Abstract
Biodiversity and Ecological Units of the Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems in San Andrés Island, SeaFlower Biosphere Reserve
Highlights
Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCE) are usually defined as those located between 30 and 150 m deep, where diverse biological communities with high levels of endemism are being found globally (Sinniger et al, 2016)
Even in the Caribbean most MCE are unexplored as research has focused on specific locations (i.e., Bahamas, Cayman, Mesoamerican Reef, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Curacao, and Bonaire; Loya et al, 2019), such that geographic biases remain at the regional scale
Only four publications exist on Colombian MCE (Gonzalez-Zapata et al, 2018a,b; Chasqui and González, 2019; Sánchez et al, 2019a), one of such offer data on corals diversity in the fore-reef slope of the eastern side of San Andrés Island (SAI), which account for 33 species (Sánchez et al, 2019a)
Summary
Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCE) are usually defined as those located between 30 and 150 m deep, where diverse biological communities with high levels of endemism are being found globally (Sinniger et al, 2016). Those environments have been considered as a kind of lifeboat for shallow coral reefs because its harbor populations of fish, corals and other invertebrates which are uncommon today in shallow waters due to overexploitation and climatic change stressors (Bongaerts et al, 2010). The dataset contains the results of the exploration with Closed-Circuit Rebreather (CCR) technical diving in the upper mesophotic zone (30–70 m deep) at the western side (Leeward) of the Island, where the ecological units Octocorals-Sponges-Mixed corals and Agaricia spp.-Mixed corals have been proposed, and includes taxonomic information for 160 species recorded (algae, invertebrates and fishes), collection codes for several collected specimens (corals), and relative abundances for the observed fish species
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
