Decapod crustacean assemblages on trawlable grounds in the northern Alboran Sea and Gulf of Vera

This study analyses the samples collected annually (2012 to 2018) on circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms (30 to 800 m) by the MEDITS surveys in the northern Alboran Sea (including Alboran Island) and the Gulf of Vera to determine the composition, structure and distribution of decapod crustacean a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia marina 2022-09, Vol.86 (3), p.e039
Main Authors: Ciércoles, Cristina, García-Ruíz, Cristina, Abelló, Pere, Hidalgo, Manuel, Torres, Pedro, González, María, Mateo-Ramírez, Ángel, Rueda, José Luis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Additives
Alboran Sea
Aquatic crustaceans
assemblages
Biodiversity
circalittoral
Crustaceans
decapods
Depth
Distribution
Ecological effects
Environmental effects
Fishing
GAM
Geographical distribution
Geomorphology
Hydrology
Marine crustaceans
Multidimensional scaling
Scaling
Shelving
Species diversity
Species richness
Surveys
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Summary:This study analyses the samples collected annually (2012 to 2018) on circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms (30 to 800 m) by the MEDITS surveys in the northern Alboran Sea (including Alboran Island) and the Gulf of Vera to determine the composition, structure and distribution of decapod crustacean assemblages. A total of 94 decapod crustacean species were identified. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed depth to be the main factor for distinguishing four main decapod assemblages: the inner shelf (30-100 m depth), outer shelf (101-200 m), upper slope (201-500 m) and middle slope (501-800 m). PERMANOVA analyses revealed further significant depth-related differences between three established geographical sectors of the study area (northern Alboran Sea, Gulf of Vera and Alboran Island). Generalized additive model analyses were used to assess the bathymetrical, geographical and environmental effects on the ecological indices of each assemblage. Results showed that depth and the geographical effect were the main drivers in all cases. Decreases in abundance and increases in species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou’s evenness indices with depth were detected. This study shows the primacy of depth and geographical effect on the distribution of decapod species in the study area, in alignment with findings from other parts of the Mediterranean Sea.
ISSN:0214-8358
1886-8134
DOI:10.3989/scimar.05265.039