Abstract
The biodiversity and distributional ecology of amphipod crustaceans were analysed from benthic surveys in 1985 and 1986 along the coast of Portugal, from the Tagus canyon to the coast of Minho, in order to determine their role in the ecosystem of the Portuguese continental self. In samples obtained from different types of substrate between 18 and 545 m, we identified 113 species belonging to 51 genera of 24 families. Seventeen of these species were new records for the Portuguese coast. The relative frequencies and number of individuals of all species were analysed. The genus Ampelisca clearly dominated the group of the most frequent and abundant species, which also exhibited a large range of vertical distribution. Most of the 113 species were found only down to 150 m depth, corresponding roughly to the lower limit of the continental shelf. Fifteen species exhibited clear bathyal traits, being consistently found deeper than 100 m, especially in the Tagus canyon and the upper zone of the continental slope. The most frequent and abundant species were found predominatly or in large numbers in medium to fine sand bottoms. This type of substrate also contained the highest number of species. The granulometric structure of the habitat could constitute the most important factor controlling both biodiversity and development of large amphipod populations, since oxygen level, water exchange, number of available shelters, and probably the quantity and quality of nutritional resources all vary as a function of substrate texture. Because of their dominance in both frequency and abundance, several Ampelisca species may constitute an important food source for many secondary consumers of the shelf sediments, especially for demersal fishes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Barnard, J. L. (1969). The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda. Bull. U.S. natn. Mus. 271: 1–535
Barnard, J. L. (1980). Classification of gammarid Amphipoda. Crustaceana (Suppl.) 6: 5–16
Barnard, J. L., Karaman, G. (1991a). The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda (except marine gammaroids). Part 1. Rec. Aust. Mus. (Suppl.) 13: 1–417
Barnard, J. L., Karaman, G. (1991b). The families and genera of marine gammaridean Amphipoda (except marine gammaroids). Part 2. Rec. Aust. Mus. (Suppl.) 13: 419–866
Bellan-Santini, D., Dauvin, J. C. (1988). Actualisation des données sur l'écologie, la biogéographie et la phylogénie des Ampeliscidae (crustacés—amphipodes) atlantiques après la révision des collections d'E. Chevreux. Aspects récents de la biologie des Crustacés. Act. Colloques, IFREMER 8: 207–216
Chevreux, E. (1895). Les amphipodes des premières capagnes de la Princesse Alice. Mém. Soc. zool. Fr. 8: 424–435
Chevreux, E. (1900). Amphipodes provenant des campagnes de l'Hirondelle (1885–1888). Résult. Camp. scient. Prince Albert I 16: i-iv, 1–196, pls I–XVIII
Chevreux, E. (1925). Voyage de la goélette Melita aux Canaries et au Sénégal (1889–1890). Amphipodes. I. Gammariens. Bull. Soc. zool. Fr. 50: 278–311
Chevreux, E., Fage, L. (1925). Amphipodes. Faune Fr. 9: 1–448
Dauvin, J. C. (1988). Rôle du macrobenthos dans l'alimentation des poissons démersaux vivant sur les fonds de sédiments fins de la Manche occidentale. Cah. Biol. mar. 29: 445–467
Dauvin, J. C., Bellan-Santini, D. (1988). Illustrated key to Ampelisca species from the north-eastern Atlantic. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 68: 659–676
Legendre, L., Legendre, P. (1984). Ecologie numérique. II. La structure des données écologiques. Masson, Paris
Lincoln, R. J. (1979). British marine Amphipoda: Gammaridea. British Museum (Natural History), London
Marques, J. C. (1989). Amphipoda (Crustacea) bentónicos da Costa Portuguesa: estudo taxonómico, ecológico e biogeográfico. Ph. D. thesis. University of Coimbra, Coimbra
Marques, J. C., Bellan-Santini, D. (1985). Contribution à l'étude systématique et écologique des amphipodes (Crustacea—Amphipoda) des côtes du Portugal. Premier inventaire des espèces (gammariens et caprelliens). Ciênc. biol. (Portugal) (Ser. Ecol. Syst.) 5: 299–353
Marques, J. C., Bellan-Santini, D. (1991). Gammaridea and Caprellidea (Crustacea, Amphipoda) of the Portuguese south-western continental shelf: taxonomy and distributional ecology. Bijdr. Dierk. 61: 65–87
Myers, A. A., McGrath, D. (1982). Taxonomic studies on British and Irish Amphipoda. Re-establishment of Leucothoe procera. J. mar. biol. Ass. U. K. 62: 693–698
Ruffo, S. (1985). studi sui crostacei anfipodi CII. Le specie mediterranee dei generi Tmetonyx Stebbing e Tryphosella Bonnier (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Lysianassidae). Annali Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Giacomo Doria 85: 273–297
Ruffo, S., Bellan-Santini, D., Diviacco, G., Krapp-Schickel G., Myers, A. A. (1989). The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean. Part 2. Gammaridea (Haustoriidae to Lysianassidae). Mém. Inst. océanogr. Monaco 13: xv-xiv; 365–576
Ruffo, S., Bellan-Santini, D., Karaman, G., Krapp-Schickel, G., Ledoyer, M. (1993). The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean. Part 3: Gammaridea (Melphidippidae to Talitridae), Caprellidea, and Ingolfiellidea. Mém. Inst. océanogr. Monaco 13 (in press)
Ruffo, S., Bellan-Santini, D., Karaman, G., Krapp-Schickel, G., Ledoyer, M., Myers, A. A., Schiecke, U. (1982). The Amphipoda of the Mediterranean. Part 1. Gammaridea (Acanthonotozomatidae to Gammaridae). Mém. Inst. océanogr. Monaco 13: i-xiii, 1–364; 1 map
Ruffo, S., Schiecke, U. (1977). Le specie mediterranee del genere Lepidepecreum Bate and Westwood (Amphipoda, Lysianassidae). Boll. Mus. civ. Stor. nat. Verona 4: 429–447
Sars, G. O. (1895). An account of the Crustacea of Norway. Vol I. Amphipoda. Albert Cammermeyers, Christiania, Norway
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by J. M. Pérès, Marseille
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marques, J.C., Bellan-Santini, D. Biodiversity in the ecosystem of the Portuguese continental shelf: distributional ecology and the role of benthic amphipods. Marine Biology 115, 555–564 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349362
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349362