Comparison of the sponge community of a semisubmerged marine cave of the Ligurian Sea after 54 years

Description

The sponge fauna of a semisubmerged cave in the Ligurian Sea was assessed and the obtained data compared with those described by M. Sarà in 1961. The number of recorded species is more than doubled in fifty years. These data are in agreement with a recently recognized increasing of importance of sponges in shallow water Mediterranean communities. Due to the easy localization and the possibility of a detailed sampling, semisubmerged marine caves are important check points in the monitoring of Mediterranean global changes.

Additional details