Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Morfin M., Bez Nicolas, Fromentin J. M. (2016). Habitats of ten demersal species in the Gulf of Lions and potential implications for spatial management. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 547, p. 219-232. ISSN 0171-8630.

Titre du document
Habitats of ten demersal species in the Gulf of Lions and potential implications for spatial management
Année de publication
2016
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000374241200016
Auteurs
Morfin M., Bez Nicolas, Fromentin J. M.
Source
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2016, 547, p. 219-232 ISSN 0171-8630
An improved knowledge of habitat utilization by demersal species is a pre-requisite for their spatial management. Based on scientific survey data collected over the period 1994-2010, the present study investigates relationships between 4 environmental factors and 10 demersal species in the Gulf of Lions (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Generalized linear models provided statistically satisfying results in terms of both model explanatory and predictive powers. The 'biological zone' factors, based on the percentage of light penetration to the sea bottom and bottom temperature, were the most important factors, while sediments and benthic macrofauna were only significant for a few species. The type of associations varied among species, resulting in different spatial predictions among species. The spatial structures of species distributions appeared to be due more to habitat preferences that are spatially auto-correlated than to intra-specific population dynamics. The use of a spatial optimization procedure on the predicted species distributions allowed the detection of a set of 7 zones covering 17% of the studied region, that included at least 20% of each species' abundance and that reflected the diversity of the species' habitats. This preliminary result illustrates the potential of further analyses on Marine Protected Areas as a tool for the conservation of the demersal community in this region.
Plan de classement
Ecologie, systèmes aquatiques [036]
Description Géographique
FRANCE ; MEDITERRANEE ; GOLFE DU LION
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010066802]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010066802
Contact