European Ocean Biodiversity Information System
[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page
one publication added to basket [120282]
Rocky-shore communities as indicators of water quality: a case study in the Northwestern Mediterranean
Pinedo, S.; García, M.; Satta, M.P.; de Torres, M.; Ballesteros, E. (2007). Rocky-shore communities as indicators of water quality: a case study in the Northwestern Mediterranean. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 55(1-6): 126-135. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.08.044
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363
Also appears in:
Devlin, M.; Best, M.; Haynes, D. (Ed.) (2007). Implementation of the Water Framework Directive in European marine waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 55(Spec. Issue 1-6). Elsevier: Amsterdam. 297 pp., more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Non-open access 353822 [ request ]
Keywords
    Algae
    Bioindicators
    Composition > Community composition
    Flora > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic plants
    Cystoseira mediterranea Sauvageau, 1912 [WoRMS]
    MED, Western Mediterranean [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    bioindicators; quality assessment; ecological status; macroalgalcommunities; water framework directive; Mediterranean sea
Authors  Top 
  • Pinedo, S.
  • García, M.
  • Satta, M.P.
  • de Torres, M.
  • Ballesteros, E.
Abstract
    The collection of 152 samples from the upper sublittoral zone along the rocky coasts of Catalonia (Northwestern Mediterranean) was carried out in 1999 in order to test the suitability of littoral communities to be used as indicators of water quality in the frame of the European Water Framework Directive. Detrended correspondence analysis were performed to distinguish between different communities and to relate communities composition to water quality. Samples collected in reference sites were included in the analysis. Mediterranean rocky shore communities situated in the upper sublittoral zone can be used as indicators of the water quality: there is a gradient from high to bad status that comprises from dense Cystoseira mediterranea forests to green algae dominated communities. The geographical patterns in the distribution of these communities show that the best areas are situated in the Northern coast, where tourism is the main economic resource of the area, and the worst area is situated close to the metropolitan zone of Barcelona with high population and industrial development. Thus, Mediterranean sublittoral rocky shore communities are useful indicators of water quality and multivariate analysis are a suitable statistical tool for the assessment of the ecological status.
All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors