RELATIVE HABITAT SUITABILITY AND STABILITY OF THE MEDITERRANEAN GORGONIAN CORAL EUNICELLA-CAVOLINI (COELENTERATA, OCTOCORALLIA)

Habitat suitability and stability of the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunic ella cavolini were investigated at three study sites in the Bay of Cal vi (Corsica, France): a channel (25 m), a wall (16-28 m) and a boulder field (10-15 m). Relative differences between habitats were analysed by using the age structure at the three study sites. Population densit y and recruitment rates were highest in the channel, intermediate at t he wall, and lowest at the boulders. The study sites could be ranked i n terms of both habitat suitability and stability (from highest to low est) as follows: channel, wall and boulders. The channel was about 1.9 times more stable than the wail and about 2.5 times more stable than the boulders. The observed differences between habitats were related t o light intensity, overgrowth of colonies, substratum occupation, and the intensity of water movement.