Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea)
Emerging evidence of rhodolith bed complexity and heterogeneity poses a challenge to monitoring strategies and questions about the role of abiotic factors in controlling the observed morphostructural diversity. Mollusk thanatocoenoses quickly respond to environmental conditions, expressing fidelity...
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/4/526 |
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| author | Valentina Alice Bracchi Agostino Niyonkuru Meroni Vivien Epis Daniela Basso |
| author_facet | Valentina Alice Bracchi Agostino Niyonkuru Meroni Vivien Epis Daniela Basso |
| author_sort | Valentina Alice Bracchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Emerging evidence of rhodolith bed complexity and heterogeneity poses a challenge to monitoring strategies and questions about the role of abiotic factors in controlling the observed morphostructural diversity. Mollusk thanatocoenoses quickly respond to environmental conditions, expressing fidelity to biocoenosis and representing, thus, a useful ecological/paleoecological tool to unravel this heterogeneity. In this research, we studied three distinct rhodolith beds from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), in a range between 40 and 100 m of water depth, together with their mollusk thanatocoenoses, sediment size, and oceanographic conditions. The beds are all heterogeneous and rarely correspond to a specific rhodolith morphotype and shape. On the contrary, the study of the associated thanatocoenoses led to distinguish at least five different assemblages within the known variability of the Coastal detritic (DC) association. DC and deep mud (VP) mollusk species dominate hanatocoenosis A, which is associated with mixed sediment and a low hydrodynamic regime. Thanatocoenosis B corresponds to an assemblage in which DC species mixed with species of adjacent vegetated bottoms in sandy sediment with a medium hydrodynamic. Thanatocoenosis C includes species related to muddy coastal detritic (DE) and offshore detritic (DL) associated with sand and a variable proportion of praline and branch morphotypes. Thanatocoenoses D and E include a wide range of detritic species (DE DC, DL) together with VP and coralligenous (C), associated with exclusive praline and gravelly sand (Thanat. D), or a mixed proportion of branch and praline and mixed sediment (Thanat. E). Our results demonstrate that the study of mollusk thanatocoenoses provides insights into the diversity within and among heterogeneous rhodolith beds. Moreover, rhodoliths, as part of the sediment, create microhabitats suitable for a wide range of mollusk species that contribute to the formation of complex thanatocoenoses. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:06:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-a749883a5086448e8f3e04be72a74a0f2023-11-17T18:56:53ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-04-0115452610.3390/d15040526Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea)Valentina Alice Bracchi0Agostino Niyonkuru Meroni1Vivien Epis2Daniela Basso3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyEmerging evidence of rhodolith bed complexity and heterogeneity poses a challenge to monitoring strategies and questions about the role of abiotic factors in controlling the observed morphostructural diversity. Mollusk thanatocoenoses quickly respond to environmental conditions, expressing fidelity to biocoenosis and representing, thus, a useful ecological/paleoecological tool to unravel this heterogeneity. In this research, we studied three distinct rhodolith beds from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy), in a range between 40 and 100 m of water depth, together with their mollusk thanatocoenoses, sediment size, and oceanographic conditions. The beds are all heterogeneous and rarely correspond to a specific rhodolith morphotype and shape. On the contrary, the study of the associated thanatocoenoses led to distinguish at least five different assemblages within the known variability of the Coastal detritic (DC) association. DC and deep mud (VP) mollusk species dominate hanatocoenosis A, which is associated with mixed sediment and a low hydrodynamic regime. Thanatocoenosis B corresponds to an assemblage in which DC species mixed with species of adjacent vegetated bottoms in sandy sediment with a medium hydrodynamic. Thanatocoenosis C includes species related to muddy coastal detritic (DE) and offshore detritic (DL) associated with sand and a variable proportion of praline and branch morphotypes. Thanatocoenoses D and E include a wide range of detritic species (DE DC, DL) together with VP and coralligenous (C), associated with exclusive praline and gravelly sand (Thanat. D), or a mixed proportion of branch and praline and mixed sediment (Thanat. E). Our results demonstrate that the study of mollusk thanatocoenoses provides insights into the diversity within and among heterogeneous rhodolith beds. Moreover, rhodoliths, as part of the sediment, create microhabitats suitable for a wide range of mollusk species that contribute to the formation of complex thanatocoenoses.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/4/526rhodolith bedsmorphotypemolluskthanatocoenosisshapegrain size |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Alice Bracchi Agostino Niyonkuru Meroni Vivien Epis Daniela Basso Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) Diversity rhodolith beds morphotype mollusk thanatocoenosis shape grain size |
| title | Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) |
| title_full | Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) |
| title_fullStr | Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) |
| title_short | Mollusk Thanatocoenoses Unravel the Diversity of Heterogeneous Rhodolith Beds (Italy, Tyrrhenian Sea) |
| title_sort | mollusk thanatocoenoses unravel the diversity of heterogeneous rhodolith beds italy tyrrhenian sea |
| topic | rhodolith beds morphotype mollusk thanatocoenosis shape grain size |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/4/526 |
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