Abstract
The study of a decapod community in a Cymodocea nodosa meadow from Southeastern Spain (Western Mediterranean Sea) showed a stable structure, in which the families Hippolytidae, Processidae, Majidae and Portunidae were the most abundant and the species Hippolyte niezabitowskii dominated. The animal community was more numerous and diverse during the night, showing the existence of nychthemeral movements, which are essentially related to the trophic behaviour and shelter. In this way, many species increased their abundance as a result of an increasing activity and, also, of an influx of other species and specimens from adjacent sandy bottoms, such as Processa spp. (mainly P. modica) Sicyonia carinata, Liocarcinus spp. (mainly juveniles) and several species of hermit crabs, which were rare or absent during the day. All these changes produced modifications in the dominance curves and in the values of all ecological indices (richness, diversity and evenness). Monthly samples were grouped and ordered (MDS) by the factor “day-night”, which showed slight qualitative and quantitative differences (SIMPER, dissimilarity average of the factor day-night = 61.67). On the other hand, no global seasonal differences have been found (one way ANOSIM), but there was a significant level of similarity between winter and spring, while the summer samples were the most different. The differentiation of the summer 1999 can be attributed to a decrease in species abundance and richness, probably due to the dynamics of the decapod populations and the balance with predators (fishes), while that of the summer 2000, to an anomalous event: the massive proliferation of filamentous algae, mainly Ectocarpus s.l., which modified the environmental conditions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bellan-Santini, D., J-C. Lacaze & C. Pozat (eds), 1994. Les Biocénoses Marines et Littorales de Méditerraneé, Synthése, Menaces et Perspectives. Collection Patrimoines naturels, Vol.19, Série Patrimoine Ecologiques Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris.
Bell, J. D. & M. L. Harmelin-Vivien, 1983. Fish fauna of French Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows. 2. Feeding habits. Tethys 11: 1–14.
Clarke, K. R. & R. M. Warwick, 1994. Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation. Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK.
Chessa, L. A., M. Scardi, E. Fresi & P. Russu, 1989. Consumers in Posidonia oceanica beds: 1. Processa edulis (Risso) (Decapoda, Caridea). In Boudouresque, C. F., A. Meinesz, E. Fresi, & V. Gravez (eds), International Workshop on Posidonia oceanica Beds. 2 GIS Posidonie Publications,: 243–249.
Coles, R. G., W. J. Lee Long & R. A. Watson, 1993. Distribution of seagrasses, and their fish and penaeid prawn communities, in Cairns Harbour, a tropical estuary, Northern Queensland, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 44: 193–210.
Curras, A., A. Sánchez-Mata & J. Mora, 1993. Estudio comparativo de la macrofauna bentónica de un fondo de Zostera marina y un fondo arenoso libre de cubierta vegetal. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 35: 91–112.
García Raso, J. E., 1990. Study of a Crustacea Decapoda taxocoenosis of Posidonia oceanica beds from Southeast of Spain. P.S.Z.N.I.: Marine Ecology 11: 309–326.
García Raso, J. E. & R. Fernández Muñoz, 1987. Estudio de una comunidad de crustáceos decápodos de fondos “coralígenos” del alga calcárea Mesophyllum lichenoides del sur de España. Investigación Pesquera 51: 301–322.
Gore, H. R., E. E. Gallaher, L. E. Scotto & K. A. Wilson, 1981. Studies on decapod Crustacea from the Indian River region of Florida. XI. Community composition, structure, biomass and species-areal relationships of seagrass of drift algae-associated macrocrustaceans. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 12: 485–508.
Guidetti, P. & S. Bussotti, 2000. Fish fauna of mixed meadow composed by the seagrasses Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltii in the Western Mediterranean. Oceanologica Acta 23: 759–770.
Gray, J. S. & T. H. Pearson, 1982. Objective selection of sensitive species indicative of pollution-induced change in benthic communities I Comparative methodology. Marine Ecology Progress Series 9: 111–119.
den Hartog, C., 1977. Structure, function and classification in seagrass communities. In McRoy, C. P. & C. Helfferich (eds), Seagrass Ecosystems, a Scientific Perspective. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York and Basel: 89–121.
Hemminga, M. A. & C. M. Duarte, 2000. Seagrass Ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK.
Jacobs, R. P. W. M., H. H. Hegger & A. Ras-Willems, 1983. Seasonal variations in the structure of Zostera community on tidal flats in the SW Netherlands, with special reference to benthic fauna. Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wettenschappen C86: 347–375.
