AUTHOR=Appeldoorn Richard S. , Ballantine David L. , Carlo Milton , Cruz Motta Juan J. , Nemeth Michael , Ruiz Hector J. , Schizas Nikolaos V. , Sherman Clark E. , Weil Ernesto , Yoshioka Paul M. TITLE=Intra-Annual Variation in Mesophotic Benthic Assemblages on the Insular Slope of Southwest Puerto Rico as a Function of Depth and Geomorphology JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.732926 DOI=10.3389/fmars.2021.732926 ISSN=2296-7745 ABSTRACT=
There is limited information on the intra-annual variability of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), worldwide. The benthic communities, measured as % cover, of two geomorphologically different mesophotic sites (El Hoyo and Hole-in-the-Wall) were examined during 2009–2010 in southwest Puerto Rico. Depths sampled were 50 and 70 m. At each site/depth combination, two permanent transects, measuring 10-m long by 40-cm wide, were surveyed by successive photoquadrants, 0.24 m2 in area. Scleractinian corals, octocorals, macroalgae, crustose coralline algae (CCA), sponges and unconsolidated sediment were the main components along the transects. Significant community differences were observed both among sites and among depths. Differences among sites were greater at 50 m than at 70 m. The El Hoyo site at 50 m was the most divergent, and this was due to a lower coral and sponge cover and a higher algal cover (