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Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the German Bight (North Sea) - species diversity during the past 130 years
Boos, K.; Franke, H.-D. (2006). Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the German Bight (North Sea) - species diversity during the past 130 years. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 86(5): 1187-1197. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315406014184
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
Peer reviewed article  

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Keywords
    Abundance
    Aquatic communities > Benthos > Zoobenthos
    Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic animals > Marine invertebrates
    Composition > Community composition
    Currents
    Distribution > Quantitative distribution
    Historical account
    Literature > Publications > Reviews
    Reviews
    Reviews
    Samplers > Sediment samplers > Grabs
    Sediments
    Species diversity
    Surveys > Biological surveys
    Sustainability > Sustainable development
    Sustainable development
    Taxa > Species > Rare species
    Acrocnida brachiata (Montagu, 1804) [WoRMS]; Amphiura chiajei Forbes, 1843 [WoRMS]; Amphiura filiformis (O.F. Müller, 1776) [WoRMS]; Echinodermata [WoRMS]; Ophiocten Lütken, 1855 [WoRMS]; Ophiopholis aculeata (Linnaeus, 1767) [WoRMS]; Ophiothrix fragilis (Abildgaard in O.F. Müller, 1789) [WoRMS]; Ophiura albida Forbes, 1839 [WoRMS]; Ophiura ophiura (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]; Ophiura sarsi [WoRMS]; Ophiuroidea [WoRMS]
    ANE, Germany, German Bight [Marine Regions]; ANE, Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, North Frisian Is., Helgoland [Marine Regions]; ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal

Authors  Top 
  • Boos, K.
  • Franke, H.-D.

Abstract
    In this study, an overview of the current species composition of ophiuroids off Helgoland, German Bight (North Sea) is given. In addition, abundance and distribution of ophiuroids on different types of soft bottom sediments taken by van Veen grab samples around Helgoland were recorded. The literature was reviewed in order to outline the diversity of ophiuroid species over the past 130 years in the inner German Bight. In the historical literature, quantitative references often apply to verbal descriptions and thus make comparisons to modern data and assessment of possible changes in abundance rather subjective. In total, six ophiuroid species were identified off Helgoland: Acrocnida brachiata, Amphiura filiformis, Amphipholis squamata, Ophiothrix fragilis, Ophiura albida and Ophiura ophiura. The species found in this study had also been reported by previous investigators and are regarded as 'common' species in the German Bight. Occasional findings in this area refer to Amphiura chiajei, Ophiopholis aculeata, Ophiocten affinis and Ophiura sarsi, which are regarded here as 'rare' species. These findings, however, do not indicate sustainable changes in the species diversity over time. Apart from Acrocnida brachiata, a newcomer in the 1970s, findings of the common species mentioned above can be dated back to 1875. Therefore, a fairly stable composition of brittle stars is represented in the inner German Bight during the past 130 years.

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