| FINE-SCALE DISTRIBUTIONS OF FISH EGGS AND LARVAE WITHIN THE MEDES ISLANDS MARINE RESERVE (NW MEDITERRANEAN) |
| LÓPEZ, A. (1), Vert, N. (1), Sabatés, A. (1), and Zabala, M. (2), Institut de Cičncies del Mar (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain, 08003, alopez@icm.csic.es, (2) Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 08028. |
| The Medes Islands Marine Reserve (NW Mediterranean) is a small coastal archipelago, consisting of two islets and a number of small emergent rocky reefs. The reserve, established in 1983, has been noticeably successful in rebuilding reef fish populations, which had been heavily overfished in adjacent coastal areas. In consequence, a step gradient in the density of parent stocks from inside to outside the Reserve can be confidently predicted. Because of its island nature, hydrodynamic conditions and current regimes show complex patterns. The present study analyses the fine-scale distribution patterns of fish eggs and larvae around the Medes Islands Marine Reserve during the spring-summer 2003. Four surveys of three consecutive days were conducted during each period. The first results pointed out the role of small-scale physical processes and bottom type and structure in the spatial and temporal distribution of fish eggs and larvae. A great variability of patterns has been observed among different fish species and stage-specific behaviours of fish. |
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