A new cladocora caespitosa population with unique ecological traits
dc.contributor.author
dc.date.accessioned
2017-06-16T10:22:33Z
dc.date.available
2017-06-16T10:22:33Z
dc.date.issued
2017
dc.identifier.issn
1108-393X
dc.identifier.uri
dc.description.abstract
The Mediterranean endemic scleractinian coral Cladocora caespitosa (L., 1767) has been recently included in the IUCN Red List as an endangered species. In this context, information on the species is urgently required to further assess its status and to determine its distribution area. This study reports on the main traits of a recently discovered C. caespitosa population in Formentera (Balearic Islands, W Mediterranean). Here, coral colonies live wrapped in Cystoseira forests thriving on rocky substrata (5 - 13 m depth), thus being a new example of the ability of C. caespitosa to build up extensive populations within algal communities. Even though coral cover reaches ~ 20 % on average, which is a remarkable figure for this species, colonies are generally small (~ 10 cm diameter on average), most probably due to partial exposure to waves and currents. The combination of hydrodynamics and the presence of algal forests in the studied site could be responsible for the high occurrence of a rare type of colony growth: free-living coral nodules or coralliths. This population is highly interesting for future monitoring owing to its unique traits, the absence of necrosis signs related to past mortality events, and its location inside a marine reserve
dc.description.sponsorship
This study was partially supported by Fundación Biodiversidad
and INTRAMURAL CSIC 0065
dc.format.mimetype
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
eng
dc.publisher
Elsevier
dc.relation.isformatof
Reproducció digital del document publicat a: http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/mms.1955
dc.relation.ispartof
Mediterranean Marine Science, 2017, vol. 18, núm. 1, p. 38-42
dc.relation.ispartofseries
Articles publicats (D-CCAA)
dc.rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Spain
dc.rights.uri
dc.subject
dc.title
A new cladocora caespitosa population with unique ecological traits
dc.type
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.rights.accessRights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.embargo.terms
Cap
dc.type.version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.identifier.doi
dc.identifier.idgrec
027419
dc.identifier.eissn
1791-6763