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Geographic distribution of Astroides calycularis (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae) as a baseline to assess future human impacts on the Southern Iberian Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2015

Alejandro Terrón-Sigler ,
David León-Muez ,
Patricio Peñalver-Duque ,
Rafael Gálvez-César  and
Free Espinosa Torre
Alejandro Terrón-Sigler*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 Sevilla, España Asociación Hombre y Territorio, C/ Betania n° 13. CP. 41007 Sevilla, España http://www.hombreyterritorio.org
David León-Muez
Affiliation:
Asociación Hombre y Territorio, C/ Betania n° 13. CP. 41007 Sevilla, España http://www.hombreyterritorio.org
Patricio Peñalver-Duque
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 Sevilla, España Asociación Hombre y Territorio, C/ Betania n° 13. CP. 41007 Sevilla, España http://www.hombreyterritorio.org
Rafael Gálvez-César
Affiliation:
Asociación Hombre y Territorio, C/ Betania n° 13. CP. 41007 Sevilla, España http://www.hombreyterritorio.org
Free Espinosa Torre
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 Sevilla, España
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:A. Terrón-Sigler, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012-Sevilla, Spain email: terronsigler@hombreyterritorio.org
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Abstract

Human activities have increasingly affected biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. Data on the distribution and abundance of species allows researchers to assess the possible degradation of wild populations. These data could act as a baseline to assess the magnitude of the effects of human activities on a bioindicator species. The distribution and relative abundance of the south-western populations of the endemic Astroides calycularis in the South Iberian Peninsula were studied to establish a baseline for future studies. The rocky shoreline was studied at a depth range of 0–12 m, including more than 650 km of Spain's Andalusian coastline. The species was present in 135 of the 585 dive points sampled. ANOVA analysis showed differences in depth in the four provinces studied, and there was no interaction between the two factors. As human activities on the Mediterranean coast are reducing the A. calycularis populations, a baseline on marine populations is greatly recommended for monitoring, assessment, and management studies, especially for endangered or bioindicator species. This baseline could be useful as a reference tool to assess the effects of human activities on marine biodiversity, including global change.

Keywords

Astroides calycularisbaselinegeographic distributionabundanceendangered speciesMediterranean Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 5 , August 2016 , pp. 1181 - 1189
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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