9.4 Hard-Bottom Communities of the Continental Shelf
The infralittoral hard bottoms are very heterogeneous, depending on the exposure to
wave action, the slope and orientation of the substrate and the intensity of light
which decreases progressively as the depth increases (Templado et al. 2012). The
photophilous communities are dominated, both physiognomically and in biomass,
by macrophytes, whereas in sciaphilous communities, the animal component tends
to predominate and the substratum is occupied by sessile species.
Fig. 9.7 The saline ponds of Cabo de Gata. (a) View of the “salinas”. (b) Several species of
molluscs live in the ponds with lower salinity, such as the bivalve Cerastoderma glaucum and (b,
c) the mudsnail Hydrobia acuta (surrounding the bivalves in figure b and detail in figure c). (d)
Artemia species support higher salinity [Diego Moreno]
300
J. L. Rueda et al.
The infralittoral hard bottoms are very heterogeneous, depending on the exposure to
wave action, the slope and orientation of the substrate and the intensity of light
which decreases progressively as the depth increases (Templado et al. 2012). The
photophilous communities are dominated, both physiognomically and in biomass,
by macrophytes, whereas in sciaphilous communities, the animal component tends
to predominate and the substratum is occupied by sessile species.
Fig. 9.7 The saline ponds of Cabo de Gata. (a) View of the “salinas”. (b) Several species of
molluscs live in the ponds with lower salinity, such as the bivalve Cerastoderma glaucum and (b,
c) the mudsnail Hydrobia acuta (surrounding the bivalves in figure b and detail in figure c). (d)
Artemia species support higher salinity [Diego Moreno]
300
J. L. Rueda et al.