Jacobs, R. P. W. M. & W. H. T. Huisman, 1982. Macrobenthos of some Zostera beds in the vicinity of Roscoff (France) with special reference to relations with community structure and environmental factors. Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wettenschappen C85: 335–356.
Kikuchi, T. & J. M. Pérès, 1977. Consumer ecology of seagrass beds. In McRoy, C. P. & C. Helfferich (eds), Seagrass Ecosystems, a scientific Perspective. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York and Basel: 147–193.
Krebs, C. J., 1989. Ecological Methodology. Harper & Row Publishers, New York.
Ledoyer, M., 1966. Écologie de la faune vagile des biotopes méditerranéens accessibles en scaphandre autonome. II. Données analytiques sur les herbiers de phanérogames. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d’Endoume 57: 135–164.
Ledoyer, M., 1968. Écologie de la faune vagile des biotopes méditerranéens accessibles en scaphandre autonome (Région de Marseille principalement) IV Synthèse de l’étude écologique. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d’Endoume 60: 125–295.
Ledoyer, M., 1984. Les Caridea (Crustacea: Decapoda) des herbiers de phanérogames marines de Nouvelle-Calédonie (Région de Nouméa). Zoologische Verhandelingen 211: 1–58.
López Da La Rosa, I., J. E. García Raso & A. Rodríguez, 2002. Evolution of a decapod community (Crustacea) of shallow soft bottoms with seaweeds from southern Europe. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 82: 85–95.
Main, K. L., 1987. Predator avoidnce in seagrass meadow: prey behavior, microhabitat selection, and cryptic coloration. Ecology 68: 170–180.
Matheson, R. E. Jr., D. K. Camp, S. M. Sogard & K. A. Bjorgo, 1999. Changes in seagrass-associated fish and crustacean communities on Florida Bay mud banks: the effects of recent ecosystem changes? Estuaries 22: 534–551.
Mattila, J., G. Chaplin, M. R. Eilers, K. L. Hech Jr., J. P. O’Neal & J. F. Valentine, 1999. Spatial and diurnal distribution of invertebrate and fish fauna of a Zostera marina bed and nearby unvegetated sediments in Damariscotta River, Maine (USA). Journal of Sea Research 41: 321–332.
Molinier, R. & J. Picard, 1951. Biologie des herbiers de Zostéracées des côtes françaises de la Méditerranée. Comptes Rendus Academie de Sciences Paris 233: 1212–1214.
Molinier, R. & J. Picard, 1952. Recherches sur les herbiers de phanérogames marines du littoral Méditerranéen français. Annales de l’ Institut Océanographique 27: 157–234.
Pérès, J. M. & J. Picard, 1964. Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la mer Méditerranée. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d’Endoume 47: 1–137.
Pielou, E. C., 1969. An Introduction to Mathematical Ecology. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
Robertson, A. L., 1984. Trophic interactions between the fish fauna and macrobenthos of an eelgrass community in Western Port, Victoria. Aquatic Botany 18: 135–153.
Rooker, J. R., S. A. Holt, M. A. Sot & G. J. Holt, 1998. Postsettlement patterns of habitat use by scianid fishes in subtropical seagrass meadows. Estuaries 21: 318–327.
Sánchez-Jerez, J., C. Barbera Cebrian & A. A. Ramos Esplá, 1999. Comparison of the epifauna spatial distribution in Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa and unvegetated bottoms: importance of meadow edges. Acta Oecologica 20: 391–405.
Shannon, C. E. & W. Weaver, 1963. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana.
Števčić, Z., 1991. Decapod fauna of seagrass beds in the Rovinj area. Acta Adriatica 32: 637–653.
Thayer, G. W., W. J. Kenworthy & M. S. Fonseca, 1984. The ecology of eelgrass meadow of the Atlantic coast: a community profile. Fish and Wildlife Service, US-FWS/OBS-84/02.
Templado, J., 1984. Las praderas de Posidonia oceanica en el sureste español y su biocenosis. In Boudouresque, C. F., A. Jeudy de Grissac, & J. Oliver (eds), International Workshop on Posidonia oceanica Beds. GIS Posidonie Publications, 1:159–172.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
García Raso, J.E., Martín, M.J., Díaz, V., Cobos, V., Manjón-Cabeza, M.E. (2006). Diel and seasonal changes in the structure of a Decapod (Crustacea: Decapoda) community of Cymodocea nodosa from Southeastern Spain (West Mediterranean Sea). In: Thessalou-Legaki, M. (eds) Issues of Decapod Crustacean Biology. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 184. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4756-8_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4756-8_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4599-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4756-5
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)