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Título del libro: Echinoderms: Ecology, Habitats And Reproductive Biology
Título del capítulo: Anchialine ecosystem el aerolito (Cozumel, Mexico): Paradise of cave dweller echinoderms

Autores UNAM:
FRANCISCO ALONSO SOLIS MARIN;
Autores externos:

Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2014
Resumen:

Echinoderms are widely distributed in marine environments, from the coastal shore to the deep ocean. Underwater caves are an environment with very scarce information, especially about echinoderms. In the world only two echinoderm troglobites (limited to live inside of caves) species are known, the starfish Copidaster cavernicola (Mexican Caribbean) and the brittle star Amphicutis stygobita (Bahamas). Worldwide, the El Aerolito system (Cozumel, Mexico), is the marine cave with the highest species richness (25) of echinoderms (Asteroidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea and Ophiuroidea). In this study, for first time in an underwater cave was realized a quantitative ecological base line with the aim of knowing the density and dominance of the species. Echinoderms represented the dominant group with 65% of total abundance of the benthonic macro invertebrates, with a density up to 18 org/m2. This information is antagonist with the rest of the caves, since the crustaceans are the dominant fauna with 90% of the species. The dominant species in El Aerolito is the brittle star Ophionereis cf. reticulata with an average of 45.4 org/10m2, follow by Ophiomusium testudo (1.4org/10m2) and Asterina cf. pompom (0.2org/10m2). Also the sea urchin Eucidaris tribuloides, often referred to as exclusively marine, was found inhabiting at El Aerolito system living both in marine and brackish water, where it was very uncommon. This information, with continuous monitoring will allow knowing the health status of this invaluable ecosystem, to bookmarking foundations for conservation. Furthermore a bibliographic review of the echinoderms inhabiting underwater caves in the world is presented. © 2014 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.


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