Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Mediterranean Syllidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) revisited: biogeography, diversity and species fidelity to environmental features

2005; Inter-Research; Volume: 304; Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/meps304143

1616-1599

Luigi Musco, Adriana Giangrande,

Marine Ecology and Invasive Species

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 304:143-153 (2005) - doi:10.3354/meps304143 Mediterranean Syllidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) revisited: biogeography, diversity and species fidelity to environmental features Luigi Musco*, Adriana Giangrande Laboratorio di Zoologia e Simbiosi, DiSTeBA, Università di Lecce, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy *Email: luigi.musco@unile.it ABSTRACT: The species diversity of Syllidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) on different coastlines within the Mediterranean Basin was analysed, including along the Salento Peninsula (Italy), which is thought to play a crucial role as a crossroads between different biogeographic areas. Analysis of biogeography, the assignment of species into 6 bioclimatic categories, a novel method to assess inter-matrix correlation significance and the correlation between species distribution, and some environmental variables provided relevant tools to investigate the influence of a suite of ecological and historical factors on syllid distribution. Data showed that Syllidae could be considered a useful taxon for biogeographic speculations, even though bioclimatic and environmental analyses appeared significantly more informative. The Salento Peninsula revealed an affinity with some eastern Mediterranean coastlines. Syllid distribution suggested the existence of an 'Atlantism' gradient, decreasing eastwards and possibly corresponding to a temperature gradient when bioclimatic categories were analysed. In contrast to previous results, the Eastern and Western Basins did not show great differences in species diversity. The observed differences could, in part, be due to an 'author effect', due to the differing taxonomic updating of the available faunistic lists. Syllidae were found to be effective faunistic and ecological indicators, able to characterize different areas inside the Mediterranean Sea; thus, the present results could be used to stimulate further research on different aspects of the family. KEY WORDS: Polychaeta · Syllidae · Mediterranean · Biogeography · Species diversity · Multivariate analysis · Taxonomic updating · Water temperature · Salinity Full text in pdf format Supplementary appendix PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 304. Online publication date: December 08, 2005 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2005 Inter-Research.