Assessing Spatial and Temporal Trends in a Mediterranean Fish Assemblage Structure

Abstract

Coastal fishes are not only valuable elements of marine biodiversity, but they also play an important ecological role in the functioning of coastal ecosystems: food resource, transfer of nutrients, predators. Therefore, data on the compositions of fish assemblages are of great importance. The objectives of the present study were to (i) define the faunistic characteristics of a typical fish community on the Mediterranean coast; (ii) investigate spatiotemporal changes in fish assemblages. Based on a set of indices (Fast protocol) and a long-term data set (6 years, 612 visual counts, 154 h of diving), changes in coastal fish communities were analyzed. Our results indicated that there was a significant shift in fish community structure, with a general decline of the calculated indices. In our study, part of the observed variability in fish assemblage structure could be due to different factors as site location and sampled year. The changes in the fish assemblages associated with inter-annual fluctuations observed in this study also provide important insights into how fish communities may change under environmental and anthropogenic influences.