The distribution of the fan mussel Atrina fragilis was studied at two contrasting areas of the north Aegean Sea (Thermaikos Gulf): one routinely trawled and one closed to trawlers for over 25 years. Significant differences were detected between the two areas with decreased values in density and size of A. fragilis individuals at the trawled area. As habitat differences, i.e. sediment composition and bathymetry, had non-signifi...

This review attempts to estimate the biodiversity of the macrobenthic communities that develop on hard bottoms in the Aegean Sea. Literature analysis revealed that 1,171 species inhabit the hard substrate communities, constituting 20.9% of the total Mediterranean species. The hierarchical cluster analysis of the available data identified five major types: (1) the supralittoral communities, (2) the midlittoral communities, (3)...