Demosponge distribution in the eastern Mediterranean: a NW–SE gradient

Voultsiadou, Eleni

doi:10.1007/s10152-005-0224-8

Cited by 54 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Consequently, it is vital to study these unique habitats in order to better understand their role in the local ecosystem and determine how best to protect them. Voultsiadou (2009) analyzed the spatial distribution of the Mediterranean sponge fauna and revealed a north-north-west to south-south-east gradient in sponge diversity, rather than the commonly accepted west-east gradient (Voultsiadou, 2005a;Coll et al, 2010;Mouillot et al, 2011;Coll et al, 2012). Nonetheless, we hypothesized that this gradient might not be as steep as described, and that the Levant's low sponge biodiversity could be the result of lower research efforts in the Eastern-Mediterranean region (Van Soest et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Whereas sponge fauna of the Western Mediterranean has been studied quite thoroughly, data on the Levant fauna are scarce (see Carteron, 2002;Perez et al, 2004;Voultsiadou, 2005aVoultsiadou, , 2009Vacelet et al, 2007;Vacelet et al, 2008;Evcen & Cinar., 2012;Van Soest et al, 2012;Topaloglu et al, 2014). Specifically, current knowledge on the sponge fauna of the Mediterranean coast of Israel is outdated, limited to the shallow waters, and derived from several old publications, including surveys of the benthic fauna in the bay of Haifa conducted in the 1950s (Levi, 1957;Gottlieb, 1959).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Shedding light on an East-Mediterranean mesophotic sponge ground community and the regional sponge fauna

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sponges are a diverse and abundant phylum, globally occupying many hard-bottom habitats. However, data on East-Mediterranean sponge communities are scarce, outdated, and mostly concern the shallow waters. This study aimed to expand the knowledge on poriferan fauna along Israel's Mediterranean coast. A newly-discovered mesophotic sponge ground at ~100 m depth was studied using a Remotely-Operated Vehicle, while shallow-water surveys were conducted by scuba diving. In this mesophotic ecosystem, sponges serve as environmental engineers, creating complex 3D structures that attract invertebrates and fish. Quantitative surveys of the mesophotic sponge ground revealed a rich and diverse sponge community with a high percentage cover (~35%). Several mesophotic species are reported for the first time from the Levantine Sea, while others might be novel species. Here we report 111 sponge species along the Mediterranean coast of Israel (from our current surveys and previous studies), 36 of which were collected from the mesophotic habitat. The updated sponge list supports the hypothesis that the sponge diversity in the Levantine Sea is not as species-poor as previously considered. A comparison of the sponge community composition between the shallow waters and the mesophotic depth revealed only partial overlap, with merely a few species thriving along the entire depth range. The mesophotic habitat was found to harbor some species that seem to have disappeared from the shallow habitats decades ago, suggesting that the former may serve as refugia for species stressed by rising temperatures in shallow waters, and that this deeper habitat thus require protection from negative anthropogenic influences.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shedding light on an East-Mediterranean mesophotic sponge ground community and the regional sponge fauna

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Kefalas et al, 2003;Voultsiadou, 2005;Kefalas & Castritsi-Catharios, 2007 for the Aegean Sea; Vacelet et al, 2007 for the Lebanon coast; Mustapha et al, 2003 for Tunisia). The areas considered in the Mediterranean were: ALB-Alboran Sea; CATCatalunya and Balearic islands; GLI-Golfe du Lion; ALG-Algerian Basin; LIG-Ligurian Sea; n, c, sTYR-North, Central and South Tyrrhenian Sea; TUN-Tunisian coast, Malta and southwest Sicily; n, sADR-North and South Adriatic; ION-Ionian Sea; AEG-Aegean Sea; and LEV-Levantine Basin including the coast of Egypt.…”

Section: Species Distribution Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some previous studies examined the zoogeographical affinities of the sponge fauna in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, but these mostly focused on particular areas within this region such as Cape Verde and Mauritania (Van Soest, 1993a, b), Strait of Gibraltar (Carballo et al, 1997), Alboran Sea (Maldonado & Uriz, 1995) or the Aegean Sea (Voultsiadou, 2005). Pansini & Longo (2003), followed by Voultsiadou (2009), were the first to provide a comprehensive account of the diversity and biogeography of the Mediterranean sponges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity patterns and zoogeography of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean shallow-water sponge fauna

