Benthic richness in the Argentine continental shelf: the role of Zygochlamys patagonica (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Pectinidae) as settlement substrate
Schejter, L.; Bremec, C. (2007). Benthic richness in the Argentine continental shelf: the role of Zygochlamys patagonica (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Pectinidae) as settlement substrate. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 87(4): 917-925. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315407055853
In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more
|  |
| Abstract |
In this study we present results on epibionts on Zygochlamys patagonica from material collected during monitoring cruises in different areas in the Argentine Sea. We update the checklist of epibionts increasing the number of taxa from 19 to 41 and considering two species closely associated with the shells. The demosponge Iophon proximum was the most frequent and abundant epibiont (% presence and coverage). Polydora sp. was registered as a parasite of Z. patagonica in shells from the Beagle Channel, but it did not infest scallops from the commercial beds. Zygochlamys patagonica shells constitute conspicuous hard substrate available for the settlement of sessile organisms. This fact leads to an increased benthic richness in the continental soft-bottom areas of the Argentine Sea, where scallop beds are located. |
|
