Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the comments made by two anonymous
reviewers on earlier drafts of the present manuscript. We would like to thank LIFE + INDEMARES
(EU contract 07/NAT/E/000732) and Fundación Biodiversidad, as coordinator of such project,
because it represented a good opportunity for increasing our knowledge on the benthic habitats and
communities, especially those of circalittoral and bathyal areas of the Alboran Sea. José L. Rueda
would like to thank the projects ESMARES 2 (MITERD and Instituto Español de OceanografíaIEO), DEEPER (IEO), RECALA (Junta de Andalucía and IEO), REMALA (Junta de Andalucía
and IEO), VIATAR (IEO), DEMALBORAN (IEO and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund)
and IRIS-SES (IEO and European Commission). Serge Gofas, J. Enrique García Raso and Carmen
Salas would like to thank the research funding of the Junta de Andalucía to the research group RNM
141 (Posidonia Sur). Diego Moreno would like to thank the leaders and colleagues of the
Sustainable Management Program for the Marine Environment (Junta de Andalucía), especially
those who participated in the LIFE+ Posidonia Andalusia Project, 09/NAT/ES/00534 (2011–2016),
specifically Rosa Mendoza (direction), Soledad Vivas (coordination) as well as Agustín
Barrajón Domenech, Antonio de la Linde, José Miguel Remón, Julio De la Rosa, Manuel
Fernández-Casado and Mari Carmen Arroyo for their contribution in underwater sampling. Claudio
Lo Iacono thanks the project SHAKE (CGL2011-30005-C02-02) from the Spanish Government as
well as EU-Marie Curie IF GEO-HABIT (GA29874).
References
Abad E, Preciado I, Serrano A et al (2007) Demersal and epibenthic assemblages of trawlable
grounds in the northern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean). Sci Mar 71(3):513–524
Abelló P, Carbonell A, Torres P (2002) Biogreography of epibenthic crustaceans on the shelf and
upper slope off the Iberian Peninsula Mediterranean coasts: implications for the establishment of
natural management areas. Sci Mar 66(Suppl 2):183–198
Acero MI, San Martín G (1986) Poliquetos epibiontes del primer horizonte de algas fotófilas en la
provincia de Cádiz y Málaga. Estudio faunístico comparado. Bol R Soc Esp Hist Nat (Biol) 82
(1–4):5–24
Aguilar R, de la Torriente A, García S (2008) Propuesta de areas marinas de importancia ecológica:
Atlántico sur y Mediterráneo español. OCEANA and Fundación Biodiversidad, Madrid
Aguilar R, Pastor X, García S et al (2013) Importance of seamount-like features for conserving
Mediterranean marine habitats and threatened species. Rapp Comm Int Mer Médit 40:716
Aranda Y, Otero M (2014) Estudio de las figuras de protección de áreas marinas protegidas de
Andalucía con fanerógamas marinas y propuestas de mejora para su gestión. UICN, Málaga.
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/portal_web/web/temas_ambientales/
programas_europeos_y_relac_internac/programas_europeos/life/proyectos_ejecucion/LIFE09_
posidonia/documentos/ESTUDIO_FIGURAS_PROTECCION_rev.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2019
Arroyo MC, Barrajón A, Brun FG et al (2015) Praderas de angiospermas marinas de Andalucía. In:
Ruiz JM, Guillén JE, Ramos Segura A et al (eds) Atlas de las praderas marinas de España.
IEO/IEL/UICN, Murcia-Alicante-Málaga, pp 312–397
Ballesteros E (2006) Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages: a synthesis of present knowledge.
Oceanogr Mar Biol 44:123–195
Ballesteros M, Barrajón A, Luque A et al (1986) Contribución al conocimiento de los gasterópodos
marinos de Almería. Iberus 6(1):39–55
Barberá C, Bordehore C, Borg JA et al (2003) Conservation and management of northeast Atlantic
and Mediterranean maërl beds. Aquat Conserv 13(S1):65–76
Barea-Azcón JM, Ballesteros-Duperón E, Moreno D (2008) Libro Rojo de los invertebrados de
Andalucía, vol 1–4. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Sevilla
9 Benthic Fauna of Littoral and Deep-Sea Habitats of the Alboran Sea: A. . .
345
reviewers on earlier drafts of the present manuscript. We would like to thank LIFE + INDEMARES
(EU contract 07/NAT/E/000732) and Fundación Biodiversidad, as coordinator of such project,
because it represented a good opportunity for increasing our knowledge on the benthic habitats and
communities, especially those of circalittoral and bathyal areas of the Alboran Sea. José L. Rueda
would like to thank the projects ESMARES 2 (MITERD and Instituto Español de OceanografíaIEO), DEEPER (IEO), RECALA (Junta de Andalucía and IEO), REMALA (Junta de Andalucía
and IEO), VIATAR (IEO), DEMALBORAN (IEO and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund)
and IRIS-SES (IEO and European Commission). Serge Gofas, J. Enrique García Raso and Carmen
Salas would like to thank the research funding of the Junta de Andalucía to the research group RNM
141 (Posidonia Sur). Diego Moreno would like to thank the leaders and colleagues of the
Sustainable Management Program for the Marine Environment (Junta de Andalucía), especially
those who participated in the LIFE+ Posidonia Andalusia Project, 09/NAT/ES/00534 (2011–2016),
specifically Rosa Mendoza (direction), Soledad Vivas (coordination) as well as Agustín
Barrajón Domenech, Antonio de la Linde, José Miguel Remón, Julio De la Rosa, Manuel
Fernández-Casado and Mari Carmen Arroyo for their contribution in underwater sampling. Claudio
Lo Iacono thanks the project SHAKE (CGL2011-30005-C02-02) from the Spanish Government as
well as EU-Marie Curie IF GEO-HABIT (GA29874).
References
Abad E, Preciado I, Serrano A et al (2007) Demersal and epibenthic assemblages of trawlable
grounds in the northern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean). Sci Mar 71(3):513–524
Abelló P, Carbonell A, Torres P (2002) Biogreography of epibenthic crustaceans on the shelf and
upper slope off the Iberian Peninsula Mediterranean coasts: implications for the establishment of
natural management areas. Sci Mar 66(Suppl 2):183–198
Acero MI, San Martín G (1986) Poliquetos epibiontes del primer horizonte de algas fotófilas en la
provincia de Cádiz y Málaga. Estudio faunístico comparado. Bol R Soc Esp Hist Nat (Biol) 82
(1–4):5–24
Aguilar R, de la Torriente A, García S (2008) Propuesta de areas marinas de importancia ecológica:
Atlántico sur y Mediterráneo español. OCEANA and Fundación Biodiversidad, Madrid
Aguilar R, Pastor X, García S et al (2013) Importance of seamount-like features for conserving
Mediterranean marine habitats and threatened species. Rapp Comm Int Mer Médit 40:716
Aranda Y, Otero M (2014) Estudio de las figuras de protección de áreas marinas protegidas de
Andalucía con fanerógamas marinas y propuestas de mejora para su gestión. UICN, Málaga.
http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/portal_web/web/temas_ambientales/
programas_europeos_y_relac_internac/programas_europeos/life/proyectos_ejecucion/LIFE09_
posidonia/documentos/ESTUDIO_FIGURAS_PROTECCION_rev.pdf. Accessed 19 Oct 2019
Arroyo MC, Barrajón A, Brun FG et al (2015) Praderas de angiospermas marinas de Andalucía. In:
Ruiz JM, Guillén JE, Ramos Segura A et al (eds) Atlas de las praderas marinas de España.
IEO/IEL/UICN, Murcia-Alicante-Málaga, pp 312–397
Ballesteros E (2006) Mediterranean coralligenous assemblages: a synthesis of present knowledge.
Oceanogr Mar Biol 44:123–195
Ballesteros M, Barrajón A, Luque A et al (1986) Contribución al conocimiento de los gasterópodos
marinos de Almería. Iberus 6(1):39–55
Barberá C, Bordehore C, Borg JA et al (2003) Conservation and management of northeast Atlantic
and Mediterranean maërl beds. Aquat Conserv 13(S1):65–76
Barea-Azcón JM, Ballesteros-Duperón E, Moreno D (2008) Libro Rojo de los invertebrados de
Andalucía, vol 1–4. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Sevilla
9 Benthic Fauna of Littoral and Deep-Sea Habitats of the Alboran Sea: A. . .
345