Larval dispersal mechanisms, although significantly studied, are
far from being completely resolved. Local studies are needed to clarify
key interactions between individual life cycles and transport
processes. The Atlantic-Mediterranean connection through the Strait of
Gibraltar is a particularly important area to explore these processes,
as a hotspot for detecting species fluxes and/or invasions between
several Large Marine Ecosystems. However, the area dynamics and the
mechanisms used by larvae to cope with the system hydrological
conditions are scantly explored.
Summer data on decapod larvae and
ocean water masses from an extended area of the southern Portugal, Gulf
of Cadiz, Strait of Gibraltar and Alboran Sea were analyzed, and the
larval assemblages and their potential retention/dispersal mechanisms
were explored. Different larval assemblages were linked to the
hydrological conditions of each basin. Shelf width differences and its
influence in along/cross-shore transport were the main drivers of
decapod distribution, acting as biological barriers. Larvae of
mesopelagic species dominated the northern Alboran Sea innershelf,
highly influenced by offshore currents. Here, nearshore processes were
limited to surface waters, while in the Gulf they extended more deeply
and to the outer shelf. Results on species ecological traits can easily
be applied to oceanographically similar areas of world coastal regions
and could be used for further development of ecological modelling
studies.