Description
This dataset includes species composition and abundances of macrobenthic faunal communities along three transects of Heraklion Bay (H2, H5, H7). The H2 transect is located in the wider marine area of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city. Sampling was carried out during three different sampling surveys and periods — June 2010, June 2015, and August 2024 — at different depths (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 and 200 m) along the soft-bottom continental shelf, as part of different research projects (MARBEFES, Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture, monitoring program). A detailed comparison of species composition and abundance of macrobenthic faunal diversity among different depths and sampling periods is given, thus contributing to understanding the spatial and temporal trends and changes due to multiple environmental and human-induced stress.
Data Records
The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 153 records.
1 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.
This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.
Versions
The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.
How to cite
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
Koumpaki E., Maidanou M., Chatzigeorgiou G., Rallis I., Mavraki D., Dounas C., Arvanitidis C., Koulouri P. (2025). Bathymetric distribution and temporal trends of macrobenthic communities of the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (Crete, Greece) . Version 1.0. Hellenic Center for Marine Research. Samplingevent dataset. http://ipt.medobis.eu/resource?r=macrosoft&v=1.0
Rights
Researchers should respect the following rights statement:
The publisher and rights holder of this work is Hellenic Center for Marine Research. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.
GBIF Registration
This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 612f8af6-9fd2-415b-a957-63ff1ba6ba88. Hellenic Center for Marine Research publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
Keywords
macrobenthos; Samplingevent; Observation; soft-bottom; long-term monitoring; bathymetric distribution; Heraklion Bay; Cretan Sea; Mediterranean https://www.marineregions.org/gazetteer.php?p=details&id=5217
Contacts
- Metadata Provider ●
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact ●
- Principal Investigator
- Metadata Provider ●
- Author ●
- Originator
- Content Provider ●
- Originator
- Content Provider ●
- Originator
- Content Provider ●
- Originator
- Custodian Steward
- Custodian Steward
https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6775-530X
Geographic Coverage
Three transects of seven stations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 100 and 200 m depth) were selected as a study site. The first two stations of H2 transect are located close to the marine area of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city. The selection criteria for the specific stations were primarily based on the available data from different research projects and studies performed during previous years in order to investigate the bathymetric distribution of macrobenthic faunal communities in the wider marine area of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city and along the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (sampling surveys in June 2010 and 2015 within the framework of the monitoring program for the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city and Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture, respectively).
| Bounding Coordinates | South West [35.28, 24.931], North East [35.541, 25.486] |
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Taxonomic Coverage
The dataset includes information on macrobenthic faunal taxa identified and their abundance found in the stations of the three sampling periods (June 2010, June 2015 and August 2024) belonging to the following five classes: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Malacostraca, Polychaeta, Scaphopoda.
| Class | Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Malacostraca, Polychaeta, Scaphopoda |
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Temporal Coverage
| Start Date | 2010-06-18 |
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| Start Date | 2015-06-16 |
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| Start Date / End Date | 2024-08-03 / 2024-08-05 |
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Project Data
No Description available
| Title | MARBEFES: MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services; KRIPIS I: Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture; DEYAH: Monitoring program of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city. |
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| Funding | This study has been financed under: the HEurope research and innovation programme HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-03 in the framework of the project “Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services” (Grant Agreement no 101060937); the Operational Programme of “Competitiveness & Entrepreneurship” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF 2007-2013) in the framework of the project “Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture” (MIS 453278) by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund); the monitoring program of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city by the Municipal water supply and sewage company of Heraklion. This publication has been supported by LifeWatch ERIC. |
| Study Area Description | H2 transect, Heraklion (Crete, Greece) |
| Design Description | During this study, differences in macrobenthic communities were examined across two levels: a) temporal differences (three sampling periods) and b) bathymetric differences (seven depth stations). |
The personnel involved in the project:
- Principal Investigator
- Author
- Content Provider
- Content Provider
- Custodian Steward
- Custodian Steward
- Author
- Content Provider
Sampling Methods
Three or five replicates of sediment samples were collected from each station using a Smith McIntyre grab (SMI, sampling surface: 0.1 m²) operated by the research vessel “PHILIA” of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. The position of each station was calculated using a FURUNO SFN-70 satellite navigator and depth was measured by SIMRAD K-400 echo sounder. In the field, the samples were sieved through a 0.5 mm sieve and preserved in 95% ethanol buffered with seawater. In the laboratory, they were rinsed again through a 0.5 mm sieve to remove any remaining fine sediment. Benthic organisms were then sorted from the sediment under a magnifying glass and then counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using a stereoscope and a microscope.
| Study Extent | Three transects (H2,H5,H7) of seven stations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 100 and 200 m depth) were selected as a study site. The first two stations of H2 transect are located close to the marine area of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city. The selection criteria for the specific stations were primarily based on the available data from different research projects and studies performed during previous years in order to investigate the bathymetric distribution of macrobenthic faunal communities in the wider marine area of the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city and along the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (sampling surveys in June 2010 and 2015 within the framework of the monitoring program for the wastewater treatment plant of Heraklion city and Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture, respectively). |
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| Quality Control | All scientific names were standardized against the World Register of Marine Species using the Taxon Match tool (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=match) on 20-07-2025. |
Method step description:
- 1) Macrofauna June 2010 (H2): five replicates per station June 2015 (H2) & August 2024 (H2): three replicates per station 2) Water Column Analysis June 2015 (H2): One replicate per station at the surface (2 m depth) and one near the bottom (1 m above the sediment). Parameters: photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon, and nutrients August 2024 (H2): One replicate per station at the surface (2 m depth) and one near the bottom (1 m above the sediment). Parameters: photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon, and nutrients August 2024 (H5, H7): One replicate per station near the bottom (1 m above the sediment). Parameters: photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon, and nutrients 3) CTD Profiling In situ measurements of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) 4) Sediment Analysis June 2010 (H2): three replicates per station. Parameters: granulometry, photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon June 2015 (H2): three replicates per station. Parameters: granulometry, photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon August 2024 (H2, H5, H7): one replicate per station. Parameters: granulometry, photosynthetic pigments, organic carbon and in situ measurements of redox potential and temperature,
Collection Data
| Collection Name | Bathymetric distribution and temporal trends of macrobenthic communities of the continental shelf of Heraklion Bay (Crete-Greece) |
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| Specimen preservation methods | Alcohol |
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Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | 10.25607/s8k2pg |
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| 612f8af6-9fd2-415b-a957-63ff1ba6ba88 | |
| http://ipt.medobis.eu/resource?r=macrosoft |