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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Large-Scale Spatial Distribution Patterns of Echinoderms in Nearshore Rocky Habitats
PLoS ONE, Volume 5, No. 11, Article e13845, Year 2010
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Description
This study examined echinoderm assemblages from nearshore rocky habitats for large-scale distribution patterns with specific emphasis on identifying latitudinal trends and large regional hotspots. Echinoderms were sampled from 76 globallydistributed sites within 12 ecoregions, following the standardized sampling protocol of the Census of Marine Life NaGISA project (www.nagisa.coml.org). Sample-based species richness was overall low (<1-5 species per site), with a total of 32 asteroid, 18 echinoid, 21 ophiuroid, and 15 holothuroid species. Abundance and species richness in intertidal assemblages sampled with visual methods (organisms >2 cmin 1 m2 quadrats) was highest in the Caribbean ecoregions and echinoids dominated these assemblages with an average of 5 ind m-2. In contrast, intertidal echinoderm assemblages collected from clearings of 0.0625 m2 quadrats had the highest abundance and richness in the Northeast Pacific ecoregions where asteroids and holothurians dominated with an average of 14 ind 0.0625 m-2. Distinct latitudinal trends existed for abundance and richness in intertidal assemblages with declines from peaks at high northern latitudes. No latitudinal trends were found for subtidal echinoderm assemblages with either sampling technique. Latitudinal gradients appear to be superseded by regional diversity hotspots. In these hotspots echinoderm assemblages may be driven by local and regional processes, such as overall productivity and evolutionary history. We also tested a set of 14 environmental variables (six natural and eight anthropogenic) as potential drivers of echinoderm assemblages by ecoregions. The natural variables of salinity, sea-surface temperature, chlorophyll a, and primary productivity were strongly correlated with echinoderm assemblages; the anthropogenic variables of inorganic pollution and nutrient contamination also contributed to correlations. Our results indicate that nearshore echinoderm assemblages appear to be shaped by a network of environmental and ecological processes, and by the differing responses of various echinoderm taxa, making generalizations about the patterns of nearshore rocky habitat echinoderm assemblages difficult. © 2010 Iken et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC2974624/bin/pone.0013845.s001.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Iken, Katrin B.
United States, Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Konar, Brenda H.
United States, Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Benedetti-Cecchi, L.
Italy, Pisa
Università Di Pisa
Cruz-Motta, Juan José
Venezuela, Caracas
Universidad Simón Bolívar
Knowlton, Ann L.
United States, Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Pohle, Gerhard W.
Canada, St Andrews
Huntsman Marine Science Centre
Mead, Angela
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Miloslavich, Patricia
Venezuela, Caracas
Universidad Simón Bolívar
Wong, Melisa C.
Canada, Dartmouth
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Trott, Tom James
United States, Boston
Suffolk University
Mieszkowska, Nova
United Kingdom, Plymouth
Marine Biological Association
Riosmena-Rodríguez, Rafael
Italy, Bologna
Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna
Airoldi, Laura
Kenya, Mombasa
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
Kimani, Edward Ndirui
Mexico, La Paz
Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur
Shirayama, Yoshihisa
Japan, Kyoto
Kyoto University
Fraschetti, Simonetta
Italy, Lecce
Università Del Salento
Ortiz-Touzet, Manuel
Cuba, Havana
Universidad de la Habana
Silva, Angelica
Canada, Dartmouth
Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Statistics
Citations: 69
Authors: 18
Affiliations: 14
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0013845
e-ISSN:
19326203
Research Areas
Environmental