Size Influence in Zonation Patterns in Fishes and Crustaceans from Deep-water Communities of the Western Mediterranean

Abstract

Information was collected over two seasons on the depth distribution of the deep-water fishes and decapod crustaceans to the southwest of the Balearic Islands. The data were analysed to compare the intensity of faunal change with depth to individual size, measured as mean individual weight, both within and between fish and decapods. The results are discussed on the light of the biological characteristics of the populations studied. We conclude that there are complex distributions of mean weight by depth, determined mainly by trophic aspects and biological adaptations to the oligotrophic environment of the deep Mediterranean.