Diversity of Porifera in the Mediterranean coralligenous accretions, with description of a new species.

ABSTRACT: Temperate reefs, built by multilayers of encrusting algae accumulated during hundreds to thousands of years, represent one of the most important habitats of the Mediterranean Sea. These bioconstructions are known as "coralligenous" and their spatial complexity allows the formation of heterogeneous microhabitats offering opportunities for a large number of small cryptic species hardly ever considered. Although sponges are the dominant animal taxon in the coralligenous rims with both insinuating and perforating species, this group is until now poorly known. Aim of this work is to develop a reference baseline about the taxonomic knowledge of sponges and, considering their high level of phenotypic plasticity, evaluate the importance of coralligenous accretions as a pocket for biodiversity cons

SUBMITTER: Bertolino M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3800777 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature