Benthic Macrofauna Associated with Submerged Bottoms of a Tectonic Estuary in Tropical Eastern Pacific

Abstract

The composition and distribution of the main associations of submerged macrobenthos of Bahía Málaga (Colombian pacific coast), were studied in relation to the distribution of hard and soft substrates and some abiotic factors. Eight localities were sampled during six months: three in the external border of the estuary and five in the inner part. In total, 728 organisms were registered, belonging to 207 species, 132 genera, 86 families, and 14 orders of six invertebrate groups (Porifera, Cnidaria, Polychaeta, Mollusca, Crustacea, and Echinodermata). The submerged bottoms presented soft and hard substrates, with rocks and thick sand in five sites, soft bottoms with fine sand in one, and soft bottoms with slime and clay in two. The temperature and salinity values were higher in the external localities, while dissolved oxygen and pH were higher in the internal localities. The localities with hard substrates presented the highest richness of species while the soft substrates, were characterized by a paucity of species and individuals. The similarity classification analyses showed two groups: one characterized by having 61 species in common and high richness with 113 exclusive species. The other group with low diversity and richness values, 37 species in common and 23 exclusive species.

Checklist of benthonic marine invertebrates from Malaga Bay (Isla Palma and Los Negritos), Colombian Pacific

“…However, the number of species collected can be strongly influenced by sampling effort. Almost all of the species reported in this work, have been already reported by other authors working in the bay (Invemar et al 2006, Lazarus-Agudelo and Cantera-Kintz 2007, Guevara-Fletcher et al 2011. Nevertheless, there is a new report for Isla Palma (Neogonodactylus stanschi, Table 1) expanding its range within the bay.…”

“…The higher species number in this site is explained in terms of their substrate composition: a considerable number of boulders and some of these rocks, which serve as a habitat for infauna, were removed and sampled. The comparison of the study to previous ones (Guevara-Fletcher 2006, Invemar et al 2006, Guevara-Fletcher et al 2011 and six for Los Negritos (B. reeveana, T. biangulata, Cardita affinis, Periglypta multicostata, Gastrochaena ovata and Pholadidea tubifera).…”

Peces criptobentónicos en el Parque Nacional Natural Uramba Bahía Málaga (Colombia), Pacífico Oriental Tropical

“…70 % de las especies y 85 % de los individuos encontrados en ese estudio) y detritívoros en la comunidad de peces criptobentónicos compared to the other areas. Furthermore, it is considered one of the most biodiverse areas (Cantera-Kintz, 1991;Guevara-Fletcher et al, 2011) of the Uramba NNP. The composition of families in Los Negritos is similar to that observed in the tidalpools of the Gorgona National Natural Park (Castellanos-Galindo et al, 2014), where coral reefs can be found adjacent to the intertidal zone.…”

Estructura de la comunidad y distribución vertical de la macrofauna de fondos blandos en isla Gorgona, Pacífico Colombiano

“…En otras localidades del Pacífico colombiano (e.g. Cantera et al, 1979;Herrera, 2002;Lucero et al, 2006;Guevara-Fletcher et al, 2011;Herrera 2011), y en diferentes ambientes tropicales (e.g. López et al, 2002;Guzmán-Alvis et al, 2006;Mair et al, 2009;Cortés 2010), la composición del sedimento ha sido identificado como el principal factor que modula la estructura de las comunidades de los fondos blandos submareales.…”