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Distribution and Ecology of Epiphytic Portfera in two Posidonia oceanica (L.) DELILE Meadows of the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea *
Author(s) -
Pansini M.,
Pronzato R.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0485.1985.tb00316.x
Subject(s) - posidonia oceanica , seagrass , scuba diving , epiphyte , abundance (ecology) , mediterranean sea , potamogetonaceae , ecology , sampling (signal processing) , population , mediterranean climate , geography , oceanography , marine protected area , habitat , environmental science , biology , geology , physics , demography , detector , sociology , optics
. Two geographically distant Posidonia meadows located in the Western Mediterranean Sea were analysed using SCUBA diver‐taken samples. The material was collected at depths of 1, 5, 15 and 30 m, sampling all the plants within a 400cm 2 area, as well as selecting bundles with epiphytic Porifera from a 5 m : area divided into quadrates. The effectiveness of both methods is compared, as the data in the literature were obtained from dredgings. The abundance and distribution of the seventy‐five identified species of Porifera were examined, taking into account the depth of the sampling stations and additional environmental factors. The two meadows studied were compared using statistical methods; some doubts are raised about the existence of a specific Porifera population characteristic of Posidonia beds.