Spatial variation in biodiversity patterns of neuston in the Western Mediterranean and Southern Adriatic Seas

Liparoto, Anita; Mancinelli, Giorgio; Belmonte, Genuario

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2017.08.007

Cited by 12 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The neustonic domain comprises assemblages of different marine organisms and has an important role in the life cycle of many of them varying from seabirds to fish, crab, and lobster larvae (Hardy, ; Liparoto, Mancinelli, & Belmonte, ). Due to the abundance of fish eggs, larvae, and juveniles in the neuston, this environment is considered “an important nursery ground for the early stages of many fish” (Doyle, ) that may be related with suitable food and the absence of predators (Hardy, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variability of ichthyoneuston assemblage on the continental shelf and slope of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Brazil (20°–23°S)

et al. 2019

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Many marine organisms spend the early life history stages in neuston domain. Although the importance of ichthyoneuston, few studies were developed in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the knowledge on ichthyoneuston of the Brazilian coast analyzing the vertical stratification and horizontal distribution of these organisms. Neuston samples were collected in daylight between 20°S and 23°S from February to April 2009 (late summer/early autumn; rainy season) and from August to September 2009 (late winter/early spring; dry season). Eggs of six taxa were identified: Anguilliformes, Engraulidae, Clupeidae, Synodontidae, Trichiuridae, and Maurolicus stehmanni (Sternoptychidae). The neustonic larval fish assemblage was composed by 40 families and 63 species. Mullidae and Myctophidae larvae were the most abundant in the rainy period while Mullidae and Mugilidae dominated in the dry season. Seasonal and spatial variation of larval fish assemblages in the neuston were structured by oceanographic features. The larval fish abundance on the outer slope stations may have been favored by the advection of an anticyclone that encompassed most of the study region during the cruise periods. In the rainy season, salinity and local depth structured the larval fish assemblage in a cross‐shelf gradient, while in the dry season the larval assemblage was structured around temperature and north‐south gradient. In the dry season, the cross‐shelf gradient was less pronounced mainly because of the low abundance and frequency of mesopelagic larvae. The low frequency and abundance of some species are probably related to the net avoidance of fish larvae during the day or dial vertical migration, as many species migrate to deeper layers during the day and ascend to neuston only at night. Nevertheless, the present study presented baseline information about the seasonal and spatial variation of the neustonic larval fish assemblage influenced by the oceanographic conditions in the Campos Basin. We recommend to additionally collect night samples to decrease larval escapement rates and to compare night versus day catches to further investigate the influence of daily migration in the neustonic larval fish in the area.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variability of ichthyoneuston assemblage on the continental shelf and slope of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Brazil (20°–23°S)

et al. 2019

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“…The number of collected species was lower in the stations on the Italian side respect the Albanian one. This fact has been underlined as a general trend also on microzooplankton 73 , neuston 67 and fish larvae 74 and could be the consequence of a lower injection of nutrients and organic material on the Italian side, where rivers are typically absent 46 . In addition to the highest total density, the Otranto Channel waters exhibited also the highest number of species (S20: 16 species; S23: 13 species; S21: 11 species), likely related to the hydrological functioning of this area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…To our knowledge, informations on pelagic polychaete community composition in the South Adriatic Sea are very scarce since available zooplankton data mainly refer to copepods or zooplankton communities 9,33,34,66 . Due to the scarce numerical importance, their species composition is likewise sometimes disregarded in quali-quantitative zooplankton analyses or reported with basic taxonomic detail 67 . Thirteen pelagic polychaete species were reported by Batistić et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Otranto Channel (South Adriatic Sea), a hot-spot area of plankton biodiversity: pelagic polychaetes

Guglielmo

Bergamasco

Minutoli

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Composition, density and specimen sizes of pelagic polychaete assemblages were analyzed in the Southern Adriatic Sea. The study was based on finely stratified vertical (0–1100 m) and spatial sampling (17 stations) representing spring conditions. Holoplanktonic polychaetes were distributed in both neritic and pelagic waters, although the highest densities were observed along the Otranto Channel. Analysis of the size frequency distribution revealed a trend with depth only for some species. Spatial distribution of holoplanktonic polychaete density was not related to bottom depth, being the organisms mainly concentrated in the epipelagic layer (0–100 m). The most abundant species showed maximum values below or within the thermocline and within the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum or just above it. Relations between polychaete presence and the underlying oceanographic mechanisms regulating the circulation in the Otranto Channel were discussed. The presence of several non-determined polychaete larvae (e.g. Syllidae) in the pelagic waters at 800–1100 m depths suggests the importance of the role of Levantine waters as main actual and potential carrier of species in the area, though a relevant contribution comes also from North Adriatic dense waters through deep spilling and cascading in the Southern Adriatic pit. These findings increase the knowledge on holoplanktonic polychaetes ecology within the South Adriatic Sea, and represent significant data in the monitoring of changes in biodiversity.

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“…A number of studies have unequivocally indicated that they can directly affect zooplankton species richness ( [66,67] and references cited in the introduction; but see also further in this section). In addition, lake age [68,69], connectivity, and, in general, the spatial arrangement of the habitat have been acknowledged to play an important structuring role (e.g., [70]; see also [71] for a marine example). However, in the present study, a hierarchy of effects at different spatial and environmental scales is implicitly assumed, with landscape and bioclimatic drivers indirectly affecting the characteristics of the biota (including crustacean zooplankton) by affecting the chemical and physical conditions of the waterbodies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Richness and Taxonomic Distinctness of Zooplankton in Ponds and Small Lakes from Albania and North Macedonia: The Role of Bioclimatic Factors

Mancinelli

Mali

Belmonte

2019

Water

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Resolving the contribution to biodiversity patterns of regional-scale environmental drivers is, to date, essential in the implementation of effective conservation strategies. Here, we assessed the species richness S and taxonomic distinctness Δ+ (used a proxy of phylogenetic diversity) of crustacean zooplankton assemblages from 40 ponds and small lakes located in Albania and North Macedonia and tested whether they could be predicted by waterbodies’ landscape characteristics (area, perimeter, and altitude), together with local bioclimatic conditions that were derived from Wordclim and MODIS databases. The results showed that a minimum adequate model, including the positive effects of non-arboreal vegetation cover and temperature seasonality, together with the negative influence of the mean temperature of the wettest quarter, effectively predicted assemblages’ variation in species richness. In contrast, taxonomic distinctness did not predictably respond to landscape or bioclimatic factors. Noticeably, waterbodies’ area showed a generally low prediction power for both S and Δ+. Additionally, an in-depth analysis of assemblages’ species composition indicated the occurrence of two distinct groups of waterbodies characterized by different species and different precipitation and temperature regimes. Our findings indicated that the classical species-area relationship hypothesis is inadequate in explaining the diversity of crustacean zooplankton assemblages characterizing the waterbodies under analysis. In contrast, local bioclimatic factors might affect the species richness and composition, but not their phylogenetic diversity, the latter likely to be influenced by long-term adaptation mechanisms.

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Spatial variation in biodiversity patterns of neuston in the Western Mediterranean and Southern Adriatic Seas

Cited by 12 publications

References 41 publications

Seasonal variability of ichthyoneuston assemblage on the continental shelf and slope of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Brazil (20°–23°S)

Seasonal variability of ichthyoneuston assemblage on the continental shelf and slope of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, Brazil (20°–23°S)

The Otranto Channel (South Adriatic Sea), a hot-spot area of plankton biodiversity: pelagic polychaetes

Species Richness and Taxonomic Distinctness of Zooplankton in Ponds and Small Lakes from Albania and North Macedonia: The Role of Bioclimatic Factors

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