Naslov
Sponge assemblages along the light gradient in semi-submerged artificial caves in the Eastern Adriatic

Autori
Bakran-Petricioli, Tatjana ; Petricioli, Donat ; Gerovasileiou, Vasilis ; Dailianis, Thanos

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts of 11th World Sponge Conference 2022 / Van der Windt, Niels ; Paix, Benoît ; de Voogd, Nicole J. ; Hrab, Pavlo - Leiden : Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2022, 61-61

Skup
11th World Sponge Conference 2022 - Reconnected

Mjesto i datum
Liblice, Češka Republika, 10.10.2022. - 14.10.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
sponge species diversity, benthic communities in marine caves, model marine caves, Dugi otok Island, Mediterranean

Sažetak
Both the composition and abundance of benthic species within marine caves are strongly affected by the caves’ topography, geomorphology, and prevailing environmental gradients. These conditions vary considerably among natural marine caves, often at a fine geographical scale, making drawing comparisons and identifying general patterns very difficult. After the Second World War, a dozen of navy ship shelters were built on the rocky coastline of islands within the eastern Adriatic. These constructions take the form of blind-end tunnels, extending about 100 to 140 m in length, 10 to 12 m wide, with approx. 4 to 6 m of water depth and 15 m of height above sea level. Their underwater walls are either composed of natural limestone or made of concrete. The entrances of these artificial semi-submerged marine caves receive some sunlight but, as illumination diminishes towards the inner parts, their backs are mostly dark. Today they are mainly used by fishers and visited by nautical tourists. Here we report preliminary results on the distribution of benthic taxa, focusing on sponges, along the light gradient in two artificial caves on Dugi otok Island, Croatia. We measured light intensity and temperature conditions in four sectors in each cave. A total of 195 photoquadrats have been collected along with qualitative samples for species identification. Sponges are the dominant invertebrate phylum on the cave walls. So far, 35 Porifera taxa have been identified (33 Demospongiae and 2 Homoscleromorpha) ; 29 taxa in one vs. 22 taxa in the other cave. Differences in the assemblage structure and cover in different cave sectors will be presented. The simplified shape of these “twin” artificial caves, coupled with their accessibility, make them excellent models for investigating whether their sponge assemblages have reached a climax stage, like in neighbouring natural sea caves.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA