Habitat mapping of the Avilés Canyon System and the near continental shelf (Cantabrian Sea)

See discussions, s a s, and au ho p o iles o his publica ion a : h ps://www. esea chga e.ne /publica ion/259042529 Habi a mapping o he A ilés Canyon Sys em and he nea con inen al shel (Can ab ian Sea) Con e ence Pape · Sep embe 2013 CITATIONS 0 READS 185 12 au ho s, including: Some o he au ho s o his publica ion a e also wo king on hese ela ed p ojec s: In eg a ing gene ic connec i i y and adap a ion in deep-sea A lan o-Medi e anean ben hic in e eb a es o conse a ion pu poses (DEEPCON) View p ojec Sedimen Wa es View p ojec F ancisco Sánchez Ins i u o Español de Oceanog a ia 165 PUBLICATIONS3,463 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Ana Ga cía-Aleg e Ins i u o Español de Oceanog a ia 44 PUBLICATIONS507 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Ma ía D ue Ins i u o Geológico y Mine o de España 69 PUBLICATIONS391 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Albe o Se ano Ins i u o Español de Oceanog a ia 160 PUBLICATIONS2,485 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All con en ollowing his page was uploaded by F ancisco Sánchez on 16 Sep embe 2014. The use has eques ed enhancemen o he downloaded ile. Habi a mapping o he A ilés Canyon Sys em and he nea con inen al shel (Can ab ian Sea) F ancisco Sánchez*, Ana Ga cía-Aleg e, Ma ía D ue , Albe o Se ano, San iago Pa a, Ja ie C is obo, An onio Punzón, Ma ía Gómez-Balles e os, Pila Ríos, Jesus Ri e a, An ia Lou ido and Juan Acos a * Ins i u o Español de Oceanog a ía, P. Box: 240, 39004, San ande , Spain E-mail: .sanchez@s .ieo.es The complex A ilés Canyon Sys em is loca ed in he wes e n a ea o he Can ab ian Sea (Bay o Biscay), whose s udy is cu en ly being ca ied ou by he INDEMARES (LIFE+) p ojec . The aim o his p ojec is o p o ide he necessa y in o ma ion o es ablish a ne wo k o ep esen a i e Ma ine P o ec ed A eas (MPAs) o he pu pose o biodi e si y conse a ion on Spanish wa e s. Fo he e ec i e design o MPAs, one o he main objec i es o his p ojec is iden i ying and cha ing he habi a s and he biological communi ies ha inhabi hem. Howe e , he EUNIS hie a chical habi a classi ica ion sys em is s ill no well de eloped o he cha ac e is ics o se e al ecosys ems and, in gene al e ms, i p esen s impo an disc epancies in hei design. In his s udy we a emp o de e mine he sui abili y o his classi ica ion sys em o he pa icula i ies o he complex A ilés Canyon’s deep-sea ecosys em, iden i ying he main p oblems o be sol ed in imp o ed e sions o he EUNIS o e lec egional peculia i ies. Th ee majo subma ine canyons a e p esen : A ilés, El Co bi o and La Ga ie a canyons. I ’s also no iceable in he a ea he Agudo de Fue a High ( ocky ou c op) and El Can o Nue o ma ginal shel . I s s uc u al complexi y, in combina ion wi h a high g adien o en i onmen al a iables ( om 50 o 4800 m dep h) and he exis ence o s ong hyd odynamic ac i i y associa ed o he opog aphy, p oduce a high di e si y o habi a s and biological communi ies. Da a collec ion Ba hyme y and geomo phology BENTHIC HABITATS IDENTIFICATION Subs a um Hyd og aphy and dynamics Habi a iden i ied 1Ci cali o al ock domina e by D.co nige a and P. en ilab um A4.121 (Phakellia en ilab um) and axinellid on deep ci cali o al ock 1 2Deep ci cali o al coa se sedimen A5.15 Deep ci cali o al coa se sedimen 2 3 Deep ci cali o al sand A5 27 Deep ci cali o al sand 3 EUNIS habi a 1 Biological sampling 3 Deep ci cali o al sand A5 . 27 Deep ci cali o al sand 3 4Ci cali o al sandy mud A5.35 Ci cali o al sandy mud 4 5Mixed sedimen s domina e wi h Lep ome a cel ica A5.45 Deep ci cali o al mixed sedimen s 5 6Deep-sea mixed subs a a wi h B isingida s a ish A6.2 Deep-sea mixed subs a a 6 7B eak shel ba hyal sand A6.3 Deep-sea sand 7 8Deep-sea sand wi h lea he sea-u chins A6.3 Deep-sea sand 8 9Uppe slope ba hyal muddy sand A6.4 Deep-sea muddy sand 9 10 Ba hyal mud wi h Flabellum A6.5 Deep-sea mud 10 11 Ba hyal mud wi h Acanella a buscula A6.5 Deep-sea mud 11 12 Ba hyal ock wi h Dend ophyllia co nige a A6.61 Communi ies o Deep-sea co als 12 13 Ba hyal ock wi h whi e co als (Solenosmillia, Enallopsammia)A6.61 Communi ies o Deep-sea co als 13 14 Ba hyal ock wi h black co als ( Leiopa hes, An ipa hes )A6.61 Communi ies o Deep-sea co als 14 15 Ba hyal ock wi h Callogo gia e icilla a A6.61 Communi ies o Deep-sea co als 15 16 3 Fishe y impac s 16 Deep sea Lophelia pe usa and/o Mad epo a ocula a ee s A 6.611 Deep-sea (Lophelia pe usa) ee s 16 17 Dea h co al ee mounds (co al amewo k) A6.6 Deep-sea biohe ms 17 18 Ba hyal ock wi h Li is ida sponge A6.62 Deep-sea sponge agg ega ions 18 19 Ba hyal ock wi h big Desmospongiae (Geodidae) A6.62 Deep-sea sponge agg ega ions 19 20 Ba hyal och wi h hexac inellid sponge (Asconema)A6.62 Deep-sea sponge agg ega ions 20 21 Ba hyal mud wi h ca ni o ous sponge (Chond ocladia sp.) A6.62 Deep-sea sponge agg ega ions 21 22 Ba hyal mud wi h Phe onema ca pen e i A6.621 Facies wi h Phe onema g ayi 22 23 Rippled mixed sedimen s on canyon loo A6.81 Canyons,channels,slope ailu es and slumps on he con inen al slope 23 24 Mixed sedimen s on ma ine canyons wi h Phelliac is sp. A6.81 Canyons,channels,slope ailu es and slumps on he con inen al slope 24 6 8141623 The esul s show ha he c i e ia o he classi ica ion o he habi a s acco ding o EUNIS does no seem o be sui able (shown in ed) o he pa icula habi a s ound in he a ea, especially on he deep-sea, whe e in some cases i was possible o each he hi d le el o he hie a chy. The use o wo di e en le els o agg ega ions on he deep-sea habi a s, ollowing wo di e en c i e ia (subs a e o geomo phology -canyons, enches,e c.) imply ha he same habi a can be classi ied in o di e en le els. Also, he e is a s ong ishing p essu e and nea ly 400 essels cu en ly ope a e in he a ea. Consequen ly some o he habi a s a e al e ed o a g ea e o lesse ex en by ishing ac i i ies. Pa icula ly he habi a s loca ed in sedimen a y g ounds, be ween 100 and 600 m dep hs, a e ex emely dis u bed by awle s and ha e e y al e ed biological communi ies. View publica ion s a s