The Portuguese coast has overlapping distributions of species of both boreal and Lusitanian origins; a large number of cold-and warm-water species have their southern or northern distributional range edges here. A latitudinal gradient in ocean climate, particularly sea surface temperature (SST) and primary production, has been described along this coast. Here, we took advantage of this gradient in ocean climate to explore affinities in the biogenic landscape structure of subtidal shallow reefs (the abundance of habitat patches), as well as in the assemblage structure of macroalgae and associated fishes, between each of 3 regions: Viana do Castelo (41.5°N), Peniche (39.2°N) and Sines (37.8°N). Five reefs were sampled to determine the abundance of biogenic habitats and the assemblage structure of macroalgae and fishes in each region. The structure of the landscape, and of macroalgal and fish assemblages, differed between Viana do Castelo and Peniche and between Viana do Castelo and Sines, but not between Peniche and Sines. Viana do Castelo was the only region with conspicuous kelp forests, while Peniche and Sines were dominated by patches of foliose turf-forming and filamentous algae. Our study revealed an abrupt macroecological change from northern Portugal to central and southern Portugal, suggesting a possible biogeographical reconfiguration and recognition of a wider transitional area from the Atlantic into Mediterranean waters.KEY WORDS: Latitude · Macroecology · Habitat structure · Assemblage structure · Kelps · Fishes · Rocky reefs · Atlantic Ocean Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 466: [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] 2012 distribution, abundance and fitness of organisms may be relevant for predicting the effects of climate change, because shifts in distribution patterns along these gradients are among the principal detectable responses to climate change by both aquatic and terrestrial organisms (Southward et al. 1995, Walther et al. 2002, Parmesan & Yohe 2003, Poloczanska et al. 2007, Hawkins et al. 2009, Wernberg et al. 2011b.In the marine realm, biogeographic classifications are a crucial tool for reaching international agreements in marine conservation. Biogeographic units have been defined using sets of hierarchical criteria, within which the biogeographic affinities of biological entities and assemblages are a key component (Lüning 1990, Spalding et al. 2007. Considerable heterogeneity in the composition and abundance of biological communities may exist within any particular biogeographic level, mainly within large spatial units, and so a more detailed classification system is recommended (Spalding et al. 2007, Waters et al. 2010. This is particularly pertinent as shifts in the distributional ranges of several species are occurring in most oceans of the globe as a result of global change (e.g. Southward et al. 1995, Last et al. 2011, Philippart et al. 2011, Wernberg et al. 2012. In this context, it is crucial to tes...

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Jacinto, D., Cruz, T., Silva, T., and Castro, J. J. 2010. Stalked barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) harvesting in the Berlengas Nature Reserve, Portugal: temporal variation and validation of logbook data. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 19–25. Stalked barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) exploitation at the Berlengas Nature Reserve, Portugal, by professional harvesters has been subject to specific regulation since 2000. The only available information on barnacle exploitation there comes from catch reports (logbooks) provided by the harvesters. We evaluated the quality of the logbook information, described the temporal patterns of P. pollicipes fishing effort from 2000 to 2006 based on the logbook data, and modelled the daily fishing effort in relation to variability in oceanographic conditions. Results suggest different levels of reliability for the information contained in the logbooks: (i) information on the date of harvest seems to be reliable because 83% of the observed harvest dates were also declared; (ii) information on the quantity harvested shows a large discrepancy (mean = 31.8%) between declared and observed amounts, but we believe it can be used to analyse temporal patterns of exploitation, because there was no systematic bias (under- and overreporting was to the same extent). The total quantity of barnacles harvested between 2000 and 2006 (∼16 t year−1) was closely related to the effort applied. Daily harvesting effort was considered a function of two predictive variables (significant wave height and tidal range) and of their interaction. Neither the harvesting activity nor the resource itself seems to be at risk of collapse if such levels of pressure are maintained, but efforts should be made to increase surveillance and monitoring within the marine protected area.