Identification of benthic habitat types of the Çanakkale Strait coast using the European Nature Information System and the Barcelona Convention habitat classification schemes

Abstract

The Çanakkale Strait is important in terms of its location within the Turkish Straits System and its biodiversity. Since it is a Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA), it is important to determine the existing habitat types. Although the use of European Nature Information System (EUNIS) and Barcelona Convention (BC) habitat classification systems in marine habitat studies has just begun in Türkiye, studies using these systems have been carried out in numerous countries over many years. This study aimed to identify habitat types in the supra-, medio- and upper infralittoral (down to 0.5 m depth) zones of the Çanakkale Strait, in accordance with the EUNIS and the BC classifications. The SACFOR abundance scale was applied to zoo- and phytobenthic species in determining these habitat types. Field studies were carried out in soft and hard substrate areas at 16 stations between May and August 2019. Fourteen marine benthic habitat types have been determined using EUNIS and 12 using the BC systems from rock, biogenic, coarse and sand sediment types. No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) was found between the benthic marine habitat types determined for the supra- and upper infralittoral zones according to BC and EUNIS. On the contrary, in the mediolittoral zone, a statistically low significant difference was found between habitat types for both habitat classification systems (R = 0.318, p = 0.004 for EUNIS; R = 0.514, p = 0.001 for BC). In this study, the differences and similarities of habitat types in defined EUNIS and BC systems are discussed. The EUNIS habitat classification system was found to be more representative than BC of the studied area, but both classification systems were found to be insufficient for the Eastern Mediterranean littoral communities and a new habitat hierarchy is needed. We present this study as a paradigm for future application to marine habitat studies to be carried out in Turkish waters.