Article Dans Une Revue Scientia Marina Année : 2019

Large-scale distribution of a deep-sea megafauna community along Mediterranean trawlable grounds

Ulla Fernandez-Arcaya
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Isabella Bitetto
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Antonio Esteban
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M. Teresa Farriols
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Cristina García-Ruiz
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Luis Gil De Sola
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Beatriz Guijarro
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Stefanos Kavadas
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Giacomo Milisenda
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Irida Maina
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Slavica Petovic
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Letizia Sion
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Enric Massutí
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Résumé

The large-scale distribution pattern of megafauna communities along the Mediterranean middle slope was explored. The study was conducted between 500 and 800 m depth where deep-water fishery occurs. Although community studies carried out deeper than 500 m are partly available for some geographic areas, few large-scale comparative studies have been carried out. Within the framework of the MEDITS survey programme, we compared the megafauna community structure in ten geographical sub-areas (GSAs) along the Mediterranean coasts. Additionally, the spatial distribution of fishing was analysed using vessel monitoring by satellite information. Overall, the community showed a significant difference between sub-areas, with a decreasing eastward pattern in abundance and biomass. Longitude was the main factor explaining variation among sub-areas (by generalized additive models). However, we found a region which did not follow the general pattern. GSA 6 (northern Spain) showed significantly lower abundance and a different composition structure to the adjacent areas. The decrease in community descriptors (i.e. abundance and biomass) in this area is probably a symptom of population changes induced by intense fishery exploitation. Overall, a combination of environmental variables and human-induced impacts appears to influence the bentho-pelagic communities along the slope areas of the Mediterranean.

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hal-02434137 , version 1 (31-05-2021)

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Ulla Fernandez-Arcaya, Isabella Bitetto, Antonio Esteban, M. Teresa Farriols, Cristina García-Ruiz, et al.. Large-scale distribution of a deep-sea megafauna community along Mediterranean trawlable grounds. Scientia Marina, 2019, ⟨10.3989/scimar.04852.14A⟩. ⟨hal-02434137⟩
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