TY - JOUR
T1 - Geographic patterns of biodiversity in European coastal marine benthos
AU - Hummel, Herman
AU - Van Avesaath, Pim
AU - Wijnhoven, Sander
AU - Kleine-Schaars, Loran
AU - Degraer, Steven
AU - Kerckhof, Francis
AU - Bojanic, Natalia
AU - Skejic, Sanda
AU - Vidjak, Olja
AU - Rousou, Maria
AU - Orav-Kotta, Helen
AU - Kotta, Jonne
AU - Jourde, Jérôme
AU - Pedrotti, Maria Luiza
AU - Leclerc, Jean Charles
AU - Simon, Nathalie
AU - Rigaut-Jalabert, Fabienne
AU - Bachelet, Guy
AU - Lavesque, Nicolas
AU - Arvanitidis, Christos
AU - Pavloudi, Christina
AU - Faulwetter, Sarah
AU - Crowe, Tasman
AU - Coughlan, Jennifer
AU - Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro
AU - Dal Bello, Martina
AU - Magni, Paolo
AU - Como, Serena
AU - Coppa, Stefania
AU - Ikauniece, Anda
AU - Ruginis, Tomas
AU - Jankowska, Emilia
AU - Weslawski, Jan Marcin
AU - Warzocha, Jan
AU - Gromisz, Sławomira
AU - Witalis, Bartosz
AU - Silva, Teresa
AU - Ribeiro, Pedro
AU - Fernandes De Matos, Valentina Kirienko
AU - Sousa-Pinto, Isabel
AU - Veiga, Puri
AU - Troncoso, Jesús
AU - Guinda, Xabier
AU - Juanes De La Pena, Jose Antonio
AU - Puente, Araceli
AU - Espinosa, Free
AU - Pérez-Ruzafa, Angel
AU - Frost, Matt
AU - McNeill, Caroline Louise
AU - Peleg, Ohad
AU - Rilov, Gil
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016.
PY - 2017/5/1
Y1 - 2017/5/1
N2 - Within the COST action EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) the degree and variation of the diversity and densities of soft-bottom communities from the lower intertidal or the shallow subtidal was measured at 28 marine sites along the European coastline (Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean) using jointly agreed and harmonized protocols, tools and indicators. The hypothesis tested was that the diversity for all taxonomic groups would decrease with increasing latitude. The EMBOS system delivered accurate and comparable data on the diversity and densities of the soft sediment macrozoobenthic community over a large-scale gradient along the European coastline. In contrast to general biogeographic theory, species diversity showed no linear relationship with latitude, yet a bell-shaped relation was found. The diversity and densities of benthos were mostly positively correlated with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, mud and organic matter content in sediment, or wave height, and related with location characteristics such as system type (lagoons, estuaries, open coast) or stratum (intertidal, subtidal). For some relationships, a maximum (e.g. Temperature from 15-20°C; mud content of sediment around 40%) or bimodal curve (e.g. salinity) was found. In lagoons the densities were twice higher than in other locations, and at open coasts the diversity was much lower than in other locations. We conclude that latitudinal trends and regional differences in diversity and densities are strongly influenced by, i.e. merely the result of, particular sets and ranges of environmental factors and location characteristics specific to certain areas, such as the Baltic, with typical salinity clines (favouring insects) and the Mediterranean, with higher temperatures (favouring crustaceans). Therefore, eventual trends with latitude are primarily indirect and so can be overcome by local variation of environmental factors.
AB - Within the COST action EMBOS (European Marine Biodiversity Observatory System) the degree and variation of the diversity and densities of soft-bottom communities from the lower intertidal or the shallow subtidal was measured at 28 marine sites along the European coastline (Baltic, Atlantic, Mediterranean) using jointly agreed and harmonized protocols, tools and indicators. The hypothesis tested was that the diversity for all taxonomic groups would decrease with increasing latitude. The EMBOS system delivered accurate and comparable data on the diversity and densities of the soft sediment macrozoobenthic community over a large-scale gradient along the European coastline. In contrast to general biogeographic theory, species diversity showed no linear relationship with latitude, yet a bell-shaped relation was found. The diversity and densities of benthos were mostly positively correlated with environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, mud and organic matter content in sediment, or wave height, and related with location characteristics such as system type (lagoons, estuaries, open coast) or stratum (intertidal, subtidal). For some relationships, a maximum (e.g. Temperature from 15-20°C; mud content of sediment around 40%) or bimodal curve (e.g. salinity) was found. In lagoons the densities were twice higher than in other locations, and at open coasts the diversity was much lower than in other locations. We conclude that latitudinal trends and regional differences in diversity and densities are strongly influenced by, i.e. merely the result of, particular sets and ranges of environmental factors and location characteristics specific to certain areas, such as the Baltic, with typical salinity clines (favouring insects) and the Mediterranean, with higher temperatures (favouring crustaceans). Therefore, eventual trends with latitude are primarily indirect and so can be overcome by local variation of environmental factors.
KW - European cline
KW - benthos
KW - biogeography
KW - densities
KW - harmonization of methods
KW - latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)
KW - soft sediment
KW - species diversity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84987600709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0025315416001119
DO - 10.1017/S0025315416001119
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84987600709
SN - 0025-3154
VL - 97
SP - 507
EP - 523
JO - Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
JF - Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
IS - 3
ER -