Meléndez María José, Báez José Carlos, Serna-Quintero José Miguel, Camiñas Juan Antonio, Fernández Ignacio de Loyola, Real Raimundo, Macías David
Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Fuengirola, Spain.
Departamento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
PLoS One. 2017 Apr 13;12(4):e0175699. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175699. eCollection 2017.
Chondrichthyes, which include Elasmobranchii (sharks and batoids) and Holocephali (chimaeras), are a relatively small group in the Mediterranean Sea (89 species) playing a key role in the ecosystems where they are found. At present, many species of this group are threatened as a result of anthropogenic effects, including fishing activity. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of these species is of great importance to understand their ecological role and for the efficient management of their populations, particularly if affected by fisheries. This study aims to analyze the spatial patterns of the distribution of Chondrichthyes species richness in the Mediterranean Sea. Information provided by the studied countries was used to model geographical and ecological variables affecting the Chondrichthyes species richness. The species were distributed in 16 Operational Geographical Units (OGUs), derived from the Geographical Sub-Areas (GSA) adopted by the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean Sea (GFCM). Regression analyses with the species richness as a target variable were adjusted with a set of environmental and geographical variables, being the model that links richness of Chondrichthyes species with distance to the Strait of Gibraltar and number of taxonomic families of bony fishes the one that best explains it. This suggests that both historical and ecological factors affect the current distribution of Chondrichthyes within the Mediterranean Sea.
软骨鱼纲包括板鳃亚纲（鲨鱼和鳐类）和全头亚纲（银鲛），在地中海是一个相对较小的类群（89种），但在其所处的生态系统中发挥着关键作用。目前，由于包括渔业活动在内的人为影响，该类群的许多物种受到威胁。了解这些物种的空间分布对于理解它们的生态作用以及有效管理其种群至关重要，特别是在受到渔业影响的情况下。本研究旨在分析地中海软骨鱼物种丰富度的空间分布格局。利用研究国家提供的信息来模拟影响软骨鱼物种丰富度的地理和生态变量。这些物种分布在16个业务地理单元（OGU）中，这些单元源自地中海渔业总委员会（GFCM）采用的地理子区域（GSA）。以物种丰富度为目标变量的回归分析用一组环境和地理变量进行了调整，将软骨鱼物种丰富度与到直布罗陀海峡的距离以及硬骨鱼分类科数量联系起来的模型是最能解释这一现象的模型。这表明历史和生态因素都影响着软骨鱼目前在地中海的分布。
