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dc.contributor.authorEvans, J
dc.contributor.authorAttrill, Martin
dc.contributor.authorBorg, JA
dc.contributor.authorCotton, Peter
dc.contributor.authorSchembri, PJ
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-10T08:53:52Z
dc.date.available2018-09-10T08:53:52Z
dc.date.issued2018-02
dc.identifier.issn0025-3162
dc.identifier.issn1432-1793
dc.identifier.other35
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/12271
dc.description.abstract

Sublittoral pebble beds are generally considered to be impoverished, but the physical and biological characteristics of these habitats are poorly known. We characterised nineteen pebble bed sites in the Maltese Islands, providing detailed habitat data for Mediterranean sublittoral pebble beds for the first time. Nearly 40,000 individuals belonging to 332 taxa were recorded in all, with total richness estimated to reach 440 taxa; molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes were the most diverse faunal groups. This high diversity is likely due to the structural complexity of the pebble beds, which had a vertically stratified arrangement of sediment particles that is likely maintained through periodic physical disturbance. Variation in the biotic assemblage from site to site was correlated with changes in the quantity of sand and silt, with the area of the pebble bed, with water depth, and with the thickness of the pebble layer. This indicates that pebble-bed macrofaunal assemblages are sensitive to changes in hydrodynamic conditions and sediment loading, to alterations to the stratification of the pebble beds, and to fragmentation of the habitat patches. These results contradict assertions that sublittoral pebble beds are impoverished, instead showing that they can be highly diverse habitats supporting biotic assemblages that respond to a complex set of environmental variables. The present findings enable better understanding of the ecological importance of pebble beds and of the potential impacts of anthropogenic disturbance, enabling more informed decisions for habitat conservation and management.

dc.format.extent35-
dc.languageen
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Verlag
dc.titleHidden in plain sight: species richness and habitat characterisation of sublittoral pebble beds
dc.typejournal-article
dc.typeJournal Article
plymouth.author-urlhttps://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000424326200013&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=11bb513d99f797142bcfeffcc58ea008
plymouth.issue2
plymouth.volume165
plymouth.publication-statusPublished
plymouth.journalMarine Biology
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00227-018-3292-4
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Science and Engineering
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Science and Engineering/School of Biological and Marine Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/PRIMaRE Publications
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA/UoA06 Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA/UoA07 Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/Marine Institute
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role/Academics
dcterms.dateAccepted2018-01-16
dc.rights.embargodate2019-1-30
dc.identifier.eissn1432-1793
dc.rights.embargoperiodNot known
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1007/s00227-018-3292-4
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2018-02
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review


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