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Community Structure and Spatial Patterns of Soft-Bottom Macrozoobenthos in Oualidia Lagoon, Moroccan Atlantic

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Abstract

The paper analyses the composition, structure and spatial organization of the soft-bottom macrozoobenthos inhabiting Oualidia lagoon (Moroccan Atlantic coasts), as well as their relationships with the main environmental variables. Material for the study was collected from 43 stations in winter 2013. A total of 56 taxa belonging to 6 phyla were recorded. Species diversity showed the highest values for molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes. We used a Hierarchical Ascending Classification and a non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling to characterize the macrozoobenthos of the lagoon. We identified three groups of stations according to the outer, middle and inner part of the lagoon, hosting arranged from the outer -most to inner-most areas of the lagoon. The trophic structure of the macrozoobenthos was dominated in density by deposit-feeders (88.1%) and species richness by carnivores (20%) and detritivorous (20%). The BIO-ENV analysis showed that the combination of granulometry, salinity and temperature were the major factors controlling the spatial distribution of the macrozoobenthos in the Oualidia Lagoon.

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Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is part of a research programme on coastal resources of the LERL/DRH-Casablanca (National Fisheries Research Institute), and contribution of DM to the Consolidated Research Group on Marine Benthic Ecology of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR120). Many thanks are given to those who contributed to the field and laboratory components of this work. We are grateful to Dr. Mohamed Menioui who helped us in the identifications of crustacean species. We are also grateful to the reviewers for their critical and constructive comments, which highly contributed to improve the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, University Hassan II, B.P. 5366 Maârif, 20100, Casablanca, Morocco

    Fatima El Asri & Ahmed Errhif

  2. Prospection of Littoral Resources Laboratory, National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH), Road Sidi Abderrahmane Club Equestre Ould Jmel, Casablanca, Morocco

    Fatima El Asri & Hakima Zidane

  3. Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Accés a la Cala St. Francesc, 14 Blanes, 17300, Girona, Spain

    Daniel Martin

  4. Specialized Center in Zootechny and Marine Aquaculture Engineering, National Institute of Fisheries Research, BP. 31, 93200, M’diq, Morocco

    Mohamed-Naoufal Tamsouri

  5. UMR 6554 LETG-Nantes, University of Nantes, BP 81227, 44312, Nantes, France

    Mohamed Maanan

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  1. Fatima El Asri
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  2. Daniel Martin
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Correspondence to Fatima El Asri.

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El Asri, F., Martin, D., Errhif, A. et al. Community Structure and Spatial Patterns of Soft-Bottom Macrozoobenthos in Oualidia Lagoon, Moroccan Atlantic. Thalassas 37, 119–129 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41208-020-00263-3

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