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Animal Forests in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea

Book cover Marine Animal Forests

Abstract

Several studies using Remotely Operated Vehicles and manned submersibles have recently provided quantitative information on animal forests dominated by gorgonians, black corals, and sponges dwelling at 40–200 m depth in the Mediterranean Sea. These assemblages have received relatively little attention during the last decades due to the fact that they are found below scuba diving depths, and most submersible-based research has been traditionally conducted below 200 m depth. However, these communities are among the most threatened by the impact of fishing pressure, since the larger proportion of fishing activities, especially bottom trawling on soft bottoms and passive gears on hard grounds, concentrate between 50 and 200 m depth. This chapter reviews the recent advances in the study of the spatial and bathymetric distribution patterns of these animal forests, their species composition, ecology, and conservation status.

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Acknowledgements

AG wants to thank the support of the Beatriu de Pinos Fellowship (SHELFRECOVER, grant Agreement Number 2013 BP-B 00074). AG, JG, CDC, and SA want to thank Josep-Maria Gili for his support at all time, the Life Indemares project (LIFE 07/NAT/E/00732) for the economic support, and Gavin Newman, the JAGO team, and the crew of R/V Garcia del Cid for the support in field operations. GB and MB want to thank ISPRA (Rome), University of Cagliari (DISVA), Regione Liguria, Regione Sardegna, MIPAAF, MATTM, and the crew of R/V Astrea for the support in field operations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament d’Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Andrea Gori

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, Università degli Studi di Genova, Via Balbi, 5, 16126, Genova, Italy

    Giorgio Bavestrello & Marzia Bo

  3. Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, E-08003, Barcelona, Spain

    Jordi Grinyó, Carlos Dominguez-Carrió & Stefano Ambroso

Authors
  1. Andrea Gori
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  2. Giorgio Bavestrello
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  3. Jordi Grinyó
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  4. Carlos Dominguez-Carrió
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  5. Stefano Ambroso
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  6. Marzia Bo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Gori .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Environmental Science & Technology Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain

    Sergio Rossi

  2. LECOB / Ocean Observatory, CNRS / Pierre and Marie Curie Univ, Banyuls-sur-mer, France

    Lorenzo Bramanti

  3. Dept. Marine Biology & Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, Barcelona, Spain

    Andrea Gori

  4. Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Balearic Oceanographic Centre, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Covadonga Orejas

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Gori, A., Bavestrello, G., Grinyó, J., Dominguez-Carrió, C., Ambroso, S., Bo, M. (2017). Animal Forests in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. In: Rossi, S., Bramanti, L., Gori, A., Orejas , C. (eds) Marine Animal Forests. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_5-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_5-1

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  1. Latest

    Animal Forests in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea
    Published:
    10 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_5-2

  2. Original

    Animal Forests in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelf of the Mediterranean Sea
    Published:
    15 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17001-5_5-1

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