Geomorphological, trophic and human influences on the bamboo coral Isidella elongata assemblages in the deep Mediterranean: To what extent does Isidella form habitat for fish and invertebrates?

To what extent can specialized species succeed in the deep sea? The biology and trophic ecology of deep-sea spiny eels (Notacanthidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

“…N. bonapartei was listed as a fish associated with deep-living Isididae in studies based on images or trawling (e.g. Maynou and Cartes, 2011;Cartes et al, 2013). However, such approaches, based on the capture of the two species in the same hauls, do not reveal the predator-prey nature of the association or the capacity of bamboo corals for generating habitat for other deep-sea species , and can even give opposite results (D'Onghia et al, 2003).…”

“…Notacanthids are represented in the Mediterranean by species reaching high abundance in deep-sea assemblages (Stefanescu , 1992a;Fanelli et al, 2013;Cartes et al, 2013Cartes et al, , 2015. In the Northeastern Atlantic notacanthids are also among the 10 most abundant species in fish communities (Gordon et al, 1996).…”

“…Except 14 specimens of N. bonapartei collected over fishing grounds, all specimens analyzed provide from pristine areas (below 900 m depths), or from areas submitted to low fishing impact (e.g. off Ebro Delta, Cartes et al, 2013). Food items were identified to species or the lowest possible taxonomic level.…”

Overview of the conservation status of Mediterranean anthozoa

“…The destructive potential of this type of fishing has been demonstrated at multiple Mediterranean sites (as well as in other regions) with a strong reduction in the density of bamboo corals along both the western and eastern Mediterranean basins (Cartes et al 2013;Peres andPicard 1964, Arena andLiGreci 1973;Relini 1986;Fabri et al 2014), and in the density of sea pens such as F. quandrangularis in Adriatic grounds and elsewhere (Tudela 2004). The negative effects of bottom trawling on cold water coral communities has also been documented over several years in the Atlantic, especially in relation to Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata.…”

“…Probably under the socio-economic pressures of trawlers and also because the ecological importance of this species was not clear back then, no action has ever been made to preserve these populations. Highly disturbed populations have been detected in French, Italian and Catalan trawling grounds where the extinction rate has been proven to be very rapid under the current fishing pressure (Cartes et al 2013).…”