Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
Volume 165, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103369
Keywords
Mediterranean sea; Vulnerable marine ecosystems; Megabenthos; Soft sediments; Bottom trawling; Marine litter
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Funding
- Spanish Ministery of Economy [CGL2011-3005-C02-02]
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Greece) [EF2-EE-003, GA 312762]
- NERC [noc010011] Funding Source: UKRI
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Megabenthic assemblages in deep-sea sedimentary environments receive far less attention than those occurring on rocky environments, despite they have been widely impacted by destructive trawling activities, mainly due to their association with important commercial species. ROV dives conducted on bathyal muds of the Alboran Sea continental slope (western Mediterranean) were used to characterize megabenthic assemblages, as well as assess their response to trawling and benthic litter. We identified a multispecific assemblage, dominated by the isidid Isidella elongata, and two monospecific assemblages composed by the sea-pens Funiculina quadrangularis and Kophobelemnon stelliferum. These assemblages are defined as vulnerable marine ecosystems by international institutions. Trawled areas exhibit significant low densities of habitat-forming species and a striking impoverishment of habitat complexity and diversity. Plastic debris and lost fishing gears were the most abundant components of the marine litter. This study highlights the destructive effects of human activities on bathyal muds, emphasizing the need for urgent conservation measures.
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