Diversity Assessment of Benthic Marine Macroinvertebrates Using Artificial Substrates

Event Abstract Back to Event Diversity Assessment of Benthic Marine Macroinvertebrates Using Artificial Substrates Regina C. Neto1*, Hugo R. Ferreira1, DIEGO CARREIRA1 and Pedro T. Gomes1 1 University of Minho, Portugal Marine macroalgae are dominant and abundant organisms that act as a biological structural substrate with positive impacts on the survival, richness, and abundance of local species. Through their physical structure, these organisms alter the physical conditions of the habitat and influence, directly and indirectly, the biological interactions, playing an important role in the structuring of the macrobenthic communities. In the nearshore temperate zones, macroalgae are amongst the major players in habitat formation and important elements of many organisms in several stages of their life cycle. However, the sampling of these kinds of habitats has some drawbacks, namely the need to act in a destructive way in order to access the resident fauna and the difficulty in standardizing procedures. In the long term, with certain types of biotopes, the sampling activity may also compromise the habitat which is not desirable. Therefore, there is a need for an alternative methodology’s that can give equivalent results without destroying the habitat and that can be easily replicable. Artificial substrates (AS) may constitute a viable alternative, as they can be easily standardized, fundamental for statistical quantitative studies and, eliminate as well the need for destructive sampling of natural substrates. Through thoose AS we intended to mimic the structure of 2 kinds of natural environments: a leafy complex alga (Cystoseira sp and other structural similar algae), designated as AS1, and the space provided by the rhizoids of some Laminariales (Saccorhiza polyschides, for instance), designated AS2. We placed in the Ria de Ferrol (Spain), a set of 6 replicates at 2 meters depth (Torpedera) and another at 9 meters depth (San Cristovo) during a period of 3 months (May to August). After sorting, a total of 9710 organisms was collected and identified to the maximum taxonomic detail possible (species when possible; otherwise the genus or family), amounting to 194 different taxonomic entities. The biological metrics (richness, abundance, diversity and equitability) showed a significant difference between the substrates placed at 2 meters depth, whereas at 9m depth only differences in the abundance of organisms were found. We believe that at Torpedera, the exposure to currents, plus the water flow led to the provision of a larger niche for filtering and tube builder’s organisms in the substrate AS1. Additionally, it also led to a greater settlement of particles and sediments in the substrate AS2, allowing for a greater number of detritivores. At higher depths there was preference of certain species for the leafy substrate AS2, namely by the presence of larger organisms. The patterns of abundance and richness of macroinvertebrates suggest that habitat preferences may be related to different feeding modes, reproductive strategies, morphologies, and mobility, besides confirming the dependence of several groups of organisms on the habitat architecture as well as the ability of AS to support diverse communities. Keywords: Artificial substrate, Structural complexity, macrofauna, Taxonomic diversity, colonization Conference: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Ecology, Biodiversity and Vulnerable Ecosystems Citation: Neto RC, Ferreira HR, CARREIRA D and Gomes PT (2019). Diversity Assessment of Benthic Marine Macroinvertebrates Using Artificial Substrates. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) . doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.08.00016 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 22 Aug 2019; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019. * Correspondence: Mx. Regina C Neto, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, regina.neto13@hotmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Regina C Neto Hugo R Ferreira DIEGO CARREIRA Pedro T Gomes Google Regina C Neto Hugo R Ferreira DIEGO CARREIRA Pedro T Gomes Google Scholar Regina C Neto Hugo R Ferreira DIEGO CARREIRA Pedro T Gomes PubMed Regina C Neto Hugo R Ferreira DIEGO CARREIRA Pedro T Gomes Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.