Avilés Canyon System: Increasing the benthic biodiversity knowledge

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107924
• Publication Date: 2022-06-03T01:16:33Z
• Authors: Pilar Ríos; Álvaro Altuna; Inmaculada Frutos; Eugenia Manjón-Ca...; Laura García-Guillén; Aurora Macías-Ram...; Teodoro P. Ibarrola; Serge Gofas; Sergi Taboada; Javier Souto; Fernando Álvarez; Jose I. Saiz-Salinas; Paco Cárdenas; Cristina Rodrígue...; Antía Lourido; Cristina Boza; Augusto Rodríguez...; Elena Prado; Alberto Abad-Urib...; Santiago Parra; Francisco Sánchez; Javier Cristobo
• Keywords: Marine protected area; Marine ecosystem; Bryozoa

Macro and megafauna were studied in the Avilés Canyon System (ACS), southern Bay of Biscay (Cantabrian Sea), during several oceanographic cruises carried out from 2009 to 2017. The biodiversity ACS is summarized its description herein updated after sampling surveys programmes (ECOMARG, INDEMARES, SponGES, INTEMARES) conducted by Spanish Institute Oceanography (IEO). This study has previous knowledge canyon area past national international projects, their reports publications as well data collected context regional projects designed gain new insight into diversity marine invertebrates fishes ACS. Samples taken using a range gears (Rock dredge, Beam trawl, Trawl gear GOC-73, Suprabenthic sledge, Box corer Remoted operated vehicle), 55 2291 m depth. A total 1015 species identified at ACS: 98 Porifera, 153 Cnidaria, 14 Brachiopoda, 22 Bryozoa, 97 Mollusca, 151 Annelida, 315 Arthropoda, 74 Echinodermata 91 Chordata. New records for fauna include 13 Porifera species, 17 7 8 Arthopoda, 3 4 Also bathymetric some been extended. As result research last fifteen years, important information now available which suggests that houses large number with high ecological value, it represents hotspot terms presence sponge aggregations coral reefs certain regions, sustains fisheries due abundance comercial species. Given relevance habitats occurring ACS, there need implement conservation management plan order maintain good state preservation.