Dataset Information

ReefMedMol: Mollusca from the infralittoral rocky shores - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae - in the Mediterranean Sea.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:This paper describes two datasets on the molluscan fauna from the Mediterranean infralittoral reef ecosystem - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae. The ?rst dataset is taken from the East Mediterranean node of the NAGISA project. The second one is a compilation based on the available published material in peer - reviewed journals as well as from the accessible grey literature. These datasets cover a time period of 43 years from 1969 to 2012 from several locations spanning the Mediterranean Sea. NEW INFORMATION:This dataset is the only one available from this important Mediterranean Habitat, coded as 1170 in the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and can provide valuable information on the needs of ecosystems functions and services assessment, habitat and species conservation as well as marine spatial planning.

SUBMITTER: Poursanidis D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5136646 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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ReefMedMol: Mollusca from the infralittoral rocky shores - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae - in the Mediterranean Sea.

Poursanidis Dimitris D Koutsoubas Drosos D Arvanitidis Christos C Chatzigeorgiou Giorgos G

Biodiversity data journal 20160706 4

<h4>Background</h4>This paper describes two datasets on the molluscan fauna from the Mediterranean infralittoral reef ecosystem - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae. The ﬁrst dataset is taken from the East Mediterranean node of the NAGISA project. The second one is a compilation based on the available published material in peer - reviewed journals as well as from the accessible grey literature. These datasets cover a time period of 43 years from 1969 to 2012 from several locations spanning the ...[more]

PMID: 27932901

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Project description:Gastropod assemblages from nearshore rocky habitats were studied over large spatial scales to (1) describe broad-scale patterns in assemblage composition, including patterns by feeding modes, (2) identify latitudinal pattern of biodiversity, i.e., richness and abundance of gastropods and/or regional hotspots, and (3) identify potential environmental and anthropogenic drivers of these assemblages. Gastropods were sampled from 45 sites distributed within 12 Large Marine Ecosystem regions (LME) following the NaGISA (Natural Geography in Shore Areas) standard protocol (www.nagisa.coml.org). A total of 393 gastropod taxa from 87 families were collected. Eight of these families (9.2%) appeared in four or more different LMEs. Among these, the Littorinidae was the most widely distributed (8 LMEs) followed by the Trochidae and the Columbellidae (6 LMEs). In all regions, assemblages were dominated by few species, the most diverse and abundant of which were herbivores. No latitudinal gradients were evident in relation to species richness or densities among sampling sites. Highest diversity was found in the Mediterranean and in the Gulf of Alaska, while highest densities were found at different latitudes and represented by few species within one genus (e.g. Afrolittorina in the Agulhas Current, Littorina in the Scotian Shelf, and Lacuna in the Gulf of Alaska). No significant correlation was found between species composition and environmental variables (r?0.355, p>0.05). Contributing variables to this low correlation included invasive species, inorganic pollution, SST anomalies, and chlorophyll-a anomalies. Despite data limitations in this study which restrict conclusions in a global context, this work represents the first effort to sample gastropod biodiversity on rocky shores using a standardized protocol across a wide scale. Our results will generate more work to build global databases allowing for large-scale diversity comparisons of rocky intertidal assemblages.

Dataset Information

ReefMedMol: Mollusca from the infralittoral rocky shores - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae - in the Mediterranean Sea.

Publications

ReefMedMol: Mollusca from the infralittoral rocky shores - the biocoenosis of photophilic algae - in the Mediterranean Sea.

Similar Datasets

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