Macrobenthic communities of the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (Crete, Greece): bathymetric distribution and temporal trends.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Gulf of Heraklion is one of the most well-studied coastal marine ecosystems in the eastern Mediterranean. It is an oligotrophic area, exposed to wave action where muddy sediments prevail and its coastal zone is relatively unaffected by major riverine inputs. However, it faces pressures deriving from urbanisation, tourism, small-scale fisheries and climate change. Amongst its biological components, macrobenthos is an important component of soft-bottom habitats of the continental shelf and considered to be an indicator of environmental and human-induced disturbance. Nevertheless, long-term data are limited, thus restricting our understanding of their temporal trends. This is of particular importance for the Mediterranean Sea which is characterised as a hot spot of biod

SUBMITTER: Koumpaki E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12709197 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature