15.2.3 The ‘‘recent’’ Past-An Explosion of Studies on Echinoderm
Ecology at the Start of the 21st Century
The end of the 20th is linked to an increase in studies on the ecology of echinoderms from the Canaries. Of special importance is the project Macaronesia 2000
supported by the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Tenerife and directed by J.J.
Bacallado. This project was done between 1998 and 2006 and was a great advance
for echinoderm studies in the Macaronesian islands (Azores, Madeira, Salvage
Islands, Canary Islands and Cape Verde). We have to emphasize the importance of
the doctoral thesis of L. Entrambasaguas (2009) and other works derived from this
project (Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 1999, 2002, 2003a; Entrambasaguas et al. 2008).
These and previous studies on taxonomy had their final zenith with the completion and subsequent publication of the BIOTA book, which compiled all taxonomic citations published until 2003 for each group of marine animals from the
Canarian Archipelago (Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 2003b). This document identified 91
species of echinoderms living in the waters of the Canary Islands (including two
subspecies): 15 echinoid species, 18 asteroids, nine crinoids, 15 ophiuroids and 34
holothurian species (Sect. 15.3 and Appendix).
Without doubt, the sea urchin D. africana was the center of attention for studies
on benthic ecology: high density of the sea urchin and the subsequent formation of
‘‘urchin barren grounds’’ (blanquizales—white bottoms with no erect macroalgal
cover as a result of overgrazing) catapulted the species to the spotlight of benthic
research in the Canary Islands. As a result, studies covered a suite of biological
and ecological topics: colonization of artificial substrates and interactions of this
sea urchin with other elements of the subtidal biota (Herrera 1998), patterns of
circadian movements and feeding preferences (Tuya 2002), reproductive biology
and genetic diversity (Garrido 2003), gametogenesis, larval development, settlement and recruitment patterns (Hernández 2006), predation as a mechanism that
controls populations, including the role of marine protected areas (Clemente
2007), trophic ecology (Cabanillas 2009), and processes determining structure and
organization of benthic communities (Ortega 2010). Two projects: ‘‘Estudio de la
biología y ecología del erizo Diadema antillarum y de las comunidades algales de
sucesión en diferentes zonas de blanquizal del Archipiélago Canario’’ and
‘‘Canarias, Costa Viva’’, as well as monitoring studies to evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas throughout the Canaries, have provided considerable data on the ecology of D. africana during 2001–2004. In particular, a large
body of research has described the relationships between size and abundance
patterns, and the connection between the abundance and size patterns of D. africana populations and algal and fish assemblages.
The end of the 20th century saw a drastic shift in the way science was evaluated
in Spain: a consolidation of peer-reviewed international indexed journals (included
in international databases where journals are ranked according to their scientific
relevance) as the main output of scientific publication. Therefore, the publication
of articles in peer-reviewed indexed journals on aspects related to the echinoderms
15 Echinoderms of the Canary Islands, Spain
481
Ecology at the Start of the 21st Century
The end of the 20th is linked to an increase in studies on the ecology of echinoderms from the Canaries. Of special importance is the project Macaronesia 2000
supported by the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Tenerife and directed by J.J.
Bacallado. This project was done between 1998 and 2006 and was a great advance
for echinoderm studies in the Macaronesian islands (Azores, Madeira, Salvage
Islands, Canary Islands and Cape Verde). We have to emphasize the importance of
the doctoral thesis of L. Entrambasaguas (2009) and other works derived from this
project (Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 1999, 2002, 2003a; Entrambasaguas et al. 2008).
These and previous studies on taxonomy had their final zenith with the completion and subsequent publication of the BIOTA book, which compiled all taxonomic citations published until 2003 for each group of marine animals from the
Canarian Archipelago (Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 2003b). This document identified 91
species of echinoderms living in the waters of the Canary Islands (including two
subspecies): 15 echinoid species, 18 asteroids, nine crinoids, 15 ophiuroids and 34
holothurian species (Sect. 15.3 and Appendix).
Without doubt, the sea urchin D. africana was the center of attention for studies
on benthic ecology: high density of the sea urchin and the subsequent formation of
‘‘urchin barren grounds’’ (blanquizales—white bottoms with no erect macroalgal
cover as a result of overgrazing) catapulted the species to the spotlight of benthic
research in the Canary Islands. As a result, studies covered a suite of biological
and ecological topics: colonization of artificial substrates and interactions of this
sea urchin with other elements of the subtidal biota (Herrera 1998), patterns of
circadian movements and feeding preferences (Tuya 2002), reproductive biology
and genetic diversity (Garrido 2003), gametogenesis, larval development, settlement and recruitment patterns (Hernández 2006), predation as a mechanism that
controls populations, including the role of marine protected areas (Clemente
2007), trophic ecology (Cabanillas 2009), and processes determining structure and
organization of benthic communities (Ortega 2010). Two projects: ‘‘Estudio de la
biología y ecología del erizo Diadema antillarum y de las comunidades algales de
sucesión en diferentes zonas de blanquizal del Archipiélago Canario’’ and
‘‘Canarias, Costa Viva’’, as well as monitoring studies to evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas throughout the Canaries, have provided considerable data on the ecology of D. africana during 2001–2004. In particular, a large
body of research has described the relationships between size and abundance
patterns, and the connection between the abundance and size patterns of D. africana populations and algal and fish assemblages.
The end of the 20th century saw a drastic shift in the way science was evaluated
in Spain: a consolidation of peer-reviewed international indexed journals (included
in international databases where journals are ranked according to their scientific
relevance) as the main output of scientific publication. Therefore, the publication
of articles in peer-reviewed indexed journals on aspects related to the echinoderms
15 Echinoderms of the Canary Islands, Spain
481