Xavier

Soest

2011

Hydrobiologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recognizing and understanding presentday biodiversity and biogeographical patterns and how these relate to contemporary and past climate is pivotal to predict the effect of future climate on marine biodiversity and promote adequate conservation policies. Sponges constitute an important and dominant component of the marine benthos and are therefore an excellent model group for such investigations. In this study, we assessed the diversity patterns and the zoogeographical affinities of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean shallow-water demosponge assemblages. Data on the distribution of 745 species throughout 28 areas was compiled from the literature and used to build a presence/absence matrix. Diversity patterns were assessed from estimates of species richness (S) and taxonomic distinctness (AvTD). The Mediterranean Sea proved to be more diverse both in terms of species richness and taxonomic distinctness (S = 539, AvTD = 94.74) than the Northeast Atlantic (S = 480, AvTD = 92.42) and the two regions together were found to constitute a diversity hotspot harbouring approximately 11% of the global demosponge diversity. We found an Atlantic N-S and a Mediterranean NW-SE gradient of increasing taxonomic distinctness that is strongly correlated to both contemporary (R 2 = 0.5667; P \ 0.01) and historical values (R 2 = 0.7287; P \ 0.01) of sea surface temperature (SST) at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The zoogeographical affinities examined through classification (cluster analysis) and ordination (nonmetric multidimensional scaling, nMDS) based on the Bray-Curtis similarity index, revealed the presence of three groups approximately corresponding to the Northern European Seas, Lusitanian and Mediterranean provinces outlined in the 'Marine Ecoregions of the World' (MEOW) classification system. Geographical distance and oceanographic circulation were shown to constitute important factors in shaping the zoogeographical affinities among areas. The vast majority of the species occurring in the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean (67 and 57%, respectively) was shown to have extremely restricted geographical ranges, as single-area or narrow-range (2-3 areas) endemics, which raises some concerns regarding their conservation.

show abstract

“…It is one of the characteristic species of all the littoral communities in the western Mediterranean (Boury-Esnault 1971, Uriz et al 1992, but is also present in the Aegean and Levantine seas in the eastern Mediterranean (Voultsiadou 2005), the Adriatic Sea (Schmidt 1862), and on the Atlantic coast of Portugal and the Canary Islands (Duran et al 2004). This sponge inhabits both photophilic and sciaphilous habitats with a depth range from 1 to 60 m (Uriz et al 1992).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decadal demographic trends of a long-lived temperate encrusting sponge

Teixidó

Pineda²,

Garrabou³

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Demographic data play a central role in determining the overall dynamics of species and forecasting the effects of global change. We examined a decadal pattern of population dynamics and its underlying mechanisms in a population of the encrusting sponge Crambe crambe. A photographic series monitored yearly for 14 yr (1993 to 2007) was analyzed. A total of 133 genets and 157 ramets were individually identified and followed over 14 yr to record their fates: survivorship, partial mortality, recruitment via larvae, asexual events (fission and fusion), and growth. The number of genets varied little over time; their survival was high and differed significantly with size class (52, 82, and 100% for size classes 0-250, 250-700, and > 700 mm 2 , respectively), while recruitment via larvae was very low. Overall, the population was characterized by the inputs and outputs of asexual ramets. Patterns of partial mortality were (1) significantly related to size and (2) did not differ significantly among years, and (3) no patch > 500 mm 2 suffered any type of mortality. We give the first evidence that net growth over more than a decade was close to zero for the larger specimens, while the smallest specimens exhibited the highest growth rates, quadrupling in size over 14 yr. Low mortality combined with the slow growth of large specimens indicates that C. crambe may live for several decades. This study provides rigorous baseline information necessary to uncover general patterns in the demography of marine sessile species and better predict the long-term fate of populations. KEY WORDS: Crambe crambe · Life history · Long-term studies · Modular animals · Population dynamicsResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

show abstract

Demosponge distribution in the eastern Mediterranean: a NW–SE gradient

Cited by 54 publications

References 27 publications

Shedding light on an East-Mediterranean mesophotic sponge ground community and the regional sponge fauna

Shedding light on an East-Mediterranean mesophotic sponge ground community and the regional sponge fauna

Diversity patterns and zoogeography of the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean shallow-water sponge fauna

Decadal demographic trends of a long-lived temperate encrusting sponge

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About