Life after death: shallow‐water Mediterranean invertebrate communities associated with mammal bones

摘要: Invertebrate and microbial marine communities associated with mammal bones are interesting poorly understood habitats, mainly known from studies on deep-water whale remains. In order to characterize these in the shallow-water Mediterranean, we present here results of a pioneering experiment using bones. Minke whale, pig cow were experimentally deployed three different background communities: rocky substrate, soft-bottom Posidonia oceanica meadow. Bones for year at about 20 m depth collected every 3 months, invertebrate fauna colonizing was identified lowest possible taxonomic level. As expected, showed remarkable differences when compared communities. Within bones, four clusters could be identified, primarily basis polychaete fauna, most abundant diverse group survey. Clusters A1–A3 corresponded high moderately altered successional stages composed by closer that anthropogenically enriched environments. These characterized occurrence opportunist polychaetes Ophryotrocha puerilis, Neanthes caudata (Cluster A1), Protodorvillea kefersteini A2) Ophryotrocha alborana A3). Cluster B presence Oxydromus pallidus together typical which suggests this community, after deployment, found natural conditions. opposed similar other geographic areas, no Osedax (commonly as bone-eating worms) reported our experiments. Apart study communities, insights population dynamics species (O. puerilis, O. alborana, N. caudata) given well remarks hypothetical trophic network based fecal pellet analysis.