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Mapping benthic faunal communities in the shallow and deep sediments of Las Perlas Archipelago, Pacific Panama |
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| Authors: | James M Mair Sarah L Cunningham Hector M Guzman Daisi Merino |
| Institution: | a Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK b Marine and Coastal Development Unit, Argyll and Bute Council, Lorn House, Oban, Argyll PA34 4LF, UK c Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 2060, Costa Rica d Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama e Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad de Guayaquil, Ecuador f Escuela de Biologia, Museo de Zoologia, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José 2060, Costa Rica |
| Abstract: | Las Perlas Archipelago (LPA) is located off the Pacific Coast of Panama and was designated as a marine protected area (MPA) in 2007. This baseline study of the shallow and deeper sedimentary habitats of the islands partly informed the MPA designation. Ninety-two grab stations and twenty trawl stations were sampled. Sediment grab sample results were interpolated to produce a map that showed the area to be dominated by mud (1246 km2, 40%) and sand/shell sediments (780 km2, 25%). A total of 201 taxa were recorded and over 5800 individual specimens were processed, revealing that the sediments hold varying community compositions, with annelids being the dominant group (73%) followed by crustaceans (14%). Relationships were evident between community, feeding guilds, and sediment types, which give an indication of communities that can be expected in similar sediments in other areas of the Tropical Eastern Pacific. A study of this scale and level of detail is rare for this biogeographic region and provides a valuable, comprehensive appreciation of the LPA’s benthos. |
| Keywords: | Pacific Panama Sediment Benthic invertebrate communities MPA |
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