Interactions in the marine benthos: a regional and habitat perspective: The southwestern Atlantic

MARIA GABRIELA PALOMO

Liverpool

Workshop; Aquatic Biodiversity and Ecosystems; 2015

South West Atlantic coast have an extensive rocky shores areas, increasing from north to south. Research on this environment is relatively novel, having a short history of studies mainly on the description of species and habitats. A revision of these studies outlined the gaps we still have. Patterns of biodiversity and physical patterns as well as zonation on the different regions will be described. South West Atlantic biodiversity have the influence of large scale processes as glacial cycles, regional processes as natural barriers and currents and local processes as biotic interactions. The human impacts on these patterns and changes along the latitudinal gradient on community structure and ecosystem processes will be surveyed. Examples will be given. Finally, future prospects for research in Latin America will be discussed.