The cumacean community associated with a seaweed as a bioindicator of environmental conditions in the Algeciras Bay (Strait of Gibraltar)
Alfonso, M.I.; Bandera, M.E.; López-Gonzáles, P.J.; García-Gómez, J.C. (1998). The cumacean community associated with a seaweed as a bioindicator of environmental conditions in the Algeciras Bay (Strait of Gibraltar). Cah. Biol. Mar. 39(2): 197-205
In: Cahiers de Biologie Marine. Station Biologique de Roscoff: Paris. ISSN 0007-9723; e-ISSN 2262-3094, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Alfonso, M.I.
- Bandera, M.E.
- López-Gonzáles, P.J.
- García-Gómez, J.C.
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| Abstract |
In order to know the spatio-temporal distribution of a cumacean community and its role as a bioindicator of different environmental conditions, a representative seaweed (Halopteris scoparia), with which cumaceans are associated, was sampled in different stations in Algeciras Bay during one year. Five stations were sampled seasonally, and eight environmental factors were tested (temperature, hydrodynamism, silting, dissolved organic matter, organic matter in silt, suspended solids, compactness index, and interstitial volume). The physico-chemical study showed that the bay comprised an internal and an external areas, while the spatio-temporal study revealed the presence of three cumacean species, Cumella limicola, Nannastacus unguiculatus and Scherocumella longirostris. There was a clear difference in the distribution and the abundance of these species. In fact, C. limicola was more abundant in the inner area of the bay, whereas N. unguiculatus was more abundant in the outer area. Multivariate analyses were performed to explain the structure of this community along the different stations of the bay. The segregation was significantly related to hydrodynamism and algal parameters (interstitial volume and compactness index). |
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