Patterns Of Marine Benthic Biodiversity

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 613

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Interests: marine biology; invertebrates; macroalgae
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
The Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Interests: marine biology; invertebrates; macroalgae; standard sampling methodologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The loss of biodiversity is one of the main threats that humanity faces. Marine benthic ecosystems are one of the most diverse environments on earth, but our knowledge about their natural patterns of biodiversity remains limited. Environmental factors (e.g., temperature, salinity, pH, sedimentary kind) and biological factors (predation, competition, etc.) interact simultaneously, shaping the diversity of marine benthic assemblages at different spatial and temporal scales. The number of studies dealing with patterns of marine benthic diversity at local and regional scales is greater than those covering the broader scales and cannot be extrapolated as generalities. Finally, many anthropogenic activities can modify the natural patterns of the biodiversity of benthic assemblages. We are pleased to invite you to contribute your manuscripts to this special Issue, that provides an opportunity to improve current knowledge on patterns of marine benthic biodiversity. We welcome original research articles and reviews to this Special Issues and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following topics: studies conducted at different temporal and spatial scales, those investigating relationships between ecosystem engineers and biodiversity, and those focusing on the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on benthic biodiversity patterns.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marcos Rubal
Dr. Puri Veiga
Dr. Diego Carreira-Flores
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • intertidal
  • subtidal
  • rocky shores
  • sandy shores
  • estuaries
  • anthropogenic disturbance
  • environmental gradients

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 11374 KiB  
Article
Colonial Ascidian Populations at Inshore Coral Reefs of Norfolk Island, South Pacific
by Shannon Eckhardt, Tracy D. Ainsworth, William Leggat and Charlotte E. Page
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070384 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 389
Abstract
Subtropical coral reefs such as the lagoonal reefs of Norfolk Island in the remote South Pacific are vastly understudied, with many benthic species unrecorded in the scientific literature. Here we report on ascidian populations from 2021 to 2023 at Norfolk Islands inshore reefs. [...] Read more.
Subtropical coral reefs such as the lagoonal reefs of Norfolk Island in the remote South Pacific are vastly understudied, with many benthic species unrecorded in the scientific literature. Here we report on ascidian populations from 2021 to 2023 at Norfolk Islands inshore reefs. Quantitative assessments spanning that period were conducted to assess ascidian presence, cover, and benthic interactions. We show ascidian cover remained persistently low and stable across the lagoonal reefs during the study period. We find adjacent reef site, Cemetery Bay showed variation in ascidian cover over time, where we measure a 3.2-fold increase in cover over 2 years. Ascidians were associated primarily with sand and sediment substrates at all reef locations. Recorded interactions between hard corals and ascidians were low. This study provides valuable insights into the population dynamics of ascidians within subtropical reef ecosystems. Ongoing ascidian population monitoring can provide a comprehensive understanding of ascidian dynamics whilst also providing insight of theimpact of anthropogenic stressors on benthic communities. Together, this can aid in informing management and conservation strategies for subtropical reefs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patterns Of Marine Benthic Biodiversity)
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