title: Structure and biodiversity of coralligenous assemblages dominated by the precious red coral Corallium rubrum over broad spatial scales.
abstract: Data on species diversity and structure in coralligenous outcrops dominated by Corallium rubrum are lacking. A hierarchical sampling including 3 localities and 9 sites covering more than 400 km of rocky coasts in NW Mediterranean, was designed to characterize the spatial variability of structure, composition and diversity of perennial species inhabiting coralligenous outcrops. We estimated species/taxa composition and abundance. Eight morpho-functional groups were defined according to their life span and growth to characterize the structural complexity of the outcrops. The species composition and structural complexity differed consistently across all spatial scales considered. The lowest and the highest variability were found among localities (separated by >200 km) and within sites (separated by 1-5 km), respectively supporting differences in diversity indices. The morpho-functional groups displayed a consistent spatial arrangement in terms of the number, size and shape of patches across study sites. These results contribute to filling the gap on the understanding of assemblage composition and structure and to build baselines to assess the response of this of this highly threatened habitat to anthropogenic disturbances.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casas-Güell
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.|Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cebrian
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|UM110, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Aix-Marseille Université, Université du Sud Toulon Var, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garrabou
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigaçao Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 177, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.affiliation: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Dohrn-Benthic Ecology Center, Punta San Pietro, Ischia, Naples 80077, Italy.
authors.forename: Núria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teixidó
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D008522:Mediterranean Sea