Testing marine regional-scale hypotheses along the Yucatan continental shelf using soft-bottom macrofauna.

ABSTRACT: Different hypotheses related to the regional-scale configuration of the Yucatan Continental Shelf (YCS) between the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the Caribbean Sea have been proposed. Hypotheses regarding its regional boundaries include: (i) an ecoregional boundary at Catoche Cape, dividing the Western Caribbean and the Southern GoM ecoregions; and (ii) a boundary within the Southern GoM ecoregion at 89°W, separating the West and Mid-Yucatan areas. We tested the hypothesis of no variation in benthic macrofaunal assemblages between regions delimited by the former boundaries using the species and functional traits of soft-bottom macrofauna. We considered that the depth and temporal environmental dynamics might interact with regional variations, generating complex benthic community patterns. The d

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Avila I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6942678 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature