Highly diverse molluscan assemblages of Posidonia oceanica meadows in northwestern Alboran Sea (W Mediterranean): Seasonal dynamics and environmental drivers

Urra, Javier; Mateo-Ramírez, Ángel; Marina, Pablo; Salas, Carmen; Gofas, Serge; Rueda, José L.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2012.11.005

Cited by 44 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The latter indicates a high mortality and settlement rate in this vegetated habitat where most species have short life cycles, and may also be affected by different negative impacts, such as trampling (Milazzo et al, 2000) and urban pollution (Worm & Lotze, 2006) during summer, and by a strong input of fresh water due to rainy weather in autumn and winter. The trophic structure is similar to that observed in other vegetated habitats, such as seagrasses (Rueda et al, 2009;Urra et al, 2013a).…”

Section: Variablessupporting

confidence: 56%

“…The potential flux of species, either due to the wave action or the active movement of species across habitats, favours a rich faunal assemblage in all of them and increments the feeding guilds in each habitat. The same trend was also found in seagrass beds (Urra et al, 2013a). The most species-rich trophic group in the algal turf was that of microalgae and periphyton grazers, followed by seston and plankton feeders, carnivores sensu lato, ectoparasites and specialist carnivores, and scavengers.…”

Section: Variablessupporting

confidence: 55%

“…Each molluscan species was assigned to a trophic group essentially following the categories considered by Rueda et al (2009) and checking previously published papers (Rueda et al, 2009;Gofas et al, 2011;Urra et al, 2013aUrra et al, , 2013b.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temporal variation of the algae-associated molluscan assemblage of artificial substrata in Bay of Tunis (Tunisia)

et al. 2013

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The molluscan assemblage inhabiting photophilous algae from artificial rocky shores in the Bay of Tunis) was studied from February 2009 to February 2010. Five monthly replicates were taken with a quadrate of 25 × 25 cm. A total of 16105 individuals of molluscs, belonging to 93 species, were collected. Gastropods were the most species-rich group, with 66 species (70.96%), followed by bivalves with 26 species (27.95%). Gastropods were also the most abundant with 11529 individuals (71.60%), followed by bivalves with 4575 individuals (28.41%). Nevertheless, Mytilaster minimus was the dominant species overall during the studied period (15.6% of total abundance), followed by Tricolia miniata (11.6%), Bittium reticulatum (11.5%), Gibbula racketti (10.4%) and Rissoa similis (9.8%). The high abundance of juveniles of soft (e.g. Venerupis aurea, Nassarius corniculum) and hard bottom species (e.g. M. minimus, Fissurella nubecula) highlight the important role played by this habitat as a nursery for species from nearby habitats. The presence of the alien molluscs Mitrella psilla (2.5% dominance) and Arcuatula senhousia stresses the importance of algae as a vehicle and/or receptor habitat for alien species. Species richness and abundance displayed significant seasonal changes, with maxima in winter 2009, but the Shannon-Wiener diversity index showed similar values throughout the year. Multivariate analyses also indicated the presence of significant seasonal differences for this molluscan assemblage.

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Section: Variablessupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Variablessupporting

confidence: 55%

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Temporal variation of the algae-associated molluscan assemblage of artificial substrata in Bay of Tunis (Tunisia)

et al. 2013

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“…Seasonality is a common feature in vegetated-bottom assemblages (Rueda et al, 2003a(Rueda et al, , 2008Urra et al, 2013b), but not so common in soft-bottom assemblages (Urra et al, 2013a). In this case, most of these changes were related to few dominant species that were abundant only in some periods, such as M. subpictus and the non-indigenous P. emertoni in winter, which are associated with vegetated habitats, or to the strong reduction of the species richness in summer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonality and trophic diversity in molluscan assemblages from the Bay of Tunis (southern Mediterranean Sea)

et al. 2016

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Soft bottom molluscan assemblages from the Bay of Tunis have been studied in order to analyse their seasonality and trophic diversity in relation to environmental variables. A total of 147 species of molluscs was identified, with gastropods displaying the highest species richness and bivalves the highest abundances, and including five non-indigenous species such as the dominant ectoparasite Polycerella emertoni. Carnivorous and scavenger gastropods were among the most frequent species, reflecting a diverse benthic community. Seasonal changes were significant, being more acute at 3-4 m than at 10-15 m depth, and were driven mainly by seawater temperature and percentage of organic matter in the sediment. The high affluence of tourists in summer was coincident with high decreases in species richness and abundance of molluscs, together with a strong siltation of the sediment. Nevertheless, most trophic groups remained and the trophic diversity was relatively high. Significant relationships were found between the index of trophic diversity and Shannon-Wiener diversity and evenness indices, suggesting that the identity of the species with its particular trophic trait, together with the good distribution of the individuals among the species (density) would be the drivers for the maintenance of the molluscan food web under environmental stress. The abundance of P. emertoni altered the trophic structure of the molluscan assemblage, with the ectoparasite trophic group reaching an unusual punctual higher dominance. Soft bottom molluscan assemblages of the Bay of Tunis should be taken into account in monitoring programs for anthropogenic impacts and non-indigenous species trends throughout the Mediterranean basin.

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“…Epiphytic algae play an important trophic role in sustaining the grazing chain with a wide range of grazing organisms, among which gastropod molluscs play a very important role. Prosobranch species are the principal microalgal consumers of seagrass biofilm (Orth & Van Montfrans 1984) and are among the most important components of the vagile fauna of the leaf stratum, in terms of abundance and species richness (Mazzella & Russo 1989;Gambi et al 1992;Russo & Terlizzi 1997;Templado et al 2004;Albano & Sabelli 2012;Urra et al 2013). Though the prosobranch community ecology of P. oceanica beds has been widely studied (Idato et al 1983;Templado 1984;Russo et al 1984aRusso et al , 1984bRusso et al , 1985Russo et al 2002), little is known about the demography and the structure of populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population ecology ofGibbula umbilicarisandGibbula ardens(Gastropoda: Trochidae) in aPosidonia oceanicaseagrass bed

Donnarumma

Bruno

Terlizzi

et al. 2015

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Population structures of the gastropods Gibbula umbilicaris and Gibbula ardens (Trochidae), the two most common species of the genus Gibbula living in shallow beds of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, were investigated in the seagrass bed off Lacco Ameno of Ischia (Gulf of Naples), at six stations along a depth gradient (1, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 25 m). Sampling was performed on a monthly basis for 1 year. A total of 853 individuals were counted and measured. The two gastropod populations analysed show a rather similar distributional trend in all seasons and depths. Recruitment occurred at the shallowest stations (1-3 m depth), where the populations were characterised by higher values of abundance and biomass, confirming that G. umbilicaris and G. ardens are typical species of the shallow community of P. oceanica seagrass beds. Juveniles were exclusively found in 1 month of the whole year: G. umbilicaris in April, G. ardens in July. The survivorship curves of both Gibbula species, derived from the size-frequency distribution of shells, showed a very low mortality rate in the first months after settlement. Demographic analysis of G. umbilicaris suggests a rather slow growth rate and a polymorphic maturation strategy with a lifespan of 1 year for most individuals, but lifespan may also reach about 2 years in a few specimens. Gibbula ardens has a lifespan of about 1 year and a fast growth rate, especially during the first couple of months after settlement. Therefore, on the basis of lifespan and recruitment time, both species seem to be semelparous.

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Highly diverse molluscan assemblages of Posidonia oceanica meadows in northwestern Alboran Sea (W Mediterranean): Seasonal dynamics and environmental drivers

Cited by 44 publications

References 36 publications

Temporal variation of the algae-associated molluscan assemblage of artificial substrata in Bay of Tunis (Tunisia)

Temporal variation of the algae-associated molluscan assemblage of artificial substrata in Bay of Tunis (Tunisia)

Seasonality and trophic diversity in molluscan assemblages from the Bay of Tunis (southern Mediterranean Sea)

Population ecology ofGibbula umbilicarisandGibbula ardens(Gastropoda: Trochidae) in aPosidonia oceanicaseagrass bed

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