Abstract
Ecological analysis of the seasonal distribution of marine phytobenthos and zoobenthos has been studied for Nisyros Island, south-east Greece. A total number of 114 species of phytobenthos, 78 soft-substrate zoobenthos species and 56 hard-substrate zoobenthos species were identified during the study. Analysis of seasonal distribution of phytobenthos showed that there exists an almost stable community structure both in terms of number of species per group and coverage as a result of the stable thermal conditions occurring in the area. Chlorophyceae show the lowest number of species and coverage while Rhodophyceae the highest. Hard-substrate zoobenthos showed a typical distribution found in other areas of Greece with crustaceans the dominant species. The community structure does not show seasonal variations as it is closely associated with phytobenthos species. On the other hand, the soft-substrate zoobenthos community shows differences from the typical Greek profile with Polychaeta the dominant taxon. Qualitative study showed that the dominant species are carnivorous worms while sediment- or filter-feeders appear in low numbers indicating low organic content of the sediment and low levels of organic pollution. The same pattern was also described for Milos Island (a volcanic island in the Central Aegean Sea) and seems to be a generalized concept for volcanic islands.
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Conides, A., Bogdanos, C. & Diapoulis, A. Seasonal ecological variations of phyto- and zoobenthic communities in the south of Nisyros Island, Greece. The Environmentalist 19, 109–127 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006641000873
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006641000873