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Growth of the Mediterranean Gorgonian Lophogorgia ceratophyta (L., 1758)
Michele Mistri,
Victor Ugo Ceccherelli,
Michele Mistri
Department of Evolutive Biology, Via L. Borsari 46, 1–44100 Ferrara, Italy.
Search for more papers by this authorVictor Ugo Ceccherelli
Department of Evolutive Biology, Via L. Borsari 46, 1–44100 Ferrara, Italy.
Search for more papers by this authorMichele Mistri,
Victor Ugo Ceccherelli,
Michele Mistri
Department of Evolutive Biology, Via L. Borsari 46, 1–44100 Ferrara, Italy.
Search for more papers by this authorVictor Ugo Ceccherelli
Department of Evolutive Biology, Via L. Borsari 46, 1–44100 Ferrara, Italy.
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Abstract. Growth of the shallow-water gorgonian Lophogorgia ceratophyta was investigated in an infralittoral station located in La Spezia Gulf, Ligurian Sea. Mean annual height growth rate was estimated to be 2.57 cm · a-1. The fractal dimension of the colonies was found to gradually evolve in complexity, exhibiting a simpler branching pattern in younger specimens. The maintenance of a low, invariable ramification complexity as an optimal choice in managing relationships between water and the colony's living tissues is also discussed.
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