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20 Gorgonian and Black Coral Assemblages in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelves of the Mediterranean Sea

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Mediterranean Cold-Water Corals: Past, Present and Future

Part of the book series: Coral Reefs of the World ((CORW,volume 9))

Abstract

Coral gardens are increasingly being reported at 40–200 m depth in the Mediterranean Sea. These coral assemblages are composed of gorgonians from shallow coastal rocky bottoms extending their distribution to deeper areas, as well as by gorgonians and black corals with distribution restricted to the continental shelf and upper slope. Gorgonians and black corals are among the main structural species in deep benthic ecosystems, providing shelter and reproductive grounds for a highly diverse associated fauna. Due to their branching morphology and erect position, these deep coral gardens are extremely vulnerable to several fishing activities (bottom trawling, long-lines and trammel net fishing) and should consequently be protected through an ecosystem-based fishery management.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Barcelona, Spain

    Andrea Gori, Jordi Grinyó, Carlos Dominguez-Carrió, Stefano Ambroso & Josep-Maria Gili

  2. Biodiversidad y Ecología de Invertebrados Marinos, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Pablo J. López-González

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy

    Giorgio Bavestrello & Marzia Bo

Authors
  1. Andrea Gori
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  2. Jordi Grinyó
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  3. Carlos Dominguez-Carrió
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  4. Stefano Ambroso
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  5. Pablo J. López-González
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  6. Josep-Maria Gili
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  7. Giorgio Bavestrello
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  8. Marzia Bo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Gori .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

    Covadonga Orejas

  2. Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre (ENALIA), Nicosia, Cyprus

    Carlos Jiménez

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Gori, A. et al. (2019). 20 Gorgonian and Black Coral Assemblages in Deep Coastal Bottoms and Continental Shelves of the Mediterranean Sea. In: Orejas, C., Jiménez, C. (eds) Mediterranean Cold-Water Corals: Past, Present and Future. Coral Reefs of the World, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91608-8_20

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