Assemblages of certain benthic molluscs along the southwestern Atlantic: from subtidal to deep sea

TESO VALERIA; URTEAGA, DIEGO; PASTORINO GUIDO

BMC ecology

Springer

Año: 2019 vol. 19 p. 1 - 7

1472-6785

AbstractBackground: We analyse the distribution of Gastropods and Chitons from shallow to deep waters along the southwesternAtlantic Ocean off Argentina and discuss possible factors determining the observed biogeographic patterns.Results: Three major biogeographic groups are defined on the basis of Gastropod and Chiton species associations,i.e., continental shelf (< 350 m), upper continental slope (> 350?2000 m) and lower continental slope (2000?3000 m).Bathymetry appears as the main factor modifying large-scale distribution of the fauna at a. In this scenario, speciesassociations are determined by marine currents that clearly occur at a particular and well defined depth. No arrangementof species by geographic location was found in assemblages from the continental shelf and upper continentalslope.Conclusions: We hypothesize that depth and marine currents are the main factor affecting the distribution of Gastropodsand Chitons along the SW Atlantic between 200 and 3200 m depth.