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Variability in the structure of epiphytic assemblages of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica in relation to depth
Author(s) -
Nesti Ugo,
Piazzi Luigi,
Balata David
Publication year - 2009
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.1439-0485.2008.00275.x
Subject(s) - posidonia oceanica , seagrass , epiphyte , potamogetonaceae , abundance (ecology) , mediterranean sea , rhizome , mediterranean climate , biomass (ecology) , spatial variability , archipelago , ecology , biology , spatial ecology , environmental science , habitat , statistics , mathematics
The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the variability in the structure of the epiphytic assemblages of leaves and rhizomes of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica differed between depths at a large spatial scale. A hierarchical sampling design was used to compare epiphytic assemblages at two different depths (10 and 20 m) in terms of both species composition and abundance and patterns of spatial variability in the Tuscan Archipelago (North Western Mediterranean Sea, Italy). Results showed significant differences in the structure of assemblages on rhizomes and leaves at different depths. These differences were related to species composition and abundance; differences were not significant for total biomass, total percentage cover and percentage cover of animals and algae. Whereas the higher variability was observed among shoots in all the studied systems, patterns of spatial variability at the other spatial scales investigated differed between the two studied depths. Moreover, in the present study, analogous patterns between depths resulted for both the assemblages of leaves and rhizomes, suggesting that factors that change with depth can be responsible for the spatial variability of both the assemblages (leaves and rhizomes), and operate regardless of the microclimatic conditions and the structure of assemblages.