Seafloor Morphology and Processes in the Alboran Sea

Ercilla, Gemma; Vázquez, J.T.; Alonso, Belén; Bárcenas, P.; Casas, David; d’Acremont, Elia; Estrada, Ferrán; Fernández-Salas, L.M.; Galindo-Zaldı́var, Jesús; Juan, Carmen; Lobo, F. J.; López-González, N.; Palomino, Desirée; Sánchez-Guillamón, O.; Chourak, Mimoun; Gil, Antonio J.; Gómez-Ballesteros, M.; Moumni, B. El; Peláez, José A.; Valencia, Javier; Gorini, Christian

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_6

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In the northern SoG and the Alboran Sea, some circalittoral and bathyal areas displayed no or low occurrence of drifted thalli of R. okamurae, and this is partly explained by the absence and/or low occurrence of infralittoral rocky bottoms in those areas (e.g., Bay of Málaga, [6]), which are needed for the establishment of large living populations of this alga [13]. In other areas with abundant infralittoral rocky bottoms (e.g., around the Alboran Island, Alboran Ridge [6]), the absence of drifted thalli of R. okamurae in circalittoral and bathyal bottoms probably indicates that this invasive macroalge has not yet arrived or become a dominant component of the infralittoral photophilous macroalgal communities. The physiographical isolation of the Alboran Island from the continental shelf and from the main naval traffic routes could represent an advantage against invasion of R. okamurae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) and the Alboran Sea represent areas of oceanographic and biological confluence, which are located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean [1][2][3]. This sector of the Western Mediterranean Sea presents complex submarine geomorphology, with a high diversity of habitats, species (including a wide variety of threatened ones), and commercially exploited marine resources [1,2,[4][5][6]. Unfortunately, it is also an area exposed to high anthropogenic pressures, harbouring widely urbanized coastal areas, intense maritime traffic, and high activity of industrial and artisanal fishing fleets, which require complex spatial and temporal management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Distribution and Potential Impact of Drifted Thalli of the Invasive Alga Rugulopteryx okamurae in Circalittoral and Bathyal Habitats of the Northern Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea

Rueda,

Mena-Torres,

Gallardo-Núñez

et al. 2023

Diversity

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The arrival of a new invasive alga, Rugulopteryx okamurae, in the Strait of Gibraltar (SoG) in 2015 marked an unprecedented milestone in the North African and, later, in the European marine ecosystems. Nowadays, it is colonising vast infralittoral areas and significantly modifying some habitats and associated communities of the southern Iberian Peninsula. In recent expeditions, a high amount of free drifted thalli of this alga has been detected in different circalittoral and bathyal habitats of the northern SoG and the Alboran Sea. The present study combines quantitative data of this alga obtained with the use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a bottom otter trawl. The coverage–entanglement level of the drifted thalli on circalittoral and bathyal benthic invertebrates (e.g., not covering, covering only the basal part, covering one-third of the invertebrate, etc.) was also annotated from picture frames taken in locations with abundant drifted thalli. In underwater images, drifted thalli were mainly detected in circalittoral and bathyal bottoms of the northern SoG and the north-western Alboran Sea, between 50 to ca. 450 m depth. Nevertheless, abundant drifted thalli were also detected in bottom otter trawl samples from circalittoral bottoms of the north-central and north-eastern Alboran Sea. Small benthic organisms (e.g., encrusting sponges, hydrozoans, etc.) generally displayed low coverage–entanglement levels of drifted thalli. Nevertheless, large sessile and colonial benthic organisms with a complex three-dimensional morphology (e.g., gorgonians, colonial scleractinians) reached high levels of R. okamurae thalli entangled in different parts of their colonies. The drifted R. okamurae thalli entangled in these colonial suspension feeding organisms may hinder their feeding capability in the long term, resulting in habitat deterioration in the near future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Distribution and Potential Impact of Drifted Thalli of the Invasive Alga Rugulopteryx okamurae in Circalittoral and Bathyal Habitats of the Northern Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea

Rueda,

Mena-Torres,

Gallardo-Núñez

et al. 2023

Diversity

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“…Sediment core studies reveal large variability in texture and geotechnical properties in the Alboran Basin with strong variability in the grain size of the contourite deposits (Baraza et al, 1992;Ercilla et al, 2021). Stability analysis suggests that the sediment is stable under static gravitational loading but potentially unstable under seismic loading (Baraza et al, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%