments rate were lower than outside a garden. Gorgonian colonies also influenced the distribution of the associated vagile fauna; these organisms were generally more abundant inside than outside the garden. The data collected in this work appear to confirm the role of P. clavata as an ecosystem engineer, affecting biomass and variability of the surrounding habitat at both spatial and temporal scales. |
| Dataset |
- Linares, Cristina; Figuerola, Laura; Gómez-Gras, Daniel; Pagès-Escolà, Marta; Olvera, Àngela, Aubach, Àlex; Amate, Roger; Figuerola, Blanca; Kersting, Diego; Ledoux, Jean-Baptiste; López-Sanz, Àngel; López-Sendino, Paula; Medrano, Alba; Garrabou, Joaquim; (2020); CorMedNet- Distribution and demographic data of habitat-forming invertebrate species from Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages between 1882 and 2019, more
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