title: Fertilization and connectivity in the Garrucha Canyon (SE-Spain) implications for Marine Spatial Planning.
abstract: Marine Spatial Planning is usually based on benthic georeferenced information or GPS tracked human activities, whereas the pelagic ecosystem is often ignored because of scarce and limited surface information. However, the 3-D pelagic ecosystem plays a key role connecting all the other ecosystems by physical (currents) and biological (migration) processes. According to remote sensing the Garrucha Canyon is oligotrophic, but 3-D sampling reveals subsurface upwelling, and converts it into the richest area around the Cape of Gata. Vertical connectivity by means of zooplankton migration, measured at two sampling stations, is 40 and 220 times faster than microphytoplankton settling and vertical water velocities respectively. Thus coupled physical-biological connectivity models are necessary to estimate the ecosystem connection and the fate of carbon, but also other substances (e.g. radioactivity), that might accumulate throughout the food-web. This is especially important in the Garrucha Canyon and the Coastal Areas Management Programme Levante de Almería where natural heritage and extractive fishery are important for the local economy.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: mariamunoz@uma.es.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reul
authors.affiliation: Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Puerto Pesquero 21 s/n, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vargas-Yáñez
authors.affiliation: Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Avenida Príncipe de Asturias, 70 Bis, 33212 Gijón, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bautista
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain; Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Puerto Pesquero 21 s/n, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: García-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Puerto Pesquero 21 s/n, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Geografía, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: M-L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gómez-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, The Hoe, Plymouth PL13 DH, UK; AZTI, Herrera Kaia, Portualdea, z/g, Pasaia (Gipuzkoa), 20110, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Málaga, Andalucía Tech, Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D013030:Spain; D015048:Zooplankton
keywords: Canyons; Connectivity; Currents; Daily Vertical Migration; Fertilization; Marine Spatial Planning; Zooplankton