Speaker
Description
This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of epibenthic crustacean assemblages associated with Mytilus galloprovincialis beds along Morocco's Atlantic coast (El Jadida-Essaouira). We documented 17 peracarid crustacean species across six stations over four seasons, comparing assemblages between pristine and polluted sites to evaluate pollution impacts on community structure. Amphipods and isopods comprised the majority of taxa, with amphipods dominating species richness and abundance patterns.
Pollution-induced community reorganization was characterized by species loss while maintaining high evenness indices, indicating selective species elimination rather than a proportional abundance reduction. Counterintuitively, traditionally pollution-sensitive species, including A. perrieri, I. granulosa, and D. bidentata, showed higher abundance at contaminated sites, challenging conventional biomonitoring paradigms.
Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) identified taxa exclusively associated with pristine conditions, with Ampithoe sp. achieving optimal indicator status. PERMANOVA revealed significant effects of both season and site on community structure, diversity indices, and species richness. Multivariate analysis revealed that sediment texture and organic matter content were the primary environmental drivers, creating distinct habitat templates that structured crustacean assemblages through species-environment matching.
Non-metric multidimensional scaling successfully discriminated between clean and impacted stations, demonstrating that peracarid assemblages are robust indicators of ecosystem health in coastal marine environments.
